Writing
Research
Video: How to design innovation
👋 Welcome to 🔒 paid-only edition 🔒 of my weekly newsletter, I'm providing you access to the video presentation and keynote slides for my talk on "How to design innovation". 84% of company leadership believe innovation is a high priority, but 94% of them are dissatisfied with the performance
Frameworks & Mental Model
How to speak about complex topics
Last week, I presented a talk called "How do you design innovation" at the University of Chicago and SAIC, focusing on customer-centric design and exploring Jobs-To-Be-Done. I aimed to cover this complex subject in less than 18 minutes. To prepare, I studied various TED Talks, identifying key factors
AMA
A word from my mentee...
Last week's satire "There should be a course for being laid off" went viral on Linkedin. After the article launched on Faangboss, two people texted me "this is really funny." Based on 2 texts, I figured it passes the bar for funny on LinkedIn.
Satire
There should be a course for being laid off
"Cat, are our jobs safe? Google is laying people off." There's practically a course for just about anything, except for the most important problem designers face today, laid offs. 🚀 Introducing... Layoffs for Designers This is your ultimate guide to navigating the waters of job instability with
Burnout
The fallout of moving fast and breaking things
🌤️ Weather Report: 3 exciting personal news ☀️ 1. My post on 5 stories from 2 decades of design was noticed by an AWS manager, and he nominated me into Amazon Design social program (27K) where I will be writing weekly Linkedin posts on .....? I haven't started and don'
Writing
Imposter syndrome for writing
Happy Tuesday. Last week's post "5 stories from two decades of design" took me two weeks to write. I wrote that 3 times, each time when I read it, I thought "what is this?" 🫣 I had imposter syndrome. I forced myself to post an
Life
5 stories from two decades of design
Celebrating two decades in design this February, I hope my story highlights the qualities that define not just successful designers, but individuals who thrive in an environment of constant change.
Career Growth
From good to great, don't be well-rounded
Surprise! An email on a Friday. Warm welcome to 5 new subscribers in January! Sxd4383, Pooja, Miyu, Lanre, and Emylie. You know what I do on Fridays? I briefly summarize: 1. What were my top 2-3 focus tasks this week? 2. What small wins did I achieve with these tasks?
Life
What do I want to achieve?
Last Wednesday at the office was eerily quiet. Layoffs of 2024 happened with a few teams (Audible, Prime Video, Twitch).
Career Growth
Develop yourself with growth themes in 2024
Before the end of the year, we had drafted our year-end summaries, including wins and growth areas. Last week, we had to turn in written descriptions for "above and beyond" actions, expectations exceeded from role guidelines.
Career Growth
Career strategy and documenting accomplishments
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Life
A somber end to 2023
Reflective trip to Seattle. I was given the gift of clarity and broadened perspectives.
Life
Season of job change
I don't know what's in the air this past week, but my mentees were asking me about internal transfers and changing teams. Changing teams internally requires a smaller, less painful interview process...
Communication
How to tell a story
Six arcs to help you craft a better story.
AMA
November AMA: relevant to your interests
Subscriber lead question post for November.