Lidia Sambito

I’m interviewing some designers for a role at LOCAL. And I’m surprised to see how little research people do about the company they’re applying for. In fact they are also ill prepared with showing their portfolios. It is a massive waste of both our times and shows you don’t really care about your career with us. If you can’t convince me with your work, how will you convince the client? I would highly recommend that before you interview (especially with me) : 1. Study our work, have an opinion and be ready to reference it 2. See what project of yours you would like to present which fits our ethos and level of detailing so I may see how well we can work together. It doesn’t matter if it’s personal or client work, it should be a specimen of your expertise. 3. While talking about your work, please don’t waste time only explaining the clients business, spend more time on what design soluton YOU came up with and what YOUR process was. 4. Also be ready with a clarity of what you see doing at the studio with us. 5. And lastly know that we are a remote company. So don’t ask us where we are based out of. It’s the biggest giveaway that you haven’t done your homework. If you aren’t ready with all of this. Prepare yourself and then schedule a call. People hire people. People hire when you have struck a connection. Make sure you strike one. ✨

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This has happened to me before where a company wanted me to design something for them as part of the interview process and they told me I wouldn't get paid for it. I didn't do it. Designers need to learn to start their own businesses. #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #entrepreneurs

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Great insight into salaries for product design, owners and leaders et.

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I'm in a UR, UX bubble, so I have a question about life outside... Do other specialisms in technology, for example Business Analysts or Solution Architects to name but two, debate the merits or otherwise of using AI in their work as much as the UR and UX folk? If they do, can someone point me to some points of view from outside my bubble. (if only I could be bothered to make an AI image of me in a bubble to illustrate this post.)

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This is a great read about UX maturity in organisations - what it is, the various levels of maturity and strategies towards levelling up.

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Figma slides is a game changer .. specially adding prototypes within slides.

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Getting To The Bottom Of Minimum WCAG-Conformant Interactive Element Size https://buff.ly/4d8Z0CH #WCAG #UXDesign #Design #DigitalAccessibility #Accessibility #A11y

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My first blog post! Take a look at the similarities between goldsmithing and user research 👩‍🏭 👩‍💻  I'd love to hear your thoughts

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Designers are being exploited. I've become increasingly concerned with the state of design hiring processes since my first redundancy back in 2021, and I fear we've reached breaking point (at least I have). Today, we're talking about design tasks. It's now commonplace for potential employers to ask jobseekers to complete an unpaid "task" during the selection process. These so-called tasks usually require days of work, and often involve creating designs that the company genuinely needs and could potentially use without payment or permission. This leaves designers in an impossible position: should we leave our dignity at the door, comply, and get used (after all, we're #Desperate for work) - or say no and hope the next company, if there is one, has morals? It's also hard to spend limited time on a task, when you know you're up against other designers who may simply spend longer on it and therefore be selected to move forward, based solely on their "effort" rather than skills. The good news is (unless you sign something to the contrary) any work you create for these tasks belongs to you, even if you use their branding. If you have any legal concerns around IP, speak to Carrie Bradley! I've already made several posts documenting tasks I've been asked to produce in full, so if you're interested in seeing just how much we're being asked for, check out my older content. One company I was a huge fan of ghosted me after I completed a week's worth of work for them. I'm now saying no to tasks, full stop. If none of us comply with their unethical practices, they'll be forced to do something radical: judge us based on our portfolios and CVs that have taken years to curate. Wouldn't that be something?

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A week until UX London and I'm at the stage where I hate my slides and want to feign an illness that will prevent me from getting on the stage next week. Great timing then to attend a meetup with other female Design leaders on Imposter Syndrome organised by Amy Kelly and Danielle Macdonald! I learnt a lot from the material shared and the great discussions that followed. Reflecting on this as I finalise my slides, take some deep breaths and tell myself, 'You've got this.' #research #researchleadership #designleadership #ux #uxresearch

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When giving design feedback, remember: it’s not going on your fridge. You likely aren’t the user or audience. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the colour or your wife thinks it needs to be green. Stakeholders: help your designers out by asking what specifically they are looking for feedback on. Keep your feedback objective and in context of the objective and brief. Ask questions. Designers: give context, explain your designs and how they meet the brief or user story. Help your stakeholders to help you. Ask questions.

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Design Leaders, how can we manage remote teams better? 🤔 I love this clip from my chat with Bob Baxley in the last episode of 'Design Beyond Pixels' 🎙️ Managing remote teams in the US can be challenging and it's an even bigger challenge when it's cross continent and wildly different time zones. In this clip, Bob explains an amazing way to collaborate with his team who do happen to be in a completely different continent. Recording clips at the end of they day explaining what has happened, challenges you have faced and what the plan is for tomorrow has proven to be highly successful in Bob's team. He has also seen a huge improvement in his team's ability to present their work and story tell, two key attributes that all designers need to have! If you want to hear more of Bob's market leading insights into the design world, check out the full episode in comments below!

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POST UPDATE: Sorted on this. Thanks for all the feedback! ====================================== Hi all inclusive UX researchers and Accessibility hive, Looking for accessible labs in London with good set up to test mobile Apps with disabled users. Any suggestions of good spaces/venues? Share all recommendations (and this post with your groups) please folks! #accessibility #UXresearch #UXtesting #inclusivedesign

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🎨 Working with a creative agency? Follow these six simple steps from The Other Hand to write the perfect brief.

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Hello, network! I want to share something a bit personal today. As some of you know, I’ve recently transitioned from my Senior UX role to working as an independent consultant. While I’ve always focused on delivering great work, stepping out on my own has been a new and exciting challenge. This shift has pushed me to think deeply about the kind of impact I want to make and the unique value I bring to the market. I’ve been refining my messaging to clearly explain who I help and how I help them. Here’s where I’ve landed (so far): 👉 I help visionary leaders validate ideas, solve the right problems, and launch user-focused digital products that succeed in the market. This is still a work in progress, and I’d love your feedback: • Does this resonate? • Is it clear? • Would this connect with someone you know who might benefit from my expertise? I'd genuinely appreciate a direct message if you have any thoughts or know someone who might need support with this type of work. Thanks so much for your time and input—it means a lot to me as I build this next chapter!

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NOW HIRING: Principal Product Designer. These are extremely high level IC roles reserved for the absolute best of the best top % of Designers. True Principal Designers are extremely rare, but finding a home as one is also pretty rare - not all companies fully understand how to utilise you. Not the case for this team! You'll be surrounded but exceptional talent where your already high bar for design will be well and truly maintained and beyond. This particular tool their building has some unique features; - Highly intuitive Tool that is both powerful and very easy to use. - Think No Code, Web Editors, Creator Tools, Canvas/Composer style tools I'm looking for that rare designer out there that still believes whole heartedly in the beauty of UI/Visual design and want to work in a team where no UI is compromised. You're the kind of Designer that's probably gotten frustrated with the lack of next level craft out there and finding a team that gets that is hard...until now. #designjobsusa #designjobs #productdesignhiring #productdesignjobs #jaredtredly #principaldesigner

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Torn between the IC and management design track? 🌊 I wanted to share some reflections after a year in management and share the key differences I've experience in how my role and day to day has changed. Perhaps you're on the fence, trying to decide which path to take? Or you're about to start a new role as a design manager? This video should help give you some confidence in what to expect ✨ Shoutout to Buzzy for sponsoring this video! Buzzy lets you kickstart your app development and remove the lengthy tech bottlenecks with their AI-powered . platform. In just a few minutes, you can generate a full-stack working app with simple prompts – without any code! Look no further for an efficient way to get a working prototype up and running and in the hands of real users, fast. https://lnkd.in/gQEND-Ep

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As UX researchers, our role isn’t just to uncover findings 🧐 it’s to make sense of them for our audience. 🧠 Do you want to know my secret? 😶 Tell a great story! 🗯️ 📌 Don’t just describe your results: use them to support an appealing narrative 📌 Bring the context: interpret the findings in context to reveal meaningful insights 📌 Avoid explaining your process: focus on presenting actionable outcomes that tie back to the company’s goals 👇🏽 Here are 5 tips to make your UXR presentations more impactful: 1. Always connect your insights to business goals to show their value 2. Tell a story with your findings to engage and inspire your audience 3. Use visuals, charts or diagrams to make your data easy to understand 4. Build trust with stakeholders by understanding their needs and working closely with them 5. Go beyond just UX and explore how your research can benefit other teams Using this tips you’ll not only engage your audience but also show the real impact of UX research on your organization. 💥 What other tip would you add? #UXResearch #storytelling #presentations #datadriveninsights

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