Amanda Pinsker

It's clear from the amount of designers seeking career advice that we're still in a tough job market. But things are improving, I'm seeing great talent quickly being snapped up, especially by smaller, more dynamic teams looking for hands-on generalist designers and IC’s. I get a lot of designers reach out to me for guidance, and I always try to offer some time to help, I know I was in their position once upon a time. So, inspired by the progress I've seen in these talents, I'm opening up a few more slots on my Calendly over the next week or so. A little help can go a long way, so if you're a designer looking for advice on; — How to power up your portfolio — How to get to the next level — How to ace that interview — Or if you just wanna chat about anything design, I’m here for you Grab a 1-to-1 slot with me here: https://lnkd.in/dn4ap-2H 👊🏼 Ps these slots are for mentorship and discussions only — no sales pitches please :)

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Design Technologists, such a good topic, PJ Onori and I wanted to bring on friend Donnie D'Amato BFA., MA. for the convo. Back when we all started, it was a skill set I had dabbled with, but only with HTML/CSS. Donnie and PJ go head-to-head to talk about their roles as different types of design technologist/ux engineer and how this role is essential for product design and XFN growth, specifically if they can sit with design systems teams. #designsystems #podcast #designengineer #designtechnologist #productdesign #react #html #css

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As designers, we often find ourselves needing to defend our design decisions—whether we’re presenting to stakeholders, working with developers, or chatting with our team. You’ve probably heard the question, "What informed this design decision?" especially if you’re in a product-led organization. We get asked this question for various reasons, depending on who's asking. But a key reason is to make sure our design choices are based on real user needs and behaviors, not just personal preferences, assumptions, or gut feelings. Picture this: you’re in a design review meeting for a new feature, and someone asks "What informed this design decision?". The best way to respond from the user's perspective is by using data from the product. Data helps set the right context for the question. This means explaining which metrics were measured, what was observed, where it was observed, any further tests conducted to confirm findings, the insights drawn, and so on—until you can clearly state the goal of the change and its impact on the product and users. Using data to back up design decisions not only strengthens your argument but also builds trust with all stakeholders. But remember, this shouldn't be done in isolation. Make sure to involve everyone on your team. Everyone needs to be on board before and after changes are made. I’d love to hear your thoughts! How has data-informed your design decisions? Share your insights in the comments below! #ProductDesign #Data #Analytics #UserExperience #DesignThinking #ProductAnalytics

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After interviewing many designers on ADPList, I consistently offer the same advice: Simplify and reduce the amount of text and process sketches. Focus your case studies more on the finalized designs rather than the journey to get there. This might seem counterintuitive, but your portfolio serves as a validation of your high-quality visual and interaction design skills, as well as your product thinking. Showcase these qualities by emphasizing the designs themselves rather than the process behind them. Once you reach the 1:1 interview stage, you’ll have the opportunity to dive deeper into your process and explain how you achieved these designs. For now, let the designs speak for themselves. #designportfolio #designadvice #portfolioreviewtips

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Isn't it strange how the types of process materials in portfolios is different than how real work is done in UX? I talk about what materials we commonly see in portfolios that are never used in real work, then I talk about some that we really do use. https://lnkd.in/g45JT7Qk

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The job market's harsh realities are disheartening, with #opentowork and #layoff posts flooding our feeds - especially for designers. 😞 If you're navigating this challenge, check out "Thriving in Economic Uncertainty: Tips for Designers" for guidance on how #UX and #UI designers can adapt and thrive in times of economic uncertainty. In our industry, challenges are nothing new. ✊🏾 Stay strong and keep pushing. Better days are ahead! https://buff.ly/3wuDfxu

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Really annoyed at Figma's price gouging here. There is no reason other than greed: https://lnkd.in/gfdrEiWH Oh, and I emailed them about it and this line from their reply was particularly poignant: "Additionally the minimum for enterprise is a $5k invoice minimum. 6 enterprise seats or made up with other products." To put that in context... our monthly Adobe bill (for 8 CC, 7 PS, 6 Acrobat licenses) is ~NZ$2k... Amazing how quickly enshittification sets in... #Figma #Design #SoftwareLicensing

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An update on our decision to roll back the Figma AI Make Designs feature: After we learned about an issue with the underlying design system we made for it that resulted in some designs resembling existing apps, we temporarily disabled it to not only fix the issue but to review and understand what we could have done differently. Here is our retro: https://lnkd.in/gsz7T_j6

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I flag brand integration as a critical skill for product designers to develop–it’s a versatile ability to add to your skill set. I’m not talking about learning how to create a brand (logo, color palette, typography, etc.). The skill I advocate designers to cultivate involves the ability to assess and understand all attributes of an existing brand–visual identity, voice/personality–and skillfully integrate those elements into the product experience. Do this, and you add tremendous marketability to yourself because you will know how to ensure that marketing's brand-led first impression will make a seamless handoff to the product experience. We’re in a state where, like Moore’s Law, there is exponential growth in the importance of branding for all businesses, not just corporations. If you know how to wield it in the design of the product experience, you will distinguish yourself.

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💥 We saw our AI usage jump by 50% with one design change. At Axios HQ I've been spending lots of time designing AI features to help writers write more effectively and efficiently. Through all the mockups and prototypes and customer calls, one question comes up over and over again: How can we design these AI features so that our customers actually use them? Here's a little write-up on what worked for us: https://lnkd.in/egRnrhd6

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Boom! Love a good Friday release (as long as it's not software, if you know you know). Our Use Case for Brand Tracking just dropped. Here's what we've put inside: • Helps you map your metrics to KPIs • Gives you a format to collect a variety of leading metrics • Walks you through a case study using the Slack homepage https://lnkd.in/gSaciYfS

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I don't know when or how it happened, but Config has become one of the major yearly conferences in our industry. Given how much Figma plays a role in the practice, it's common for design system teams to watch with anticipation/excitement/dread for what's coming. In our latest episode, Davy Fung and I discuss the reveals from Config and what that may mean for folks in the design systems practice moving forward. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gRMBzfbJ #designsystems #figma #congfig #podcast

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This is a long post regarding my take on the controversial topic of Design Portfolios. You will find at the bottom excerpts from a portfolio that I reviewed for the Product Designer II roles that we opened. I feel free to post it here, because it is so vague and void of substance that it is an example of what not to do. Actually, I would not be surprised if Chat GPT or another AI regurgitated that text. Let me know what you think! But first, here is my take on the topic: to be successful in landing a job with a portfolio (at least with people like me), one must be able to explain their thought process: Which method(s) or framework(s) did you use? Why these specifically? What insights did you learn? How did you present your findings? What project constraint(s) did you have? How long did it take? Where there any conflicts? If so, how did you resolve them? What could you have done better? etc etc Tell me a story so that I can learn about your design approach by answering similar questions. Do not give me too many details either. You can keep it short as I need to have just enough to see a tangible proof of work and to support the conversations we will have during the interview. Finally, I believe this can be done by being honest and transparent without breaching any NDA you may have signed. Hope this can help any candidate to our postings or others. Now the excerpts: Initiation and Empathize We began by immersing ourselves in the experiences of potential users through interviews, and focus groups. This approach allowed us to gather authentic insights and understand user pain points deeply. Define and Ideation We synthesized user data into actionable insights, creating personas and journey maps. Brainstorming sessions focused on generating ideas to leverage high-quality visual content, ensuring we pinpointed the most impactful features. Prototype and Interaction Design Starting with low-fidelity wireframes, we developed interactive mockups. Key interaction design principles ensured an intuitive, engaging application, making navigation and dining decisions seamless. Usability Testing and Evaluation Usability testing combined quantitative and qualitative methods to assess performance and gather feedback. This phase was crucial for refining the design and optimizing user interactions.

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Do you want consistency between designers and front-end developers? Use of design tokens. When everyone uses the same terms, it simplifies things for both teams. Here's Google's introduction to design tokens and how you can implement them: https://lnkd.in/gpWMwqVz

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I've treated my entire career as a journey to get as many snaps as possible to make what was once unknown for me (making, doing, thinking, directing, delegating, etc.) into a highly developed muscle that situationally flexes as necessary. AND I continue to adapt to my surroundings, and sacrifice what I may have once considered to be core to my integrity as a design professional in order to meet the moment fully. It hasn't felt like a clear progression into the commodification wall that Ryan describes; more like bits and pieces, here and there, more or less in various domains. Operating today in an early stage startup within a speculative industry (tech) for a conservative problem space (pharma & healthcare) yet with intelligent leadership who are true SMEs creates a stew of interesting trade-offs and opportunities as a function leader. Generally speaking, I've experienced what Ryan describes, but as with analytics in basketball, there's a big difference between a generalized approach to manifest offensive efficiencies and the individual choices one must make in a game seven. Matchups dictate adaptive strategies.

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What makes a story or presentation great? Earlier this year, I sat down with the Stripe design team to share my advice on creating effective presentations and telling engaging stories. Here’s what I shared with the team: 👇 Creating engaging presentations involves two steps: 1️⃣ Building structure 2️⃣ Adding detail -- Step 1️⃣: Building structure -- 🤨 → Start with why–Understand why your presentation exists. What are you trying to achieve? Are you explaining, motivating, or convincing? Who is your audience? ✍️ → Write it out—Writing a script helps you quickly outline possible structures and keeps the focus on the content that best meets your presentation’s purpose. 🎨 → Draw it out—If writing isn’t working, try drawing! Think about key visuals or concepts you want to convey. Sketch those out in logical order. 🔬 → Avoid jumping into detail—Add detail only when your structure can support it. Otherwise, you'll get bogged down in unnecessary content—a common issue for new designers. 📐 → Use a blueprint—If you’re struggling, use familiar story structures like Rags to Riches, Hero’s Journey, or Elevator Pitch. ⚔️ → Define your timelines and tensions—Across any good story are clear timelines and tensions. Ask yourself “what are the key events or moments of tension in my story?” Build off those. -- 2️⃣ Adding detail -- 🖱️ → Keep it simple—Simplicity helps your audience understand your message. And that's the ultimate goal. 🎯 → One thing at a time—Avoid overloading slides with information. Present concepts, images, and data points one at a time to help your audience absorb the material. 🤔 → Fidelity dictates feedback—Use a level of fidelity that reflects the feedback you want. Higher fidelity tends to prompt detailed feedback, while lower fidelity focuses on overall structure and flow. 🧑‍🔬 → Ditch the jargon—Avoid using technical jargon and acronyms without explanation. It can confuse your audience and distract from your message. Meet them at their level of understanding. 🛠️ → Make it real—Use real-world examples to help your audience visualize the context of your presentation. On the other hand, using 'lorem ipsum' in your designs can make it challenging for your audience to provide useful feedback and critique. That's it! I hope these tips help you create and present your work with greater confidence. If you'd like to see the full presentation or share your tips, let me know in the comments below! 👇 #storytelling #design

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Poorly designed experiments are rampant in A/B testing and CRO. 😭 If you share one publicly, you might get thrown under the bus. 🚌 Though I can't stop public pile-ons, I can step-up to improve our collective experimentation efforts. To learn how to design GOOD EXPERIMENTS in a SAFE and FUN environment, sign up for my workshop at Experimentation Elite on June 11, 2024. I don't have a degree in math or statistics. But I have learned from some of the best such as Lukas Vermeer and Lucas Bernardi over the last 10+ years. They have been kind and patient with me. And I, in turn, promise to be kind and patient with you. Not only that—we can have fun, too! To explain brain-melting experimentation concepts I... ✏ Draw pictures, 🖼 Use memes, and 📖 Tell silly stories. Because there's SO MUCH JOY in experimentation as we discover new things together. If you join, here's what we'll cover: 👉 The difference between designing a test to learn vs. reducing risk 👉 How to structure your approach and write good hypotheses 👉 Terms like significance (α), power (β), p-values, and confidence intervals 👉 How to calculate sample size to get trustworthy results 👉 All kinds of stuff about sample ratio mismatches (SRMs) 👉 How to analyze your data and the caveats to consider 👉 The history about how all of this stuff to solidify your learning To sign up, go to Experimentation Elite's website and check out the workshops! And don't for get to sign up for Test & Learn Community (TLC)'s Mentorship Summit. TLC is a supportive, non-profit community led by the amazing Kelly Wortham. It's filled with positive vibes. 💕 Kelly's community is a great way to level-up your skills and learn from some of the best practitioners in the world. As a final thought, I'll leave you with my personal motto as a reminder to us all: BE KIND & MAKE THINGS BETTER. Have a great day! 🎉

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