What is Growth Marketing and what are the most effective ways to do it? How does content, SEO, and persona creation play into growth? In this episode, we sit down with growth expert Anum Hussain to discuss the tactics that she's seen work best in her impressive career at HubSpot, where she took the Sidekick brand to market. "While all of these companies can sort of give a leading guideline as to things that are working, if you just mimic that same playbook, with the growth mindset it's...

What were our biggest learnings in 2015? And how can they be applied in the coming years? In this episode, we cover what we've learned about factorial experiments, namespacing, A/A experiments, placebo tests, new user experience (NUX), work culture in the tech industry (and how it contrasts to work culture in Latin America), and more. "One thing about being 100% data all the way is that you do that and you start to take out the human side of it in the first place. So you start using data so...

How important is site speed and what can you do to improve yours? As it turns out, the average user will abandon a site if it does not load within 3 seconds. So, what does this mean for you? In this episode, we discuss the importance of site speed and the ways in which anyone can quickly improve the performance of their site. "Amazon found out that if they were to slow down their page load time by 1 second, it would cost them $1.6 Billion per sales year. But this is not unique. If you take...

Are data-driven design and copycat culture destroying creativity on the web? Are designers oppressed by terrible content and templated frameworks? Or are we all complaining in an echo chamber? In this episode, we discuss the common sentiment that everything on the web looks the same. "This is kind of a good thing. We're actually training uses on a massive scale to recognize certain design patterns. And these design frameworks, it's also important to keep in mind, kind of came along as a...

What makes Adobe's new UX tool, Project Comet, so awesome for designers? What are the details behind the tool and it's unique features that are aimed at disrupting the entire UX toolset? In this episode, Austin sits down with Demian Borba (Product Manager at Adobe) to get an early look at Project Comet. “In my opinion, Project Comet will change everything. Everything that you just described is Comet, in one tool. We announced Comet at Adobe MAX and the feedback has been phenomenal. It went...

Is a college education really a prerequisite to working in UX and Tech? Is it acceptable to copy design ideas from best-in-class companies and direct competitors? In this episode, we discuss some of the biggest myths in UX and share our thoughts on the bold philosophy behind Google's hiring process. “They're really screening for specific qualities that are much more related to results and what you can actually do, than they are to credentials. I think that this represents a huge shift in the...

What is statistical significance and why is it so critical to the success of experiments? What are some things that you can do to ensure that you're collecting reliable, true data? In this episode, we break down statistical significance and quality data collection. Plus, an update on the LinkedIn Dark Patterns from our first episode! "Ultimately, you want to be able to confidently say, 'when we do other experiments, this conclusion that we came to is going to stay the same'. Because you...

We're back from INBOUND! What is it like to design and launch a site seen by millions of people every month? And how do you run the highly effective experiments that can get you to that level? In this episode, we discuss the new HubSpot.com home page and the battle-tested experiments that push sites of all sizes forward. “Many people would approach a home page redesign and say 'okay, we'll collect some data, we'll user test it, launch a design, and then we're done!' Actually, for my team,...

What are the qualities and skillsets that the world's best companies look for in candidates? How can you position yourself or your company to win in the recruiting game? In this episode, recruiting expert and ThinkB1G founder Mike Gaiss shares insider tips for hiring the best talent and getting hired into the best companies. “Startups are not that interested in hiring candidates that are 'just looking for a job.' They're looking for passion, intellectual curiosity, somebody that is always...

What are the differences between popups and modals? More importantly, why are they so widely used despite the fact that they're so ineffective? In this episode, we'll discuss the history of popups and modals, what makes them ineffective, and how anyone can create an effective modal with the right approach. “I always feel very warm inside whenever a modal cares about me so much that it asks for all of my personal information immediately. That's like if I met somebody new and the first thing I...

What are the best UX and Growth tools at our disposal today and what are the differences between them? How does the UX process differ from the Growth process and what should you be doing in your organization? In this episode, we answer these questions and more by giving an overview of our own tools and processes. "Because ultimately, what it comes down to is how you use that process and understand the relationship between each step of the process and each tool with that step. And if you...

Why do startups fail? What are the best ways to scale up and grow your customer base? How do you test and verify new business ideas? In this episode, we're joined by Brian Balfour (VP of Growth at HubSpot) to discuss different user acquisition and growth tactics, as well as the major mistakes that all startups should avoid. "The landscape of user acquisition is rapidly changing. And it's actually changing at an accelerating rate. More and more platforms are becoming available to us and their...

User Experience exists not only in the digital medium, but also in the human interactions that companies have with their customers. Personal phone calls, notes, and even tweets can be defining moments in a purchasing experience. In this episode, we discuss different ways that companies practice human to human UX. "Your user experience also exists outside of your website, outside of your product. It exists in all of the interactions that you have with your user. And regardless of whether or...

Onboarding is the process of introducing a user to a new software, app, website, or feature update. It is commonly cited as the most critical component to retaining users and is essential to the success of businesses of any size. In this episode, we share our thoughts and expertise on the best practices for onboarding. "One option is to make users do something that challenges them; example is Duolingo. One is 'Batman Onboarding', which means that the onboarding doesn't show up until the user...

As technology and devices have evolved, many new trends have made their way into design. How should we think about these trends? When should we use them? What makes them effective or ineffective? In this episode, we break down everything from parallax to the hamburger menu, and discuss the right way to handle trends. "Should you take an exact carbon copy of an experience and just paste it onto your website? Is that going to have the same wow factor and is it going to be effective? I think...

A shocking study published by comScore found that most smartphone users download an average of zero apps per moth. What does this mean for app developers and entrepreneurs? In this episode, we bust out the cold hard facts and take a look at what the app market really looks like. “Let’s pretend that you’re a new app that’s entering the market. The first thing that you need to do is analyze the actual market that you’re entering into. What is the problem that you’re solving? Validate that...

Dark Patterns are user interfaces that have been carefully crafted to trick users into doing things, such as buying insurance with their purchase or signing up for recurring bills. In this episode, we discuss some crazy Dark Patterns that LinkedIn is using, the problems that Dark Patterns are causing today, and how you can measure and combat Dark Patterns in your organization. "Until we can tie Dark Patterns back to hard line metrics, we don’t have an argument. And the tough thing that we...