Episodes
UX Y'all is still working on getting us audio from our workshop, so no new episode this week, BUT we have a special re-release! This one is all about speaking at conferences, specifically using our talk from UX Y'all 2 years ago. Hope you enjoy!
Published 10/03/24
Published 10/03/24
We’re kicking of Season 4! We have some fun updates to share about the UX IRL podcast. And UX Y’all will be here soon! We also share more about the workshop we’re facilitating. While the conference is sold out, there’s a waitlist you can join. But we hope to see you there!
Published 09/05/24
In our S3 finale, we talk about how to set boundaries at work and our personal lives, and why it's especially tough for UXers to do this. 
Published 05/30/24
Michelle and Mary Fran are taking a break this week, so enjoy this re-release all about Modified Delphi Card Sorting!
Published 05/16/24
As UXers, creating consistency is often a tenet for the experiences we create. But is there ever a problem with consistency? In this episode, we talk about scenarios when consistency can do more harm than good. Do you have any examples of when consistency was bad? We’d love to know!
Published 05/02/24
In this episode, we explore the RACI matrix for project management and why we think it’s the worst. Learn about RACI, how it falls short, and what might work better for UXers and product teams. What’s your take? We’d love to know if you aren’t a fan of RACI either and if you’ve tried other alternatives. Feel free to reach out to us on LinkedIn.
Published 04/18/24
We're back with another installment of the UX Help Desk! Reddit continues to provide a plethora of great questions, so we pulled a few to break down that cover topics like how to transition from start up to eneterprise and red flags in in the interview process.
Published 04/04/24
We look at the UX of something IRL - home automation! We cover the basics of home automation, some advanced experiences you can create, and how to design them using your UX skills. We’d love to hear from you, reach out to us on LinkedIn (michelletchin, maryfran-ux).
Published 03/21/24
Hey friends! We're extending our break a bit longer than planned. In honor of International Women's Day, we're re-releasing our episode on Women in UX, which is all about the women in UX that inspire us. We also take some time to discuss how to talk about yourself professionally, (which can be harder than you think) as part of our career goals series.
Published 03/07/24
Hey friends! We're taking a break this week and revisiting Keeping Current with UX. See you back in 2 weeks for a new episode :)
Published 02/22/24
This is Part 2 of addressing the UX Research Reckoning. Definitely check out Part 1 (the last episode), where we unpack Judd Antin’s thoughts and give our own hot takes on this topic. In this episode, we talk about what we can do about it. We’d love to know what you think. Feel free to comment below or contact us on LinkedIn.
Published 02/08/24
What’s wrong with UX research today? According to Judd Antin, there’s a lot, and he wrote an entire article on it. The heyday of research from the past 15 years is gone, and UX researchers are being let go. Presumably, because they don’t provide business value. We unpack his thoughts and give our own hot takes on this topic. In Part 2, we’ll talk about what we can do about it. We’d love to know what you think.
Published 01/25/24
We're taking a break this week but thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit one of our favorite episodes: Portfolio Case Studies! 
Published 01/11/24
Is the grass greener on the other side? Today, we talk about our experiences working at agencies and on in-house teams as designers. We cover what we liked and definitely didn’t like and the benefits of working in each setup. What’s been your experience? Talk to us on the zeroheight Slack community! (zeroheight.com/slack), comment below or reply on Twitter @uxinreallife or Instagram @ux.inreallife.
Published 12/28/23
About a year ago (Ep. 34), we experimented with ChatGPT for fun. AI is such a big thing now, that we wanted to revisit what it's like for us as UXers - what we use it for, how you can use it for UX work, and more! Let us know how you've used AI in your work or outside of work. We'd love to hear your perspective.
Published 12/14/23
We're back with the UX Help Desk! Michelle did a deep dive into the UX Reddit and pulled 3 great questions for us to talk through covering everything from designing with real data, recruitiers asking for figma links (!?), to examples of gamification. If you have any burning UX questions, feel free to reach out to us on LinkedIn and we can address it in a future episode!
Published 11/30/23
UX Y’all is one of our favorite conferences! We discuss our favorite talks and our experience speaking at and volunteering with them. We hope you consider attending a future UX Y’all conference and maybe we’ll see you there! As always, keep in touch with us on the zeroheight Slack community! (zeroheight.com/slack), comment below or reply on Twitter @uxinreallife or Instagram @ux.inreallife.
Published 11/16/23
We love trying new tools and we're giving Penpot a spin in this episode! Penpot is an open-source, browser-based design and prototyping tool. Sight unseen, we give it a shot. Try it out too and let us know what you think! 
Published 11/02/23
In honor of ADHD awareness month, Michelle and Mary Fran talk about their experiences with ADHD IRL. Topics includ everything from how they got diagnosed, to how it's impacted their respective UX journeys, to advice for those with ADHD and those working with coworkers who have ADHD. 
Published 10/19/23
 We're back with part 2 of our Information Architecture Conference recap! If you missed part 1, be sure to check it out. Today, we recap 3 more of our favorite talks PLUS share what we enjoyed most about the conference and what we would improve.
Published 10/05/23
We are FINALLY getting to talk about the Information Architecture Conference! Part 1 of 2. Topics include what makes this conference special, what it is, why we were excited to go to it, as well as highlighting 3 of our favorite talks. Part 2 will include 3 more talks we loved, as well a little more about what we got up to in New Orleans!
Published 09/21/23
It’s Season 3! We’re excited about the new season and are kicking it off with an update on our summer reading. What books did we read? We talk about reading essentials and books for fun. Do you have recommendations? Talk to us on the zeroheight Slack community! (zeroheight.com/slack), comment below or reply on Twitter @uxinreallife or Instagram @ux.inreallife.
Published 09/07/23
Summer is upon us! We talk about their summer plans and some books we're excited to read. This wraps up Season 2 of UX IRL, and we're taking a break to recharge, brainstorm, and iterate for an exciting Season 3. We hope you have a great summer, and if you're reading any good books - design-related, fiction, or non-fiction, let us know! Have a great summer!
Published 06/01/23
Mary Fran’s team is navigating the world of design systems. She checks in with Michelle, whose primary focus is design systems, for advice and guidance. If you have questions you’d like answers to, reach out to us on LinkedIn or social media. We love nerding out about design systems, so we’re happy to discuss it. Talk to us on the zeroheight Slack community! (bit.ly/zheroes-signup), comment on Twitter @uxinreallife or Instagram @ux.inreallife.
Published 05/18/23