In this episode I have a discussion with Liz - Head of design at DVT. She gives us insights on what hiring managers are looking for in UX design candidates. We get into the details on what UX designers need to focus on to stand out, the do's and dont's in design portfolios and CV's, as well as ethical salary practice. 

NOT a UX designer

What hiring managers are looking for - a chat with Liz

If anything 2020, showed us that nothing is certain and we need to keep diversifying our income and evolving our skills and technique In this episode of not a UX designer I want to chat about why change is not only important but good for us, how you can keep reinventing yourself in your career and most importantly how to not get extinct as a designer by becoming a good problem solver.

Reinventing yourself & redefining your career

In this podcast episode I will share why I left my job as a senior UX designer and why you should also consider other career paths as a designer in 2021.

Why I quit my senior UX designer job

WWDC2021 Apple's world wide developer conference was on the 7th of June 2021. This could have been an all time most anticipated conference with many leaks and rumours from the apple leaks community and expectations were set high to everyones disappointment.  We cover that and more on what we liked for the WWDC2021 Day 1 keynote.

WWDC2021 - Keynote expectations and disappointments

Happy 2021,  In this first episode of season 3 of "Not a UX designer" we will be talking about the Return on investment of good UX design (Or the RIO of design), I will discuss why the companies that focus on design are more successful in any given market.

The ROI of good UX design.

UX design has been around for a long time and many of the practices are being rinsed and repeated. Can we do more, can we innovate new better ways of solving problems and working.  In this episode we would like to invite you to the dobetterux community.  Join our community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13715248/ www.dobetterux.com

Doing better UX, a thing?

Adobe and sketch have been a huge part of my design career, but I am leaving them for a more futureproof UX design tool. In this episode, I discuss why I am leaving adobe and sketch as a product designer in 2020. Join our community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13715248/ www.dobetterux.com

Why I am leaving Adobe and Sketch as a product designer in 2020

What are the options for designers when it comes to passive vs active income? Do you have a side hustle where you are working on something bigger than what you are doing in your current job? or perhaps you want to free up more time and work less. I will be talking about your career as a designer and the things you can do to make the shift needed to focus on a Job vs building something of your own.

Active vs Passive income for Designers

This is a confrontational podcast episode, but I think this is the alternative designers need to think about when it comes to building a portfolio in 2020. 

Do UX designers need a portfolio in 2020?

In this episode we discuss the launch of the first Design sprint tool, mydesignsprint.io is a tool that is targeted to helping sprint masters, plan run, and capture design sprints all in one online tool.  Find out more: https://www.mydesignsprint.io/ Launch your product fast: http://www.varimahenry.com/design-sprint/ Do better UX: http://www.varimahenry.com/training/ 

The first 'All-in-one' Design Sprint tool.

A conversation with Lesego Buyey on the perspective of recruiters on the UX/UI role, what they expect when hiring a designer.

What employers think UX/UI designers do in South Africa.

The market is open for UX designers. More and more businesses are demanding UX design skills because of the value they see in it. There are some things you need to consider to be able to influence and get design buy-in from stakeholders.  Getting into UX is an exciting learning curve and there are tons of resources on the internet. The South African context is a bit different and lagging behind, join me for my upcoming workshops and masterclasses on practical everyday UX facilitation skills to kick start or boost your UX career and do more impactful work. Learn More: http://www.varimahenry.com/training/ 

Should you become a UX designer in 2020 (South Africa)

Design Sprints help UX designers show client Value fast, They are packed with methods and activities that can be applied in everyday UX work when working in product teams. Take your UX career to the next level by learning how to run and get Design Sprint Buy-in.  See upcoming events here:http://www.varimahenry.com/events/ Learn more about design sprints here:  http://www.varimahenry.com/training/

Why UX Designers should learn how to Design Sprint.

Season 2 | Episode 1 - Happy new year and hope you have a great year ahead. In this episode, I kick off the year with a conversation on how to add value as a UX designer and doing more meaningful work. Meetings don’t have to be boring time wasters. There are lots of cool tricks you can use to make them focussed, efficient and get problems solved, not just discussed or debated. Stop running shitty endless meetings that end up in a meeting to discuss the next meeting with no clear next steps. This problem farming and prioritisation workshop presented by Varima Henry is a complete guide to facilitating your own workshop that creates the freedom needed to come up with creative ideas using structure and discipline for any team. Join me for the “Facilitate better meetings and conversations workshop” hosted in Johannesburg. See event details here: https://qkt.io/uGeGzs What to expect How to identify problems without discussion Note and vote method to keep moving forward How to prioritise solutions Create team alignment on the next steps Who should attend Anyone interested in running better meetings that always have clear actionable outcomes. Project managers, Product owners, UX/UI designers. Why? Attending this workshop will give you a step-by-step recipe to brainstorm ideas and prioritise solutions. You will receive material to help you facilitate your own workshop with your team. You will understand how to run and facilitate better meetings. 

Adding value and doing meaningful work.

It has been a great year, This is the last episode of S1.  A lot more coming in 2020 S2.  Join the South African Design Sprint Community: #DESIGNSPRINTSA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/407772346500293/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13715248/ Varima Henry is a digital product designer and strategist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a thought leader in Design Sprints and helps design teams in agile and waterfall environments build better products at speed. Varima has worked as a UX designer in the learning, technology and financial landscape of the South African market. For the past 10 years, he has created a deep understanding of how people learn, use products and the processes that make it all happen. He currently facilitates Design Sprints with design teams across the country, helping them build products that are effective for their customers and users. www.varimahenry.com **CONNECT, DM ME**??‍? Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varima-he... Twitter: https://twitter.com/varimahenry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varimahenry/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/varimahenry/

Happy holidays, Catch you in 2020 ?

This podcast seeks to explore the UX designer role in South Africa, the trends and having conversations with UX design thought leaders in South Africa. Cover art photo provided by You X Ventures on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/@youxventures

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NOT a UX designer

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