The Check-In

Designer & Designer

#Tech #Fine Arts #Arts #Graphic Design #Design #Brian Fling #Joe Alterio #Product Design

26:18

How do you know when it’s time to make your next big career move? With International Women’s Day around the corner, we are excited to feature Avni Patel Thompson, Founder and CEO of Milo. Avni is building technology that directly supports the often overlooked emotional and logistical labor that falls on parents—especially women. Milo is an AI assistant designed to help families manage that invisible load more efficiently. In this episode, Avni shares her journey from studying chemistry to holding leadership roles at global brands like Adidas and Starbucks, to launching her own ventures. She discusses how she approaches career transitions, the importance of unpleasant experiences, and why she’s focused on making everyday life easier for parents. [01:26] Avni's University Days and Early Career [04:36] Non-Linear Career Paths [05:16] Pursuing Steep Learning Curves [11:51] Entrepreneurship and Safety Nets [15:22] Lived Experiences and Milo [19:55] Avni’s In Her Ellement Moment [20:03] Reflections Links: Avni Patel Thompson on LinkedIn Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedIn Kamila Rakhimova on LinkedIn Ipsos report on the future of parenting About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element? About The Hosts: Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030. Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders. Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.…

4 years ago 33:41

MP3•Episode home

Brian and Joe check-in with some designer friends and see how they’re holding up in this never-ending zoom call.Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm

45 episodes

Designer & Designer

The Check-In

Designer & Designer

published 4 years ago

MP3•Episode home

45 episodes

#Tech #Fine Arts #Arts #Graphic Design #Design #Brian Fling #Joe Alterio #Product Design

All episodes

Designer & Designer

1
Risk 43:32

5 days ago43:32

43:32

Mentioned Mythic Quest episode: Dark Quiet Death The pram in the hall Tim Van Damme XOXO Festival Crazy Boat! Topics Discussed The delicate balance between following established patterns and advocating for innovative design solutions How life circumstances (family obligations, debt, financial security) fundamentally change our relationship with risk The consulting advantage: why outside perspectives have more freedom to propose radical ideas The shifting landscape of design opportunities from the mobile revolution to today's uncertain AI frontier Why designers often self-censor their most authentic work out of fear or practicality Pull Quotes "Every big moment in my career was when I took one of those big swings." "My job is to represent the user...even if it puts me at odds with my team." "Every single good piece of work comes from a genesis of a personal experience." "Risk is a clarification of one's priority list." "I would never do anything to risk my family or my children...nothing would be worth it." Connect with Joe & Brian Website: designer.fm Email: designer@designer.fm Don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to us! Outro music: Play At Your Own Risk (12" Version) by Planet Patrol Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
The Future of Design with Dave Miller 50:33

11 days ago50:33

50:33

In this episode, Brian and Joe welcome back Dave Miller from Design Citizen to discuss the evolving landscape of design as a profession and what the future designer might look like. Dave shares insights from his recent LinkedIn article exploring design from 2025 through 2040, discussing how AI and accessible tools are transforming creative capabilities and what skills tomorrow's designers will need to thrive in an increasingly competitive market. Mentioned What’s Next for Design? Predictions for 2025 to 2040 - Dave's article on how design will evolve over the next 15 years as AI transforms the field. How are we doing out there? (Designer&Designer Episode 30) - Previous episode with Dave Design Citizen - Dave's company website where you can learn about his coaching services r/pressurewashingporn - Ooooh yeah! Topics Discussed Dave's recent LinkedIn article about the future of design that "blew up" The shift from specialist designers to "Omni designers" who can do a bit of everything How AI and accessible tools are breaking down barriers to creativity The changing economic landscape for designers and the job market The value of design education in today's world The challenges of cross-disciplinary collaboration between design, engineering, and product How design can become a key differentiator in a world of sameness The future of design leadership and who will be in charge of creative vision Pull Quotes "Everything's changed. I think everything's gonna change every year apparently." - Dave Miller "I found myself all of a sudden seeing that I was exploring adjacent areas of what I'm technically qualified to do and not doing a bad job at it." - Dave Miller "The hottest thing in the market right now is essentially the player coach. It's the adult in the room that could manage... but they are particularly skilled in the craft." - Dave Miller About Dave Dave Miller is the founder of Design Citizen , a recruiting and coaching firm dedicated to helping designers thrive. With over 20 years of experience in the creative industry, he draws on the insights and trends he uncovers through conversations with the remarkable people and companies he collaborates with. For more of Dave’s perspectives on the ever-evolving world of design, follow him here on LinkedIn. Connect with Joe & Brian Website: designer.fm Email: designer@designer.fm Don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to us! Outro music: Pressure Washer vs Techno by @Klangphonics Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
The Dunning-Kruger Effect 42:07

19 days ago42:07

42:07

The Dunning-Kruger Effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect The Continuity Girl https://womensfilmandtelevisionhistory.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/continuity-girl/ Joe's Latest Web Comic, The Custodian https://goodwork.is/TheCustodian/ Design is Storytelling, by Ellen Lupton https://www.cooperhewitt.org/publications/design-is-storytelling/ "Everyone thinks they have a sense of humor and good taste, but we can't all have good taste" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW8zvaTRuGo Medieval Guilds https://www.thoughtco.com/medieval-guilds-4147821 Outro Song Et moi et moi et moi - Jacques Dutronc Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
What Will Product Design Look Like In A Year? 34:40

26 days ago34:40

34:40

"Meta’s Terrible AI Profiles Are Going Viral": https://lifehacker.com/tech/instagram-has-official-ai-accounts-and-they-are-weird AI2: https://allenai.org/ The Singularity Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/singularity/ Charles Baudelaire on Photography: https://www.csus.edu/indiv/o/obriene/art109/readings/11%20baudelaire%20photography.htm Klout: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klout A Gentleman in Moscow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Gentleman_in_Moscow Sam Altman's Popped Collars https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/sam-altman-sama Outro Song Time Hard - The Pioneers Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
AI-ay-ay 40:38

5 weeks ago40:38

40:38

"Generative AI fuels creative physical product design but is no magic wand" https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/generative-ai-fuels-creative-physical-product-design-but-is-no-magic-wand "Graphic design among most at-risk jobs from AI – report" "https://www.designweek.co.uk/graphic-design-among-most-at-risk-jobs-from-ai-report/" "Dieter - Your Virtual Head of Design" https://chatgpt.com/g/g-LQEv5avuV-dieter-your-virtual-head-of-design Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
The New Design Enlightenment 50:13

1 year ago50:13

50:13

Ep 40 Show Notes CZ is Going to Prison R/workreform The Need for Climate Optimism The Economy, Stupid The Strauss-Howe Generational Theory You’re Can’t Let Mom’s Death Be An Excuse for Getting the Ol Job Done How the Internet Makes Money by Making Us Feel Bad Library of Congress, Cartoon Collection The Electric Wire Panic N/N: “ AI: First New UI Paradigm in 60 Years” Jakob’s Law Frutiger Aero Painter Bill Braun That Dickhead VC Dude Song Credit: “Auld Lang Sign” Wheedle's Groove: Seattle's Finest In Funk & Soul 1965-75 https://lightintheattic.net/products/wheedles-groove-seattles-finest-in-funk-soul-1965-75 Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
The Dark Age of UX 42:04

1 year ago42:04

42:04

LinkedIn People who talk about this topic: Hang Xu https://www.linkedin.com/in/haxuco/ Peter Merholz https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermerholz/ Manuel Lima https://www.linkedin.com/in/mslima/ Erika Hall https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikahall/ - Indeed UX Job Report https://indeed.design/article/ux-job-listings-plunged-in-2023 Joe’s Small Jobs, Small Dreams https://uxdesign.cc/small-jobs-small-dreams-7ed46faf46b0 Facebook is Chairs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSzoDPptYNA Runway AI Motion Genertationhttps://runwayml.com Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
Visual Thinking 51:11

2 years ago51:11

51:11

Temple Grandin: Society Is Failing Visual Thinkers, and That Hurts Us All American schools are screening out too many of our visual and spatial thinkers. A Comparative Study of Colour Effects on Cognitive Performance in Real-World and VR Environments This research explores the influence of colour on cognitive performance and intellectual abilities (i.e., logical and lateral thinking abilities and people’s attention to detail) in a conventional laboratory setting and an approximately identical ... Visual Thinkers Online Test Buy Temple's book here! Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
Layoffs! 39:19

2 years ago39:19

39:19

Show Notes Workism Is Making Americans Miserable https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/religion-workism-making-americans-miserable/583441/ Some decent Job Boards https://www.ixda.org/jobs/ https://www.uxjobsboard.com/ https://dribbble.com/ https://www.earlystagedesignjobs.com/ https://www.krop.com/creative-jobs/ux-ui-designer/ https://jobs.smashingmagazine.com/jobs/ If you ever want a portfolio review, email us! designer@designer.fm Stay strong out there ❤️ Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
Weirdos 38:24

2 years ago38:24

38:24

Mentioned in this episode: Stephen Gates Crazy Ones Podcast Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm

Designer & Designer

1
A View from the C-Suite with Gina Trapani 48:04

2 years ago48:04

48:04

Brian and Joe talk to Gina Trapani, CEO of the digital product shop Postlight. Postlight has been unlocking solutions for clients for the past 10 years, and we ask Gina to let us in on the insights of a running a successful design and engineering business. We talk about moving from a Doer to a Leader, the importance of Discovery, and why it’s important to do the work special to you on the weekend.Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
Are The Tools Driving Us? 53:21

2 years ago53:21

53:21

Joe and Brian discuss the dispiriting trend of the current tech stack driving how products are built. What does it mean when a product is designed not for the user, customer, or output, but for ease of technical deployment? What will the future hold if that trend continues? Should try and stop it?Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
Quick Hits 51:45

2 years ago51:45

51:45

Adobe buys Figma Missing Kara Swisher content A simple way to make HTML websites Org Design for Design Orgs Why Designers Quit Why corporate America broke up with design thinking The T-Shaped Designer Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm

Designer & Designer

1
Is IA Eating The World? 44:53

3 years ago44:53

44:53

Kelli Goto's Web ReDesign: https://www.powells.com/book/web-redesign-20-workflow-that-works-9780735714335 Gen Z Searches For Online Content Differently https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-gen-z-searches-for-content Eli Parser's Filter Bubbles TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles?language=en James Burke's The K-Web http://k-web.org/ O'Reilly's Information Architecture (The Polar Bear Book) https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/information-architecture-4th/9781491913529/ Ask A Librarian: https://ask.loc.gov/ Stuart Brand's How Buildings Learn https://www.powells.com/book/-9780140139969/17-4 Jessie James Garret's The Elements of UX http://www.jjg.net/elements/#:~:text=Jesse%20James%20Garrett%20gives%20readers,create%20a%20successful%20user%20experience . Edward Tufte: https://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi Got something to say to us, good, bad or ugly? You can always email us at designer@designer.fm…

Designer & Designer

1
Why Do You Do What You Do? 38:03

3 years ago38:03