Neil Aalto

The rise of the “Super IC” is THE most exciting career trend I’ve seen in a long time. “Many companies now recognize and value experienced ICs who can drive substantial impact. If you find joy and effectiveness in your current role, leverage this to continue excelling and creating value.” - Lenny Rachitsky (reflecting on an interview with Tal Raviv) A Super IC is defined as a senior+ level (“Staff”, “Lead”, “Principal”, “Distinguished”, “Director”) Individual Contributor (IC) who has no interest in transitioning to a manager role and has the ability to progress in their career as an IC. Historically this was not a viable career path. Traditionally, after reaching Senior Product Designer, if a designer wanted to continue to grow in title and compensation they would have to transition to a manager role. I’ve been fortunate enough to work at companies that understand the importance and business impact of enabling Super IC’s. But I think the broader industry is coming around and will nurture and reward these roles. Let me know if you’ve also noticed this shift and what your thoughts are. #SuperIC #ProductDesign #UX

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Drive design impact by comparing UX metrics. UX metrics turn raw user data into useful signals. Benchmarketing is what turns these signals into actionable design decisions. Once you know what you're measuring and how you're collecting data, a benchmark helps you measure the differences in user behaviors. Benchmarking helps you answer two questions. • What does this data mean? • What should we do next? Using benchmarks, like a goal, past result, or industry standard, you can see if your design works and what to change. We use Helio with iterative design to create these signals before development begins. Example: 80% of users completed the task after a design iteration—up from 60%. Shifting the call to action and rewriting the copy had an impact. That 20% jump shows that the design change worked. Benchmarking made it clear. Measuring your work is good. Comparing the performance makes it great. #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

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There’s a lot of talk about “being more strategic” as a designer (including by me). But what does that actually mean in day-to-day work? Full issue here: https://lnkd.in/eGvRGNuX It starts here: 👉 Strategic designers ask better questions. Not just about pixels or polish. But about context, constraints, goals, and outcomes. It sounds simple, but it’s one of the clearest ways to level up from executor to partner. Designers who think strategically: 🔗 Connect their work to business and user outcomes 🧠 Make better decisions with less rework 🤝 Gain trust from cross-functional partners 🎟️ Get invited earlier into the product development process These are the folks who get promoted faster because they have more influence. And it doesn’t take years of experience to start thinking this way. It starts by changing what you ask. 👉 In this month's issue, I cover 3 common scenarios and give examples of questions designers should be asking to be viewed more strategically https://lnkd.in/eGvRGNuX ♻️ repost if you found it helpful 💡 Follow Miranda Slayter to learn more about the knowledge and tools you need to showcase your value and accelerate your career. 💌 Join 4.3k others and sub to https://lnkd.in/etUa2Zqv for practical advice on how to remove blockers and navigate challenges you'll inevitably face in your career

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Most companies hire designers backward. They obsess over resumes and run generic interviews. Here's the system that helped us hire 3 top designers from one posting: Great designers often have messy resumes. The best portfolios come in random formats... Traditional interviews often miss what matters. We discovered this after years of costly hiring mistakes. Design is about judgment and clarity, not credentials. It's about thinking under constraints, not interview performance. So, we built a system that reflects how design works: Step 1: Portfolio first. Always. We ignore resumes initially. Just the work. Figma files, Notion docs, Google Drive decks - the format doesn't matter. Step 2: Filter out, don't select in. Clear criteria to disqualify saves time. No B2B SaaS experience? We move on. Step 3: Give context before we take time. Candidates get a video explaining Pixel One first. The interview focuses on their thinking, not us talking. Step 4: Only interview candidates we're genuinely excited about. If their work doesn't excite us, we pass on it. Keeps the bar high. Step 5: Paid exercise with a time cap. We respect their time by paying for it. Clear constraints, real problems. Demonstrates how they operate under real-world conditions. We watch for: • How they structure thinking • How they factor client needs • If they explain choices clearly • Whether they consider business logic Step 6: Trial first, then full-time. Every offer includes a 3-month trial. Both sides evaluate fit before going permanent. The results? From 200+ applicants, we hired 3 of our top 4 candidates. All three are still here 18 months later. Our designer retention jumped from 60% to 95%. New hires ship work 3x faster. Client NPS increased by 40 points. Do you want the exact design exercise we use to spot top designers?

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Design Advisors - do you need one? 🤔 If you're a Founder and have never hired a Product Designer or set up a design function before, I'd strongly suggest you bring on a design advisor to help with the process. Setting up your design function for success and laying those foundations will be key and it'll avoid having to take steps back in the long run.

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What does "Investing in Design" look like for companies? Large companies are Investing in design. Earlier stage companies are saying "Design matters to us". Where does that actually show up? There's a lot of layers this can permeate through. Some broad ways in no particular order; - Design in Leadership roles, working together to steer strategy and impact - Investment in Design resource, what's the head count? - Investment in Design Headcount in specialty areas, Motion, illustration, Brand, Writing, Dedicated Design Systems - Market salaries (don't have to over pay, but definitely don't be under-paying!) - % of Designers work time freed up for play and exploration - Offsites, work trips...bringing Designers together to inspire them and fuel their creative cups - Retention incentives, learning and development stipends, equipment etc etc. - Access to tooling resources (Want them to bolster their ai skills...get them access to ai tools!) What else you can add, I'm barely scratching the surface right? If a company is doing these things - great. Those are quality signals. If they're not, but they say they're "invested in design"... dig deeper and think twice.

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Two old men yell at clouds and talk smack about the industry, agesim, AI, UX, FAANG worship from nubes and hacks! I rage against the machine with Dr Nick Fine and Vy Alechnavicius CAUTION! 🌶️ SPICY! ✅ 𝗨𝗫’𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 UX professionals succeed when they understand how power, incentives, and business goals align. Mature practitioners often gain influence by mastering diplomacy and organizational behavior. ✅ 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗶𝘀𝗺 & 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Many experienced UXers (aged 45–55) are struggling to find work, often because their portfolios are outdated or too process-heavy ✅ 𝗙𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 & 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 Criticism of the rise of "fake experts" and online personas who never did hands-on UX work but dominate discourse. Younger designers often mimic them without foundational knowledge. ✅ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘃𝘀. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 There's an internal conflict between becoming a leader and maintaining practitioner credibility. Stopping hands-on work for too long leads to loss of skills and insight. ✅ 𝗨𝗫’𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 & 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 When UX gets lumped with UI or stripped of evaluative research, it loses its value. The disappearance of feedback loops and strategy work is degrading the discipline. ✅ 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼𝘀 & 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗽𝘀 Modern portfolios often lack depth. Designers who can’t tell compelling stories, either visually or verbally—struggle to connect with hiring managers and stakeholders. ✅ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 "𝗙𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝘄" 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗼 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 Resumes with top-tier logos (FAANG, etc.) may carry weight, but often mask shallow skillsets. Actual fit and substance matter more than name-dropping companies. ✅ 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Designers must acknowledge the changing tech landscape, be aware of their strengths/weaknesses, and avoid clinging to outdated models or unethical shortcuts. ✅ 𝗔𝗜, 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 & 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗠/𝗨𝗫 Emerging AI may reshape product and UX roles entirely. There's fear it could replace nuanced thinking unless professionals adapt and advocate for human-centered design. ✅ 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 & 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 Industry leadership often sidelines women and creative energy. I advocate for uplifting women and promoting more ethical, quality-centered leadership in UX and design. #AI #Ageism #Terminology #ServiceDesign #DEI #UXDecline

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wtf is a prototype now?? we've made incremental progress for a decade+ and then everything changed overnight 😳 So I chatted with Nikolas Klein and Holly Li to unpack what it all means for designers (including some tactics I'd never considered) We go deep into: ✧ Rethinking what "high fidelity" means ✧ How Figma Make fits into your workflow ✧ The use cases they're most fascinated by + a LOT more... It's high energy, insightful, and should spark a ton of ideas 👇 https://lnkd.in/gvqWQUjq

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Just watched 👋 Ricardo Vázquez's talk on bridging the gap between design quality and performance. Key takeaway: beautiful UX means nothing if the app is slow. At Dropbox, Ricardo showed how shared language, simple metrics, and cross-team alignment turn craft into measurable impact. Design isn’t done at the pixel—it’s tested at load time. #config2025 #figma

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I sat down with Akbar Mirza to discuss annotations and communicating specs, intent, and knowledge gaps between designers and developers. We walked through more broad communication methods that have worked for us (alignment syncs, video walkthroughs), and more tactical Figma tips for leaving helpful annotations and measurement details. Check out the full video on youtube! https://lnkd.in/ga5RnQ76 #figma #devmode #designertips #developertips #figmadesign #figmadevmode #productdesign #uxdesign

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