Join us as we follow Sarah's journey from industrial design student to senior product designer at a bank. We'll hear how she leveraged work experience to land her first packaging design role and then made a big move to the UK. After struggling to find work abroad, Sarah returned to Australia, pivoted to commercial flooring, and discovered user experience design. She then honed her skills at a cloud platform startup before deciding to learn about banking. Through roles at various companies, Sarah gained broad experience and became a senior product designer at Bendigo Bank. She also worked nights designing for a telehealth startup that sold for $135 million! Now, Sarah mentors students and continues to learn from creative people. Hear how trusting her instincts led Sarah through an exciting career journey so far.

Kathryn Sadler joins us to discuss her winding career path through linguistics, UX design, and conversation design. After studying languages at university, Kathryn worked in business consultancy and tech startups in Australia. She then transitioned into voice user interface design and UX before returning to her passion for conversation design. Kathryn gives us the inside scoop on her day-to-day work crafting conversational experiences. She also shares how her background in languages informs her approach to crafting natural dialogues. Tune in to hear Kathryn's insightful perspective on conversation design and her advice for aspiring designers.

Links

• https://vux.world/
• https://voicebot.ai/

• https://www.theneuron.ai/

• https://womeninvoice.org/wiv-anz/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-voice-australia-new-zealand/

• https://www.tafensw.edu.au/iat

• https://sxswsydney.com/

Lara Summers joins us to discuss her multifaceted career journey, from finance and government to education, and her current role as manager of the Service Experience team at the University of Newcastle. We explore the university environment, Lara's collaborative team culture, and how she balances work, family, and personal interests. Lara opens up about how taking time off to care for her children impacted her path, as well as her motivations for continuing education and development. Tune in as Lara shares what inspires her, from design leaders like Bruce Mau to her curiosity about history and culture. Discover how she leverages her background in design and visual culture to focus on user experience and service design across the university's digital systems.

Join us as we follow Jane's journey from a small town in Australia to leading design at a fintech startup. Growing up near Port Macquarie, Jane found her passion for design while studying graphic design in Newcastle. After some globe-trotting adventures and a career change, she discovered user experience design and honed her skills in Sydney. Jane built her experience at agencies before realizing fintech was her true calling. Though a stint at a corporation proved too restrictive, Jane finally found her fit as Head of Design and Experience at Superhero. Now, she leads a growing team focused on design systems and research. Tune in to hear how Jane continuously evolved both her skills and her career to end up doing what she loves.

In this episode, Ellen interviews designer Fran Mether about her career journey and founding the service design consultancy Arteri. Fran discusses growing up in a creative household in Canberra and studying industrial design. After working for major retailers in Melbourne, Fran became inspired by human-centered design approaches that create impact. She relocated to Canberra to work on strategic projects for clients like the ATO. Fran then co-founded Arteri with her business partner to pursue her passion for service design. She shares how her background in industrial design informs Arteri's creative, tangible workshops that help organizations reimagine challenges. Join us as Fran reflects on transitioning from designing products to transforming services and systems.

On this episode of Digitally Diverse, Ellen talks to Joseph Hallahan, Head of Design at StarRez. Joseph recounts his 15 year career journey from agency work to becoming a part owner and eventually launching his own startups. He shares insights from his current role as Head of Design at Starres, a global student housing platform, and the differences between agency and in-house work. Joseph discusses how he helps maximize value for Starres' university customers, and is motivated by continuous learning and new challenges like implementing customer research practices. With his background in multimedia design, Joseph brings a breadth of experience across industries that informs his current work. Throughout the conversation, Joseph provides an inside look at his multifaceted career path and approach to design leadership.

Join us as we speak with Paul Kelly, Head of Experience Design at Mudbath, about his journey from studying visual arts to leading design at a digital agency. Paul discusses pivoting to study design in university and getting his start at Bicycling Australia magazine. He then did freelance work before moving to Glasgow and learning coding. After returning to Sydney, Paul spent 8 years at a digital agency before joining the growing team at Mudbath. He talks about Mudbath's expansion from 4 to 17 designers after merging with Endava and the variety of industries they work in. Paul reflects on the value of developing critical thinking skills in university despite the challenges. Tune in to hear Paul's insightful experiences transitioning from visual arts to leading design!