rectangles

design’s group chat • hosted and written by @uxchrisnguyen

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

"What does a product designer, in big tech, actually do?”

I've been asked this by many designers.

The title covers about 9 different jobs.

Some weeks it's Figma.
Some weeks it's spreadsheets.
Some weeks it's back-to-back meetings.

If you’e going for big tech, what are you actually signing up for?

That's why I'm bringing @AlienaCai on @rectanglesfm live.

We're getting into the real shape of the job:

1. Why Big Tech is nothing like a bootcamp
2. What product designers actually do all day
3. Expectations vs reality when you get in

And all of your questions!

Aliena had no design degree, no experience, still landed a UX design role, then quickly found herself as senior product design at eBay.

Then she quit to run her own studio, teaches 150K designers on YouTube, and built her course Fast Track UX, which got featured in Forbes!

If you're aiming at Big Tech…

Take notes.

🎙️ Join us Wednesday, Sep 2

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

Being funny is one of the most underrated skills.

Not just in life. But as a designer.

A good preso isn’t just the pretty slides.

It's timing.
It's reading the room.
It's making people feel something before you ask them to agree with you.

Comedians are masters at this.

Designers mostly wing it.

→ We rehearse the slides, not the delivery
→ We wait for people to trust the work
→ We freeze when a stakeholder pushes back
→ We mistake being serious for being credible
→ We lose the room and never win it back

That's why I'm bringing in Christopher Miller on @rectanglesfm live. We're getting into how comedy makes you a better designer:

1. Improv, and the power of “yes, and”
2. Bombing, and why you can't take it personally
3. Relationships, and how comedy opens the door faster

And all of your questions!

Christopher is a Senior Experience Designer at Electronic Arts, a seasoned mentor with a passion for spontaneous storytelling through improv.

If you're great with pixels but freeze with people…

This one's for you.

(I apologise for the bad jokes in advance)

🎙️ Join us Wednesday, August 19th

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

How designers get what they want next https://t.co/u230EscETq

[Nima Tahami @Nima_Tahami]

Just filmed a breakdown video on how I edit a podcast episode I did with @uxchrisnguyen in under 3 minutes. Gonna publish the video soon.

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

Why do so many designers wait to be given what they want?

A raise.
A promotion.
A better role.

Suffering from being:

→ Job-hopping with no real plan
→ Stuck at the same level for years
→ Hoping the work speaks for itself
→ Underpaid and too nervous to ask

If I wanted the lead role, I had to go get it, not ask for it.

That's why I'm bringing @SSteiner22 on @rectanglesfm live.

We're getting into 3-steps of how to actually go and get what you want:

1. Set your strategy
2. Align on what you want
3. Get what you want

And all of your questions!

Steven's an award-winning designer, manager, and educator for 15+ years. Now he coaches designers at Apple, Google, and Notion. One of his clients landed a 42% pay rise.

If you're sitting waiting for your next move…

This one's for you

🎙️ Join us Wednesday, August 12

(links below ↓)

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

How Designers Launch Products https://t.co/JdyY8cPRUo

[Darshan Gajara @WeirdoWizard]

205 / @ProductDisrupt with a postcard from Bangkok ➤

▸ Portfolio of @rachodoodles
▸ @rectanglesfm by @uxchrisnguyen
▸ Design Taste by @referodesign
▸ Tech Ad Archive by @MelisaSeah
▸ Type by Indie Foundries by @markjohnsoncc

Get these resources and more, twice every month, directly in your inbox ↓
https://t.co/zlOc3d577K

[Jonas @jonasleupe]

Logo animation for @uxchrisnguyen rectangles.
—
Feeling lots of gratitude I could team up with my friend Dries Van Broeck on this one.

Dries’s portfolio below ↓

[Jonas @jonasleupe]

Detailed snippet for @uxchrisnguyen’ rectangles 💁🏻‍♂️

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

Pretending to be an extrovert all day is exhausting.

This happens to a lot of quiet, ambitious people in tech:

→ Do great work
→ Keep your head down
→ Wait to get noticed

Then someone louder walks off with the credit, the promotion, and the "executive presence" gold star.

That’s why I'm bringing in @timyeo, on @rectanglesfm live.

We’re getting how quiet achievers can:

- Get promoted
- Get more recognition
- Become un-fire-able
- Without pretending to be an extrovert

And all of your questions!

Tim is the author and founder of The Quiet Achiever. He spent 20 years designing and leading in tech, prev. Design Director at IBM. He's coached hundreds of introverts around the world.

If you're done wearing the mask at work…

Pull up a chair and take notes.

See you there introverts.

📌 Drop your questions below
🎙️ Join us Wednesday, July 22
💌 Get the written takeaways at https://t.co/O7IwocoqLQ

[Jonas @jonasleupe]

🔴 BRAND NEW WORK
— rectangles by @uxchrisnguyen

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

How To Beat AI FOMO https://t.co/zoeIqFbzTA

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

I found the best photo representation of what I’m trying to build

rectangles®, design’s group chat

you in?

📸 by Mitch Ritter

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

https://t.co/41hr7NXehm spotted on the Muzli 😍

[Christopher Nguyen @uxchrisnguyen]

footers are mostly boring.

not this one.