Diary of Design Thinking

Do designers need to draw, stuck in Senior and Lead positions, and when stakeholders disagree

Show notes for Season 2, Episode 2 of the Diary of Design Thinking by Simon Hoang, co-hosted by Chuck Rice.

My doggo, Uno, decided to join us this episode.

Seriously, how do you get to Principal or Head of..?

Whether you’re struggling to reach Senior level, or spinning your wheels pushing to Lead and beyond, it genuinely takes some hustling and some luck to do it. We cover the trials you’ll encounter on your journey getting there, share some advice on leading your team through it, and tips on getting decisions made on your projects.

Oh, and a little first-aid for dogs.

Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

What we discussed

• 0:02:20 — Types of designers: visual, operational, and discovery
• 0:06:20 — Dealing with being perceived as an artist
• 0:13:00 — The non-visual side of designing great products
• 0:18:30 — Getting non-designer team mates to use FigJam, Miro, or Lucid
• 0:23:40 — Our first few weeks at our new jobs
• 0:26:30 — First-aid and CPR for dogs
• 0:30:00 — What’s it like to be promoted, and how do you earn it?
• 0:40:00 — How to progress to Lead positions and above
• 0:48:40 — Do you need a title in order to lead?
• 0:50:00 — Leaders who are younger than yourself
• 0:55:00 — Growing into your first leadership role
• 1:03:00 — Uno makes a cameo and wants a cuddle
• 1:03:35 — Delegating work to a team mate
• 1:08:32 — When stakeholders disagree with each other
• 1:13:10 — Convincing others to use a Design Sprint
• 1:21:00 — A data-driven approach to decision making
• 1:23:52 —How do break out of decisions going in circles?
• 1:26:40 — What about when projects or decision making is too slow?

You can drop questions, messages, or connection requests to Simon’s LinkedIn or Chuck’s LinkedIn.

Resources

Articles, books, and links to what we discussed—don’t worry, there’s no affiliate links here.

• Surround yourself with positivity for better UX by Simon Hoang
• Radical Candour by Kim Scott
• Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo
• Sprint by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
• Inspired by Marty Cagan
• Obstacle is the Way, and Ego is the Enemy, by Ryan Holiday

I absolutely recommend you check out these authors and the work they’ve done since. Authors, if you’re reading, you’re perpetually invited to the show 😉.

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