Remember the Humans: Real Life Stories from UX Freelancers

In this episode, other than saying "done" a lot, we tackle the question of how we know when our work is complete.  Is the definition of done based on time, deliverables, contract terms, solving a particular problem, the ability of the team to move forward, or based on some form of metrics? Hop into this pod to hear us hash this out in our usual fashion!

This episode we discuss breaking up with clients or peers and the heartbreak that may or may not go along with it ;)  We talk about different scenarios, how we have tackled them in the past and what we have learned through the process. Come with us as we explore the world of relationships!

This time we try to dissect and unravel UX strategy. While UX inherently involves strategic thinking are there specific UX strategy deliverables? Is all of our work a strategy deliverable? How do we define and sell strategy? Where does it fit within product and business strategies? Join us as we wind down this curious path...

In this episode we dive into the idea of titles and roles: why are there so many? and what do they say about what we actually do? We discuss how skills can vary across UX roles and how we might ensure that people understand what we do based on our titles. We also get into the overlap of skillsets that are shared with other roles that may or may not fit under the UX umbrella, and how we navigate and collaborate in those scenarios. So what is in a title anyway? Have a listen to get our take!

Today we talk estimates! (super exciting eh?) But it is one of those things we have to do and getting right is tricky. We dig a little deeper into pricing (one of our previous episodes) and we discuss the details to our estimating process. What do we typically include and how do we handle scope creep/overages to protect ourselves?  We also discuss how we might approach estimating from a value/outcomes perspective vs screen by screen when it comes to the design work. Get your spreadsheets out and join us :)

Today we talk about problem statements, yay! We discuss how you actually get to defining the problem and how that ties into discovery. We try to dig into the activities we could be/are doing, and what has or hasn't worked in the past. 

In this week's episode we talk about the discovery process. We look at client expectations, our own definitions and objectives for what we coin "discovery", as well as current pain points and ideas to improve our processes.  Come discover with us!

We often get asked to do "best in class" assessments or to design best in class solutions but who decides what this means? Who defines what's considered "the best"? What is it trying to answer or how does it support the underlying design problem? What do client's mean when they are looking for this, and how do we do a better job having discussions about before we scope? We may not have any answers, but we sure do have a heated discussion!

This episode we talk about how UX work fits into (or doesn't), the agile methodology. How do sprints work when it comes to UX deliverables? Is it just mini "waterfalls"? How do we keep our eye on the bigger picture and ensure we are still zooming out to maintain a holistic view of the experience and the actual problem we are solving? We might even talk about...M.V.P  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In this episode, we discuss the often misaligned objectives between UX and Marketing teams and how we could reduce butting heads. Ultimately we all have the same goal, we just approach it and look at it from a different lens. We discuss some ways we might improve this, as well as how we can ensure we don't forget our values as UX designers. How do we make it about more than just sales? After all, designing better experiences for people should naturally lead to that! 

This episode we continue our talks about tools, but this time we focus on what we use to design and do research. There are probably a few common tools you already know but maybe there a few you don't! (Also we realize this may be outdated by the time it airs because this space changes SO fast).

This episode we take a bit of a departure to talk about tools we use to keep ourselves organized. No big takeaways here, but you may find a new tool that you can try out to help keep yourself on track :)

This podcast we discuss how we decide what we can or can't take on. When do we know we don't have enough work? When do you know you have too much? How do you manage multiple projects? How do you budget and plan for your expenses? When and how do you say no?*Production Note: Please bear with us on this one, the audio quality is a bit all over the map! 

Today we explore how we price projects. What might it look like if we considered pricing projects based on outcomes versus deliverables? How can you estimate the value of your contribution beyond just the hours it takes you and the number of screens you create? Can you create "packages"? How do you ensure there is flexibility in your pricing structure and definition of scope? It's complicated, come with us on this journey!Some resources you might find interesting:How To Charge For Design (The Futur) A Freelancers Guide to Value Based Pricing What to charge as a freelancer: does value-based pricing live up to the hype?

Today we talk contracts! What should you look out for when negotiating a contract or creating a SOW? How do you ensure you understand the scope before signing on? How do you course correct when the scope changes? What should you consider when thinking about payment terms and payment collection?Some contract resources we like:Avoid these mistakes for freelancer contracts Joe Natoli Course: Contracts for UX Freelancers Bonsai: UX Contract Template

In this episode, we have a casual chat about our own personal ideas and passion projects we would tackle if we had the time and inclination to do so.  We share how we would apply our skills to the projects that have meaning to us.

On this debut episode of the Remember the Humans podcast, we introduce ourselves and talk about why we decided to become UX freelancers. How did we start out? What did we find challenging? Would we ever go back to full-time gigs (eeek!)?Some supplemental reading if you are keen:https://wefreelancing.com/ How To Become a Highly Paid Freelance UX Designer in 2021