Design Life

This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative skills and unlock your full potential!In this live Q&A session, Femke and Charli dive into key topics for designers, including staying relevant in the industry, navigating stakeholder misalignment, making career moves, and the challenges and rewards of building a design culture as a founding designer.0:38 Episode start and catch up04:39 Playbook sponsorship06:43 Q1: How do you stay cool and relevant for 9 years in the design industry?08:30 Q2: When stakeholders are misaligned in product leadership, should a designer check in with the project manager to ensure alignment at the team level? Should designers step beyond the technical scope of their role to address misalignment?13:22 Q3: What does it feel like to be a founding designer and how can you create a design culture?15:48 Q4: How do you start a new role after ending on a low note at a previous company?18:04 Q5: What’s the difference between a visual designer and a UI designer?22:20 Q6: What were your sources of inspiration for shaping the new creative direction for Kit?24:04 Follow up on the founding designer question25:17 Q7: How do you view the current job market? Is it important to base career moves on company name recognition, or should you prioritize skills and experience over past employers?30:08 Q8: How can you make your growth plan more actionable and trackable, especially when discussing career progression with your manager?33:40 Q9: What advice do you have for someone hiring and leading a design team for the first time?38:38 Q10: What are the main lessons you’ve learned from doing the podcast and sharing your career journey? Has the podcast contributed to your design thinking and overall creative self-development?Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Playbook! Be sure to check them out and see how they can elevate your workflowFemke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm‍

This episode is sponsored by Playbook, which is a collaborative platform for creatives to store, organize, and share their work. It features AI-powered search and integrates seamlessly with design tools, making it a great space to manage all your files and projects. Join the "30 Days of 30 Projects" Challenge with Playbook to elevate your creative skills and unlock your full potential!Charli and Femke explore the challenges and best practices in cross-functional collaboration, including navigating role overlaps, planning for future initiatives, understanding how other teams work, leading effective meetings, and how cross-functional feedback fits into performance reviews.Timestamps:0:33 Episode introduction1:20 Playbook sponsorship3:36 Cross-functional collaboration: who are your daily collaborators, and what roles do they play in your projects?5:37 Navigating overlapping responsibilities: how to understand roles across disciplines7:34 Charlie’s planning for 202513:38 Successful cross-functional partnerships: key elements for building strong relationships17:06 Building context on other teams: how to start understanding their roles and processes20:33 Approaching cross-functional meetings24:22 The role of cross-functional feedback in performance reviews: is it valued differently than feedback from your own discipline?27:24 Homework for listeners28:12 Special live event announcementLinks:Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode, Playbook! Be sure to check them out and see how they can elevate your workflowSign up for Charli and Femke's live event on November 1st at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm CET Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Femke and Charli dive into the experience of rebranding ConvertKit into Kit. Charli shares a behind-the-scenes look at launch day and the rebranding process, including what didn’t make it into the final launch but is on the roadmap, as well as key lessons learned and what could have been done differently.Timestamps: 0:33 - Intro & Life Update3:32 - How did it feel when the rebrand was finally complete?5:26 - What was the public’s reaction? Walk us through the launch day—how did it unfold?9:33 - Reflecting on the yoga retreat...13:06 - How did the collaborating agency contribute to the launch? Or was it the Kit team handling the rollout?18:57 - Can you share the process behind the rebrand and the driving initiative?21:37 - What didn’t make it into this launch but is on the to-do list?22:00 - Lessons learned—what would you have done differently throughout the process?Show links: Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Femke shares her experience navigating the challenges of parental leave, including her decision to take extended time off supported by her employer and Canadian government benefits. She reflects on the challenges of staying connected with the design industry while on parental leave and the potential motivations for returning to work earlier than planned. Femke also discusses how her perspective on work-life balance has evolved over time as she adjusts to her new routine.Timestamps:01:42 - Life updates from Charli and Femke05:16 - Deciding how much time to take off and Canadian parental leave benefits08:06 - Would you consider returning to work earlier than planned?09:34 - Employer reactions and typical leave duration at Femke's workplace12:41 - How Femke arranged her 18-month long maternity leave and differences in parental leave across countries15:56 - Reflections on being out of work for an extended period18:27 - Adjusting to maternity leave and staying disconnected from work20:18 - Staying updated on the design industry while on leaveLinks:Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Charli and Femke talk about Charli’s recent promotion and how she approached this process. They explore the importance of taking ownership of your professional growth, including how proactively seeking feedback and showing initiative can help advance your career.They also cover important questions like when to bring up a promotion, what the promotion process entails, and how tools like a promotion matrix and self-evaluation can help you in that process. Femke shares her past experiences with promotions, addressing the challenges of unmet expectations and what happens when someone believes they deserve a promotion but receives feedback suggesting otherwise. The episode gives advice on how to ask for a promotion, especially when you’re unsure, and how to use feedback to guide your approach.Timestamps: 01:00 – Charli’s update01:52 – Femke’s update03:36 – Overview of Charli’s promotion05:34 – Taking ownership of your promotion07:40 – When to bring up a promotion08:44 – The promotion process16:05 – Do you have to meet every criteria?18:16 – Femke’s promotion experiences24:24 – What if someone expects a promotion but their performance feedback suggests otherwise?26:30 – How to approach the conversation when you’re unsure about your chances for promotionShow Links: Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Charli and Femke dive into their experiences working with freelancers and agencies in their side projects and day jobs. Charli shares the decision-making process behind choosing an agency for a recent rebrand at Convert Kit, the challenges they encountered, and how involved they were in the collaboration. The hosts also offer practical advice for anyone deciding whether to keep a project in-house or outsource it to freelancers or agencies.Show Timestamps: 0:46 - Episode introduction1:38 - Charli’s update3:04 - Femke’s update5:04 - Femke and Charli share their experiences working with freelancers and agencies in side projects and day jobs.8:26 - Why did you choose an agency for the rebrand Instead of a freelancer?10:56 - How did you select the right agency?12:38 - What did the collaboration with the agency look like?15:13 - Charli’s role and responsibility in the project16:05 - Femke and Charli discuss the challenges they faced when working with agencies and freelancers.17:59 - Freelancers and Initiative: what’s been your experience? How much direction do freelancers need?20:38 - What are the best ways to work with an agency?27:03 - Tips for deciding between outsourcing and in-house projectsShow Links: Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm 

Femke and Charli dive into the exciting world of rebranding Convert Kit. We explore the origins of the rebrand, discussing whether it began with a name change or a complete repositioning. Charli explains why they decided to make the rebranding process public instead of opting for a big splashy launch.Given the scale of the project, we delve into the various roles and responsibilities that are crucial for the rebrand’s success.  Charli shares surprising challenges they've encountered so far, as well as the reception from customers and the public.We delve into how the rebrand will affect the product itself. Lastly, Charli shares the surprising relationship between rebranding and burnout, and gives an update on where Convert Kit stands now. Timestamps:01:55 Femke updates on her upcoming course cohort.06:39 Charli discusses the "Convert Kit" rebranding journey.08:47 How did the rebrand start? Did it begin with the name change or a complete repositioning of the brand?13:12 Why did you choose to do the rebranding publicly this time instead of a big launch?14:48 This is a massive project. What's Charli’s role in the rebrand?16:28 How does Charli keep the team energized and informed during the rebranding?17:19 What has surprised so far? Any unexpected challenges?19:21 How have customers and the public received the rebrand?21:13 What are Femke's thoughts on the rebrand?22:50 How will the rebrand affect the product? Will there be new names or different positioning of the products inside “Convert Kit”?24:16 Will we see the rebranding process from “Convert Kit” itself or through Charli’s channels?26:06 Rebranding vs burnout: surprising insights.28:33 Where is Convert Kit at right now?Links:Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm‍

Femke and Charli dive deep into the topic of the business impact of design decisions. We discuss whether impact is expected in the product design world and if it is an integral part of the design process. We also cover how to measure success and incorporate metrics into the design process.Additionally, we highlight the importance of sharing real experiences, including conflicts with PMs, design failures, and working without data. We discuss why it is important for designers to share stories of their failures and what they learned from them. We also discuss the resistance to owning failures, how to overcome it and become comfortable learning from failures.In the end, we provide advice for designers on understanding the impact of their work and how to move up to a new seniority level.Show Timestamps:0:45 Episode intro and how this episode came about1:39 Updates from Femke on her course4:49 Updates from Charli on the conference she is attending5:46 More on how this episode came about8:11 What Charli expects from candidates in terms of the impact of their work on business10:58 Discussing the impact from a product design perspective14:49 Have you ever had to choose a design option that was visually less appealing but more effective in converting?17:43 Femke shares a mentoring story and how to grow as a designer with a focus on impact and reflecting that in a portfolio19:19 Discussion on resistance to owning failures and how Charli’s company helps designers become more comfortable learning from failures20:35 Advice for designers on understanding the impact of their work and what designers can incorporate into their process in order to measure success of their design decisions better Episode on landing a new design job in 2024Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm‍

In today’s episode, we are gonna discuss and break down the recent announcements from Figma Config 2024 conference that took place on June 26-27 in San Francisco, California. We are going to talk about Figma's UI3 redesign, new features such as Figma Slides, Code Connect, new AI features, project transfers, connected workspaces, and many more.Show Timestamps:0:45 Intro01:16 Is it “cOnfig” or “confIg”?02:04 Update to the Autolayout04:25 Figma’s redesign - new UI307:19 Project transfers and connected workspaces9:58 New AI features15:12 AI Rename layers feature16:28 Figma slides17:51 Interesting fact: Femke tested Figma Slides before the official release18:40 Femke and Charli’s impressions of Figma Slides24:40 Multiple pages in FigJam25:26 Dev mode update and Code Connect28:02 Favorite feature revealed at Config?28:42 Femke's slide deck template and Figma’s collaboration with Zach Grosser Links:Femke's "Project Overview DeckTemplate" in Figma SlidesZach Grosser’s templates in Figma SlidesFemke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm‍

Femke and Charli delve into the difficulties of managing a side project that isn't going well. Charli shares her personal experience of trying to organize a live workshop in New Zealand and not managing to attract enough participants. The hosts discuss what Charli learned from this experience and how the situation could have been handled better.Show Timestamps:2:03 Update from Femke’s side4:14 Update from Charli’s side6:23 Background of the situation12:18 What is your reflection on this situation?13:44 What are some lessons learned from this situation? Why do you think you did not sell as many tickets as you thought you would?17:12 If you were to do it again, what would you do differently?19:02 Are there any interesting reasons why the people who bought the tickets decided to do so?21:28 Another idea for improvement Show links:Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Femke and Charli share their insights on how to approach the application process in the 2024 design job market. The hosts share strategies on how to optimize your application, stand out from the crowd, and increase your chances of securing your desired position. As competition intensifies and hiring standards rise, it is important to excel in every aspect of your application, whether it's a case study, website, or resume. Tune in to discover how to effectively showcase your design expertise and gain essential guidance for thriving in today's fiercely competitive job market.Show Timestamps:01:40 Catch up03:49 What are you looking for as a hiring manager?09:08 How to approach an application process?12:13 What are the tips for standing out more among other applicants?16:09 What to focus on in the case studies?17:32 Where would you be looking for the roles?19:49 Instagram creator recommendation - @badasscareers21:26 Extracurricular activities and side hustles25:24 Extra tips Show links:Femke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Charli reflects on her 7-year journey at her current workplace, emphasizing the importance of difficult conversations in clarifying issues such as salary and job satisfaction. Femke talks about the struggles she experienced of leaving behind internal reputation and connections when transitioning roles, highlighting the value of established relationships within a company. They discuss the concept of "golden handcuffs" and the need to see if current job aligns with personal growth and challenges. Charli and Femke also share personal experiences of leaving previous jobs in tech, offering insights into recognizing signs for change and taking the first steps towards opportunities.Shownotes:01:02 Episode intro02:01 Life update05:42 Charli shares her journey at the current workplace and emphasises the importance of addressing concerns09:45 The value of reputation and relationships you’ve built within the company.10:48 What is golden handcuffs concept?11:35 How to identifying important things in your role if you are starting to think it’s time to move on?12:52 Why did Femke decide to move on from her first position?15:59 Charli shares why she moved on from her first job in tech.17:14 Why did Femke leave her second role?18:59 Femke shares the signs that made it clear to her that she should move on.20:27 What was the timeframe from the decision to taking the first steps to move on?24:44 Was there a moment at Uber when Femke thought it’s time to move on but then realised she should continue?Show links:Charli's Design Career Checkpoint worksheetFemke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Charli and Femke talk about their experience of having retreats with their teams, how retreats should be structured, what is their purpose and how to make the best out of in-person time with your teammates.As remote work becomes increasingly prevalent and we usually do not get the chance to see our co-workers’ faces outside of video-calls, team offsites can greatly improve the team dynamic and subsequently enhance communication between team members. Changing scenery and experiencing new things with your team will create space for creativity to approach challenges and open doors to have crucial discussions, paving the way for growth and innovation.Show Timestamps:0:57 Intro01:50 Life update6:13 Femke’s offsite in Denver7:56 Charli’s team retreat in France10:00 Purpose of retreats at Charli’s workplace10:30 Retreats as a manager vs. an individual contributor (IC)11:46 Structure of the retreat17:22 Did the offsite match out to the expectations?20:50 Femke talks about her upcoming off-sight to San Francisco23:55 Is there anything that you learnt at an offsite in Denver that you will bring to San Francisco?24:33 Takeaways from this episode Show links:Charli's live workshop in New ZealandFemke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Femke and Charli delve into the concept of personal branding. They discuss whether personal branding requires strategic planning and the level of intentionality one should have regarding their personal brand. Femke and Charli explore the distinction between personal and company brands, the objectives personal branding can help achieve and whether individuals can truly control others' perceptions of them through personal branding. Femke and Charli also touch upon the importance of personal branding for designers and how to cultivate it within a company they work at. Finally, the hosts address the issue of misalignment between one's perceived and desired personal brand, offering guidance on how to navigate this discrepancy.Timestamps:01:54 - Life update04:22 - Is personal brand something that is instinctive or do you need to be strategic about it?5: 00 Femke shares her thoughts on the difference between her personal and her company brands07:11 - What goals personal brand can helps you achieve? 09:40 - How intentional are you about your personal brand? Is it something that you change every year?12:52 - Can you control what people think about you with personal branding? 15:38 Why as designers we need to think more about our personal brand? How to build your personal brand internally in your company?17:54 Femke asks Charli how has her personal brand evolved over the years.18:47 - Is there anything that people reach out to you for surprises you?21:44 - What to do if people’s perception of you is not aligned with your personal brand?24:33 - Updates on Charli’s workshop Show links:Charli's live workshop in New ZealandFemke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Charli and Femke give an elaborate reply to one of the listener's requests: whether deadlines should be taken seriously. The hosts share real stories of how they approached deadlines in different projects, how unrealistic deadlines should be handled, what to do in situations when a deadline cannot be met, how to discuss deadlines and set reasonable expectations, and how one's perspective on them changes depending on their role in the project. Show Timestamps:01:13 Intro02:34 Charli’s workshop and life updates04:21 Femke’s life update07:01 Question submission from a listener about deadlines07:14 Femke and Charli share how they approach deadlines in different situations11:52 What is the importance of deadlines?17:02 Charli elaborates on why she does not like fake (buffer) deadlines19:00 Situation when the deadline is absolutely non-negotiable26:08 Femke and Charli discuss milestone approach to projects rather than working towards one big hand off29:08 Conclusion Show links:Charli's live workshop in New ZealandFemke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Charli shares her personal experience of how she got burned out from her side projects. She talks about the subtle signs and symptoms that indicate burnout and how to confront them. Charli decided to drop her side projects and restructured her life to recover from burnout.Charli and Femke touch upon how burn out can affect your career choices, the importance of diversifying your daily activities and hobbies, why burnout is so prevalent in creative professions and the importance of defining what is healthy balance for you. SHOW TIMESTAMPS:1:18 Femke shares her latest life updates2:21 Charli shares her latest life updates3:26 Charli reflects on how she realised she has burnout and how she confronted it6:53 Charli delves into how stopping her side projects affected her full-time job7:55 Charlie talks about how publicly announcing that she stopped her side projects affected her relationships with people9:40 Charli shares what she does with the extra time and headspace she has now11:59 Charli reflects on how she recognised she has a burn out13:21 Charli gives advice for listeners who think they might be burned out14:25 Femke talks about the importance of defining what healthy balance is for her in order to avoid burnout15:54 Femke shares if she ever experienced burnout in her career16:49 Femke discusses if burnout lead her to decisions to change her jobs17:11 Charli shares how burn out affected her career choices19:32 Charli shares if she learnt anything new about herself after she stopped her side projects and started spending more time on her hobbies20:17 Femke discusses her perception of identity in relation to work21:40 Charli talks about how burnout can happen outside of job context24:05 Charli and Femke discuss why burn out is so prevalent in tech industry SHOW LINKS:Charli's live workshop in New ZealandFemke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

Welcome back, design enthusiasts! We're kicking off 2024 by bring you up to speed on our latest adventures and aspirations.🌟 Life Updates: Tune in as we share the latest updates from our lives – from career milestones to more personal things, we're laying it all on the table.💼 Career and Side Project Plans: Get ready to dive into our ambitious plans for the year ahead. We're talking side gigs, big dreams, and everything in between. Charlie is sharing her plans to organise an in-person meet up in New Zealand, her plans for the upcoming book, while Femke reveals the upcoming course you might still have the chance to sign up to.🎨 Hobbies: But wait, there's more! Discover our latest passions outside the design world. From creative writing to sewing, we're exploring new passions and keeping the creativity flowing. Who knows? You might just find some inspiration for your own creative journey.So, grab your favourite beverage, cozy up, and join us for a candid conversation about life, design, and the exciting adventures that lie ahead.SHOW TIMESTAMPS:1:15 Recent updates from Charli2:48 Recent updates from Femke4:02 Sharing vision, plans and projects for 20249:13 Anything new we would like to build this year?9:27 Charli’s live workshop in New Zealand10:20 Femke shares her plans for the upcoming year14:40 Thoughts on task delegation17:02 Charli’s career goals18:08 Charli’s book updates19:50 Charli shares how she started doing creative writing21:31 Discussing our hobbies24:11 New hobbies for 202425:36 Femke’s plans while being on maternity leave this year and how it can affect her content SHOW LINKS:Charli's live workshop in New ZealandFemke’s course “Product strategy for designers”Share your topic suggestions for the show with us at hello@designlife.fm

In this episode of the Design Life podcast we chat about all things copywriting!

Thank you Config for a fantastic conference! In this episode we recap our highlights and chat all about our meetup.

Are you attending a design conference this summer? In this episode we share our favourite tips for making the most of the conference experience to maximise learning, connection and most importantly - fun!