August: Favorites for the Month
We asked our Learning Experience Designers to list their favorite books, articles, podcasts, and music for August.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
This is a cozy, mysterious, funny culinary novel about a Filipino American family living in Illinois. Do not read this book if you are hungry because the food descriptions are so mouth-watering. The characters in this book are very funny and diverse. A lot of the characters come from different races and/or cultures — they all bond through food which it was so nice to see because that is exactly how I bond with other designers at WGU Labs. — Karen Vazquez
Analog System by Ugmonk
I’ve been on the hunt for the best way to maximize my time juggling different projects. July and August were tough and I often felt like I wasn’t seeing any progress. Asana and bullet journaling are great ways to track your tasks at a high level — but on a day-to-day, it’s easy to get distracted with larger tasks.
That’s where the Analog system really shines. The concept is simple, write your most important tasks on a card that sits right in front of you. They don’t get lost behind zoom calls and browser windows. The card sits right in front of you reminding you of what you need to get done. It’s a bit pricey, but I mean think of how nice it would look on your desk! — Luis Ramirez
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan M. Weinschenck, Ph.D.
This is a book I keep coming back to in my career. This book offers tips and best practices to help make your design experience shine. The book offers tips on how to make people feel, think, make decisions, and interact with your designs. A great book that should be on every designer’s bookshelf. — Luis Ramirez
Learner and User Experience Research by Matthew Schmidt, Andrew A. Tawfik, Isa Jahnke, & Yvonne Earnshaw
I started this book before, which was introduced to me by my colleague a while ago, but have not finished it. This month I wanted to come back to it and it’s so fascinating! This freely accessible book has a vision to “create an introductory resource focusing specifically on the theory and practice of learner experience (LX) and user experience (UX) in the field of learning/instructional design and technology (LIDT)”.
It describes the interdisciplinary relationships in the EdTech field between UX, LX, and user-centered design which considers not only learners, but instructors and other stakeholders as users. — Hankun He
The Coffitivity App
Sometimes working from home can be isolating and too quiet. I miss that little buzz of an office or a coffee shop. That is why this website (or app) is perfect! It helps me focus and it is even backed up by science. This is one of my personal favorites and I have been using it since 2013. It works! — Agueda Mija-Chavez
The DailyPM Newsletter
Recently I signed up for this daily email containing curated articles and information regarding product management. Even though we are technically designers, managing projects is a big part of our role! The author of this newsletter keeps things new and interesting, and in the couple of weeks I have been following I’ve already found several gems which will help me in my work! — Dawna Kelley
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
I started reading Set Boundaries, Find Peace last week and it’s been such a great book so far! The author describes the 6 types of boundaries and tips for how to uphold them. I’ve been able to apply things I’ve been learning in the book in both my personal and professional life. I would highly recommend it! — Amanda Johnson
Morning Commute Playlist on Spotify
Even though I work from home, I’ve been putting this playlist on in the mornings. It’s a wonderful way to ease into the work day — commute or no! — Lauren Zito
99% Invisible — Whomst Among Us Let the Dogs Out
This episode from 99% Invisible is so interesting. This episode focuses on intellectual property and goes down the rabbit hole on the song Who Let the Dogs Out by The Baha Men. The story takes different twists and turns to prove that identifying where an idea originates from isn’t always easy. —Brian Tillman
Have you read or listening to any of our picks for the month? Do you have any recommendations for us? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
Check out our wgu blog to learn more about the projects our full wgu labs team is working on, and to hear from our amazing researchers and interviews with our leadership.
