Rachel Zhang

Will I ever stop talking about the business value of design? NEVER. Designers are under selling themselves if they don't know how to connect the dots. It only took me first half of my career working directly with founders to build business through different stages, plus 7 years to build my own side hustle from nearly drain out my life savings to turning over multi six figures to figured out:👇 Designers absolutely need to know more than design to succeed in the business eco system. so where do you even start? All will be revealed in this session. Warning: this talk will be filled with relationship analogies. come for a laugh 😂 ✌️🌈🚀 #businessdesign #designcareer #productdesign #uxdesign

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Next week. I'm talking about disconnection of business and design Atlassian Sydney. Looking forward to share few nuggets about getting these two to talk to each other. Thank you for the crew behind the scene Kevin Wilkins, Lydia Bradshaw, Sylvia Luk, Ashlee King, Sarah Stokes, Tim Dixon, PhD, Timothy Parker for organising. Reminder for everyone, I also run a half day in bootcamp on 21st JUNE in Sydney on - Mastering Business Acumen for Designers. Link in comment. 💬🔗 #businessdesigner #productdesigner #productstrategy

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This is becoming a regular thing. For our Friday chat this week, the amazing Karen Monjo joined us to give us an insider's look at the job market. The biggest takeaway for me was, “Treat your interviewer like a customer, make the complex (your role) simply (what you did)” Your cases studies and portfolio should be as customer centric as all the work you put out into the world #JobMarket #Designers #Portfolios #CaseStudies #Skills #Experience #ProblemSolving #CareerGrowth #DesignThinking

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Why do I recommend all Design Leaders build out a leadership deck? Building out your portfolio as an IC or deck as a leader is about so much more than just showcasing experience or skill set. It’s an exercise in consolidating your thoughts. By writing out your case studies or your approach to leadership, you’ll have created a narrative both on paper and in your mind. Going over your past experience will help to build a picture about the direction you want your career to go in. This makes job applications and assessing adverts much easier. It also makes interviewing 1000 times easier. You’ll be able to answer questions about your experience with clarity, concisely and with confidence. The inverse is hesitation while you attempt to recall information, which inadvertently adds pressure that didn’t need to be there. Job hunting is hard enough. Putting time into how you tackle it and sell yourself can make it that little bit easier. If you’re a design leader struggling to put your deck together - get in touch. If you've done something like this before, did you find it helped? Share your experiences in the comments... #design #leadership #career #designleadership #designcareers #portfolio #productdesign #jobhunt

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"1) When hard decisions need to be made, have bias towards the customer, 2) Customer discovery should not only ask questions from the customer but how you innovate on behalf of the customer, 3) Observe and find that emotionally held customer pain point even when the customer cannot see it, 4) Leverage techniques from other industry leaders and finally, 5) Commitment to measuring customer's love for the product and iterate until you get it right" https://lnkd.in/g6zu7NAH

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Sorry to break it to you, but you’re NOT a product designer (or industrial designer for that matter). Read on to see what you actually are, or at least what you should aspire to become. 🎙️ 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧 The Design Journeys Podcast 𝐢𝐬 William Gordon, 𝐕𝐏 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐭 BlendJet®. 🎙️ Amongst other things, we discussed why product designers should embrace story telling and how relationship building can propel your career. William’s design journey has taken him from designing sanitary ware at Kohler Co., FMCG at SC Johnson to leading design at BlendJet®. Our conversation goes beyond design—it’s about the 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 in building a successful career. We talk about: 🔗 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, even in difficult times. Your journey is shaped by more than just the projects you take on; it’s deeply influenced by the connections you nurture along the way. William also shares some memorable experiences from his time at SC Johnson and CamelBak, including a funny and revealing story about how Herb Kohler, the CEO of Kohler, would test toilet seats. 🚽 Key takeaways from this episode include: ✔️ Handling challenging work environments  ✔️ Storytelling’s role in design  ✔️ Understanding how design impacts people and society Whether you're just starting out or have many years of experience, this episode provides valuable insights that can help you grow both personally and professionally. 🎧 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐰 on all major podcasting platforms including Spotify, Apple, Google Play, and Amazon Music.

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This article from Vision Australia shares five simple tips for designing accessible web forms. #Accessibility

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Did you miss it? On #BraveUX last week, Doreen Lorenzo shared how to lead creative people well 🎈, what it takes to create innovative products 🚀, and why she’s redefining design education 🧑‍🏫. Highlights include: ⭐ Has design education become too expensive and elitist? ⭐ Why did you leave Catholic school for a local public school?  ⭐ How did you navigate the needs of frog’s shareholders and its staff? ⭐ Why did you occasionally draw out interviews when hiring people? ⭐ How do we ensure design remains a respected craft-based profession? Plus much more! - - - - - 📺 Watch the episode here - https://lnkd.in/gqATKaPz Subscribe and listen to Brave UX on... 🎧 Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3rzixVc 🎧 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3q47pPA 🎧 iHeart Radio - https://lnkd.in/gMFH8AaR 🎧 TuneIn + Alexa - https://bit.ly/3jAVkz7 🎧 Stitcher - https://bit.ly/3ezPSw0 - - - - - Who is Doreen Lorenzo? Doreen is the Assistant Dean of the School of Design and Creative Technologies, and the Founding Director of the Center for Integrated Design 🖥️, both at the University of Texas. Through these roles, she's helping to prepare the next generation of designers. Before joining UT, Doreen had a storied career as an executive leader in global design firms, most notably at Frog Design 🐸, which she joined in 1997 as President of Digital. By 2004 Doreen had become President of Frog Worldwide and during her tenure, the company evolved from a 50-person design boutique, to one of the world's leading global product strategy and design firms, with over 1,100 staff and a high-profile array of Fortune 500 clients 📈. Doreen writes a column for Fast Company’s Co.Design, where she profiles a diverse mix of world-class women. Additionally, she regularly speaks at industry conferences and private events, and has been featured in ABC News, Bloomberg, Fast Company, Fortune, The New York Times, and many other media outlets 🦉. - - - - - Don’t forget to check out the show notes on YouTube for quick-access to interview chapters, as well as where to find Doreen. #DesignLeadership #CreativeLeadership #UXDesign #ServiceDesign #UX #Innovation #WomenInDesign #PodcastInterview

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Thanks Steve. It's a noble quest, for sure. An effective answer should be one that will unlock someone's understanding of design, and cause them to act differently as a result. I think you are close. To me, a definition using design as a strategic capability should include the things you've mentioned. I feel it should also include bringing the ambitions to life (eg a future state experience vision of sorts). As you know, strategy is also as much about what you say no to as what you say yes to, and being very clear about the path you take to get there. Those decisions could be made with any number of customer insights or lack thereof, and therefore I would include the fact that design can play a part in prioritising, defining horizons and also de-risking the big bets.

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Couple of 💡💡💡💡💡💡 in Part 2 with Karen Monjo from Aquent Australia, James Earnshaw and I explore actionable job-hunting strategies if you're struggling out there here are a few honest & genuine pointers #winning

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A little job market update from me. This is what I'm seeing out there across the world of design in Australia: 👉 We're still seeing most of the roles on the market across the end-to-end Product Design and Service Design space. There has - for the last year or so - been a real dip in pure User Research roles going to market, as well as a significant decrease in Content Design roles too. As the market stabilises, we anticipate a resurgence in demand here. 👉 Most of the roles on the market at the moment are at the Senior to Lead/Principal level - we're not seeing too many mid-level jobs out there, though we are seeing some of our bigger enterprise businesses investing in their grad schemes after a bit of a hiatus! 👉 Within these roles, there is a clear need for seasoned Senior ICs. Companies are seeking designers who can be on the tools, lead projects, and mentor junior members of staff. 👉 While the contract market is still busy, there is a notable tilt towards permanent positions, with a bit of downward pressure on salaries. 👉 The landscape at the leadership level remains quiet, though a lot of businesses I'm speaking with are earmarking budget for these types of hires in the new financial year. 👉 Most positively, there seems to be a shift across most verticals away from purely BAU, to new products, services (and usually CAPEX funded) projects. If you're looking to discuss your next step or looking to build out your team in the new year, get in touch! 📲 0414 636 440 📧 [email protected]

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Join us at the Askable webinar. You’ll hear strategies how we scale research maturity at SEEK

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On #BraveUX this week, Greg Petroff discusses the practicalities of executive design leadership 👨‍🔧, why he believes in ‘make to think’ 🏗️, and the ins-and-outs of working with product and engineering 🔀. Highlights include: ⭐ How much advocacy for design is too much? ⭐ Why do you prefer project-based teams over product-based teams? ⭐ How do you align the engineering, product and design organisations? ⭐ How have your recent experiences in the labour market changed you? ⭐ What does effective compromise look like in enterprise software design? Plus much more! - - - - - 📺 Want to watch or listen 🎧 to the episode? 👉 Find the links in the comments, or search for Brave UX with Brendan Jarvis 🇺🇦 on YouTube or on your favourite podcast platform. - - - - - Who is Greg Petroff? A 25 year veteran of the design field, for the past 10 years Greg has led significant design organisations at some of the world’s largest and most recognisable companies 👀. Until recently, he was the vice president and chief design officer of Cisco Secure, where he led the design innovation and transformation of one of the world’s largest cybersecurity solutions providers 🔒. His highlight reel also includes being the chief experience officer at GE Digital, managing director of Google Cloud ☁️, vice president and global head of design at ServiceNow, and senior vice president of design at Compass. One of the early members of our emerging field, Greg is a founding board member of the Interaction Design Association 🔷, where he also contributed as the treasurer and as an early conference chair. A generous contributor to the field, Greg has shared his insights on stages across the world, including at TedX, the Interaction conference, UX Australia, Enterprise UX, and on the most-excellent Finding Our Way podcast 🎙️. - - - - - Don’t forget to check out the show notes on YouTube for quick-access to interview chapters, as well as where to find Greg. #DesignLeadership #UX #UXDesign #ProductDesign #CDO #CPO #ProductLeadership

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Weekends are not the same when job-hunting! 🙈 🎨 Job-Hunting Tips for Designers: Tried, Tested, and Absolutely Aussie 🎨 Alright, fellow designers, let’s have a chat about the art of finding a job (pun intended). Whether you’re fresh out of uni or have years of experience under your belt, job hunting can feel like that moment when your WiFi cuts out mid-Zoom—frustrating, right? But fear not, I’ve been there, done that, and got the branded company T-shirt. So, here are a few mega mind thinker tips to help you land that next big gig! 1. Leverage your skills like you’re MacGyver with a paperclip You’ve got the tools: UX, CX, wireframes, sketches, service design… the whole shebang. Now, show them off. Use your portfolio as the best storytelling tool you have. I once made a wireframe that even got my cat’s attention (true story). Make sure every piece of work tells the story of not just what you did but the impact you had. 2. Contacts, network, and the power of a coffee chat ☕️ Networking is key, and no, I’m not just talking about those cringey “can we connect” LinkedIn messages. Be genuine! I once had a casual coffee with a former colleague, which led to a project down the line. Be open to chats, even if it’s just to catch up. You never know where they’ll lead (sometimes to job offers, sometimes to really good banana bread). 3. Positive thinking: Channel your inner Steve Jobs There will be moments when rejection emails pile up faster than unsolicited spam. But keep your chin up! A while ago, I got knocked back for a role I thought was my dream job. Fast forward six months, I landed something even better. The right opportunity will come—stay positive, keep refining your craft, and don’t let setbacks become full stops. 4. Discipline: Treat job hunting like your 9-5 It’s easy to feel discouraged, but discipline is your best mate here. Set goals—apply for 3 jobs a day, reach out to 5 people, etc. Stick to the plan, and yes, give yourself a knock-off time. I found balance by setting aside time for upskilling in the mornings, job applications by lunch, and, of course, Netflix after 5 pm. Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to have a laugh This process is tough. Keep things light when you can. For me, cracking a joke during interviews or even a bit of self-deprecating humour about the joys of design challenges has worked wonders. After all, who doesn’t want to work with someone who brings positivity into a team? Now over to you lot—what are your go-to tips for nailing the job hunt? Share your thoughts, and let’s help each other out on this wild ride of what’s next! 🎢 #DesignLife #JobHuntTips #CreativeCareers #NetworkingLikeABoss #PositiveThinking #UXDesigner #ServiceDesign

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Another great Macquarie Design Blog post by Leah Ochroch went live this morning. Insightful, practical tips to ensure your design is accessible for all. #design #experiencedesign #uxdesign #accessibility

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On #BraveUX this week - a special bonus episode! Nitzan Shaer speaks candidly about the future of UX research 💡, why simulated audiences are a step beyond synthetic 🦾, and how UX professionals can leverage them effectively 💪. Highlights include: ⭐ What’s the vision you’re building towards with WEVO? ⭐ How can simulated audiences help accelerate innovation? ⭐ What does the near future hold for UX research with AI advancements? ⭐ Could simulated research eventually surpass human research in accuracy? ⭐ How would you define the difference between synthetic and simulated research? Plus much more! - - - - - 📺 Watch the episode here - https://lnkd.in/gu4NbCkZ Subscribe and listen to Brave UX on... 🎧 Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3rzixVc 🎧 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3q47pPA 🎧 iHeart Radio - https://lnkd.in/g5X5zs_i 🎧 TuneIn + Alexa - https://bit.ly/3jAVkz7 🎧 Stitcher - https://bit.ly/3ezPSw0 - - - - - Who is Nitzan Shaer? Nitzan is the CEO and co-founder of WEVO, a user research platform that leverages AI to deliver reliable insights to designers, marketers, and product managers—in a fraction of the time that traditional research requires 😳. Before co-founding WEVO, Nitzan was the co-founder and managing partner of High Start Group, an innovation consulting firm dedicated to helping companies create and launch breakthrough products 🚀. He also led product management, partner relationships, and defined Skype’s strategy for mobile phones as head of the Mobile Phones and Product Group 📱, where the challenges of working with customers across 150+ countries sparked his vision for WEVO. Complementing his hands-on experience in building and scaling products, Nitzan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School 🏫 and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology. An active contributor to the broader product and business community, Nitzan has shared his insights on stages such as The Product Podcast, Product-Led Summit New York, and at Harvard Business School 🎙️. - - - - - Don’t forget to check out the show notes on YouTube for quick-access to interview chapters, as well as where to find Nitzan. #UX #AI #UXAI #UXR #UXResearch #UserResearch #MarketResearch #AIResearch #UXAItools

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On #BraveUX this week, Jakob Nielsen addresses some of the criticism he’s faced 🎤, calls on UXers to urgently adopt AI 🐛, and shares why he believes the commoditisation of UX is a good thing 📈. Highlights include: ⭐ Are you surprised by how much you’ve offended some people? ⭐ Why do UXers need a greater sense of urgency about adopting AI? ⭐ Were the hiring practices at your previous company elitist? ⭐ What is the state of UX today and where is the growth potential? ⭐ Will AI impede our ability to develop our professional judgement? Plus much more! - - - - - 📺 Want to watch or listen 🎧 to the episode? 👉 Find the links in the comments, or search for Brave UX with Brendan Jarvis 🇺🇦 on YouTube or on your favourite podcast platform. - - - - - Who is Jakob Nielsen, PhD? Jakob is the founder of UX Tigers 🐯, the website and associated substack he uses to bring his 41 years of UX knowledge and experience to the world, in what he has described as a plainspoken, hard-hitting and not bowing to orthodoxy kind-of-way. Before founding UX Tigers, Jakob was the co-founder and principal - for 25 years - of a rather well known UX consultancy, the Nielsen Norman Group 📜. His other notable roles include being a distinguished engineer at Sun Microsystems, and a member of the research staff at Bell Communications Research 🔔 - one of the world’s top three HCI labs in the 1990s. Jakob is known for many other things, among which are being the founder of the discount usability movement, the foundational 10 usability heuristics for user interface design, and the eponymously named Jakob’s Law of Internet User Experience 🏛️. He is the holder of no less than 79 United States patents and the author of 8 books, including the best-selling “Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity”, “Usability Engineering”, and the pioneering “Hypertext and Hypermedia” 📚. In 2013, Jakob received the Lifetime Achievement Award for HCI Practice from ACM SIGCHI and in 2024 he was named a “Titan of Human Factors” by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 🏆. - - - - - Don’t forget to check out the show notes on YouTube for quick-access to interview chapters, as well as where to find Jakob. #UX #UXDesign #UXAI #UXR #UXResearch #UserResearch #DesignLeadership #UXTigers

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If you missed the Navigating Human Centred Change (NHCC) discovery session last week, that’s ok. Here are the cliff-notes… NHCC is a course designed for designers and design-minded folks to assist with advancing the customer mindset within your organisations. Designers have two jobs. Their day job and their change job. This course equips designers with the mindsets, approaches, and mental models to navigate the murky waters of change inside organisations. Learn how to integrate your day job and change jobs for more impactful design. And through that, excel at and drive impact through your day job. 📚 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 📚 🌆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀: Navigate your organisational landscape. Explore the relationship between your craft and your context. 🔍 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲-𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Prioritise and articulate insights to make them a meaningful tool for action. Understand how sense-making is a core skill of design influence. 📖 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: Tailor your stories to different audiences for impact. Learn what story types will help you gain traction with key stakeholders.  🤝 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Understand facilitation as a strategic tool. Drive change by holding space for others.  🪞𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Walk away with a framework you can apply anywhere to maximise learning and growth. Join a community 👥 of over 100 designers who have taken this course. 🌟 The next course intake begins in August. If you’ve got questions, DM our Founder Sarah Clearwater 📩 N.B. Some members have free access to this course as part of their CX Collective team membership! 🚀✨

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Designers - thoughts on the new Figma #UI3?? I've been hearing a few people voice concerns about the usability of the tool throughout the day, and I'm keen to hear my network's thoughts. The new update will be rolled out to all Figma users on 10th October, but the beta is currently live if you've not yet had the chance to check it out. #figma #ui #design Salt

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