Design Table Podcast

Lots of product designers dream about going freelance. No boss. No performance reviews. And you decide where and when you work. And then reality shows up. No guaranteed paycheck. No HR department. No sales team. No legal department. No one magically handing you clients because you updated your LinkedIn headline to “freelance product designer.” So… how do you actually become a fully booked freelanc...

Most product designers spend weeks (or even months) polishing their portfolio website. And then they get into the actual interview, open their mouth, and suddenly their clean case study turns into a 14-minute hostage situation. Awkward questions and most likely no follow-up after the interview. Back to square one. So… how do you actually present your design work without rambling, panicking, or ove...

Like many product designers, you’ve probably ran into one of the following challenges. One PM shows up with a prototype, an engineer suggests a user flow, or someone who has never opened Figma suddenly has strong opinions about spacing, UX, and “how the screen should work.” So… is everyone a designer now? In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, we talk about why designers feel threatened when...

Like many product designers, you’re using AI. You get decent results by prompting and copy-pasting. Yet, you're still doing all the work. WHat if you didn't have to? In this episode of the Design Table Podcast, we talk about how designers can move beyond prompting and start using AI to actually execute tasks. Nick walks us through how he’s setting up simple workflows using Claude Skills to (more o...

You’re stuck building your portfolio. Should you use Webflow? Framer? WordPress? Maybe you rebuild everything from scratch and start over? There are so many opinions on design social media that it is impossible to know what to do. In this episode of the Design Table Podcast, we discuss why designers obsess over portfolio tools and why that’s (mostly) a waste of time. We talk about what actually ma...

You keep hearing that UX and product designers should build. Yet, most designers don’t. Why is that? Are designers right? Is it just a case of social media nonsense? To find out, we looked at what happens when someone actually does it. Not a side project they’ll finish later (but never do) or another concept that never makes it out of Figma. It is a real product and it is live. All in one weekend....

You lose your job. No warning. Or maybe you felt it coming. Either way… now you’re sitting there thinking: “What the hell do I do next? How do I find a new product design role?!” In this episode of the Design Table Podcast, we discuss what actually happens after getting laid off as a product designer and how to succeed at the job search that follows. We talk about the emotional side of layoffs, wh...

You join a new company. First of all; congratulations! You arrive on day one and what do you see? There are engineers, product managers, marketers, and a sales team. But there is no design team. Turns out you are the only product designer. Yikes! In this episode of the Design Table Podcast, we discuss what it’s actually like to be the first or only designer at a company, how product designers can...

Designers can ship code now. That's what social media and your manager is telling you. AI tools, vibe coding, and new prototyping workflows mean designers are getting closer to production than ever before. But just because we can ship faster doesn’t mean we should . In this episode of the Design Table Podcast, we discuss the growing pressure for designers to ship quickly, why the “just ship it” mi...

AI won’t replace designers. But designers who don’t know how to use AI properly are already falling behind. That's what you see a thousand times a day on social media. It is maddening. In this episode, we counter that and go deep on how two product designers actually use AI in real design projects. No LinkedIn hype. No “just vibe code bro.” Instead, we talk about prompting, context building, early...

Should you specialize or become a generalist as a product designer? Everyone has an opinion. Social media says pick a niche. Job listings say “end-to-end.” Who's right?! Designers are stuck wondering which path actually leads to getting hired and staying hired. In this episode, we solve the generalist vs. specialist debate from the reality of today’s product teams. We talk about why pure specialis...

Your stakeholders say research is a waste of time. Just ship it. We’ll figure it out later. But later never comes. The product misses the mark, teams scramble, and you end up doing twice the work fixing mistakes you saw coming weeks ago. Relatable? For many designers it is... In this episode, we’re joined by Sara Fortier, CEO of Outwitly and author of Design Research Mastery, to talk about just th...

Users say one thing. Then they do something completely different. Nick, co-host at the Design Table Podcast, just found out the hard way. In this episode of the Design Table Podcast, we discuss why user feedback can be misleading, why badly framed research creates false confidence, and how designers should really think about data and user research. We talk about research methods that fail in pract...

Your stakeholders tell you to skip research and just ship it. We'll test later is what they say, but later never comes. The design misses the mark. And now you're doing twice the work to fix what could have been done right the first time. That's the cycle we're discussing in this episode of the Design Table Podcast. In this episode, we talk about what designers are really hired to do and why your...

Everyone tells you design is about making things look good. But it is not. Design is about saving time, reducing risk, and creating leverage inside a business. That's what we're talking about in this episode of the Design Table Podcast. This is part 2 and we cover the overlooked reasons designers get hired and how to turn your work into measurable impact. We go beyond revenue and look into time sa...

While most designers talk about “crafting delightful experiences", companies hire designers for something else entirely. And that's a problem... for designers looking to get hired. In this episode, Tyler and Nick share the real business reasons designers get hired and how to position your case studies to prove your value. This episode introduces a framework from business thinking applied to UX and...

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick discuss a shift that most SaaS and startups are not ready for: internal tools are getting real investment in 2026. That's because their customers are realizing they can build exactly what they need on their own. This changes how SaaS operates. Instead of buying another one-size-fits-all product, more buyers will ask: why don’t we just bui...

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick break down what product design will look like in 2026 and why this year will feel like a shock to a lot of designers. Tyler calls it the year of the builder, where titles start collapsing and the market rewards people who can actually ship. They discuss why design has been misunderstood for years, how that misunderstanding is costing you...

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick pull back the curtain on the recruiter side of the design job market. This is not a rant and it is not recruiter hate. Instead, it is a practical explanation of how the system actually works. They break down what preferred suppliers are, why some recruiter outreach goes nowhere, and how designers accidentally hurt themselves by ignoring m...

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick break down how experienced product designers are actually using AI in real workflows. Not the hype. Not the panic. The practical reality. They talk through where AI is genuinely useful, where it creates more problems than it solves, and why most of its real value shows up after discovery, not before (like most say). From copy refinement a...

In the second half of this conversation, Tyler and Nick shift gears and answer a question they hear constantly: “If I am brand new to design, where do I even start anymore?” They break down what actually matters when entering product design today, what beginners should ignore, and how to build real skills without getting lost in tools, certifications, and AI panic. This episode is a practical, hon...

2025 felt like two years packed into one. In this episode, Tyler and Nick look back on the biggest shifts in product design over the past year and what they actually mean for designers going into 2026. They discuss how AI changed the way design work enters teams, why designers are becoming prototype-first thinkers, and how tools like Cursor, Figma MCPs, and AI image generation are closing the gap...

After last week's live portfolio review, Tyler and Nick continue where they left off and go deeper into the challenges designers face when trying to stand out in a global job market. They discuss what changes when you apply for design roles in another country and why most designers struggle. They explain how to adapt your portfolio for a new region, why English mockups can make or break interviews...

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick review and fix a real portfolio from a junior designer who is struggling to land interviews. You will see exactly what is holding him back and the specific changes that turn a forgettable portfolio into one that gets you hired. They break down whether a Figma file can replace a traditional portfolio, the layout and writing issues that sil...

In Part 2 of our UX Portfolio Episodes, Tyler and Nick go one step deeper. They break down portfolio strategy, case study structure, personal branding, and whether junior designers should create free work to build real experience (or not). This episode explores what separates forgettable portfolios from the ones that open doors. Tyler and Nick find out how to niche yourself when you don’t have exp...