Heather Varela’s Post

Just wrapped up an amazing UX Portfolio Workshop today, and I can’t thank Kartik Singh enough for his insightful guidance and GrowthSchool for making it happen! 🙌 This session was a real eye-opener for me. I realized there’s so much I can improve to make my portfolio truly stand out. One of the key takeaways was understanding the difference between an online and offline portfolio—how they serve different purposes and when to use each effectively. Kartik’s tips on storytelling, structuring case studies, and presenting your work authentically really hit home. It’s not just about showing your projects; it’s about showing how you think and solve problems. Honestly, this workshop was incredibly helpful, and I’d recommend it to anyone who gets the chance to join. It’s packed with actionable advice that can make a big difference in how you showcase your work as a designer. Big thanks again to Kartik Singh and GrowthSchool for such an impactful session! 🙏 #UXDesign #PortfolioWorkshop #Learning #GrowthSchool #KartikSingh #DesignJourney

Good Day Everyone! Your UX might not be as intuitive as you think. Skipping user research is one of the quickest ways to derail a product. Great design isn’t about guessing, it’s about truly understanding what your users need. Here’s the thing: • A DJ studies the crowd before playing the next song. • A skilled researcher? Observes, asks, listens, and builds with intention. In my latest post, I outline the essentials of user research. from avoiding assumptions to uncovering surprising insights about what users really want (or don’t). If you’re ready to create products people can’t live without, take a look. What’s your go-to research tip? Let’s exchange ideas and grow together. . . #UserResearch #UXDesign #ProductManagement #Innovation #HumanCenteredDesign 

Did you know that even minor UX changes, like repositioning a button or tweaking microcopy, can drive significant outcomes for businesses? Here’s where it gets tricky: ✨ Small Changes Can Be Big Challenges – When bulk data is involved, even the simplest UX tweak can spiral into a major project. ✨ Impact vs. Effort – What seems straightforward may require restructuring datasets, updating design systems, and aligning multiple teams. Focus on balancing impact with effort. Small, strategic tweaks can lead to big wins – but tackling the complexity behind them is where the real skill lies. Have you ever experienced a situation where a minor change turned into a monumental challenge? Or one that brought huge rewards? Share your story below! #UXDesign #UserExperience #DesignChallenges #BigWins

📉 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗫 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵!💸 Did you know? Companies neglecting UX research risk missing out on significant revenue! Forrester's study reveals that every $1 spent on UX brings $2 to $100 in return. Ignorance isn't bliss—it's expensive! Feeling the pinch? Let's talk about how investing in UX research can turn your losses into gains. Drop a 💼 in the comments and let's uncover your path to success! #UXResearch #RevenueGrowth #ForresterStudy #CollaborateForSuccess #producdesign #designsytem #20daylinkedinchallengewithhaoma #uxui #designthinking #innovation #userexperience

Is UX Losing Its Seat at the Table? Lately, I’ve noticed something that might ruffle a few feathers: Is UX slowly losing its influence within companies? In the past, we were all about “putting the user first,” and UX teams had a strong voice in shaping product direction. But recently, with the rise of data-driven everything, there’s been a shift. Decisions are made on metrics alone, often bypassing the human insights that UX teams bring. We’re expected to “ship it” fast, to streamline, to align with business goals—but sometimes, it feels like we’re designing to the data instead of the user. 💡 Hot take: UX can’t just be a checkbox on the product roadmap. The user’s voice isn’t something you can always quantify, but it’s essential to long-term success. So, what do you think? Is UX still valued in your organization, or are we at risk of becoming an afterthought? Let’s talk about it! 👇 #UXDesign #UserExperience #DataVsDesign #HumanCentered #DesignDebate #ProductDevelopment

𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, 𝘄𝗲’𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? 𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱—where deadlines loom and resources are scarce. 😅 Here’s where mini-research comes to the rescue! 🌟 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶-𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? • 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱: Zero in on one key question. • 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁: Use minimal effort for maximum insight. • 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲: Mix methods to suit your needs. 🎯 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶-𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀: • 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Speed up decision-making. • 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Prioritize what truly matters. • 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Constraints foster innovation! 🔍 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶-𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀: • 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Scan reviews for pain points. 📉 • 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: Find areas where you can outshine. 🌟 • 𝗢𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀: Observe new users for friction. 🚀 Your turn! What mini-research hacks have you tried that made a difference? Drop your thoughts and let’s share some rockstar strategies in the comments! 🤘💬 #UX #ProductDesign #MiniResearch #Innovation #ProductManagement

🏠 Your Product Is Like a House—Are You Keeping It in Shape? We wouldn’t let a house fall into disrepair, right? Peeling paint and broken fixtures are impossible to ignore. But when it comes to digital products, the cracks are often invisible—until it’s too late. That’s why continuous UX research is like regular home maintenance: ✨ It uncovers hidden inefficiencies. ✨ Identifies “wear and tear” on your system. ✨ Optimizes performance through user feedback, analytics, and testing. Just like a house, your product needs consistent care and attention. The cost of neglect? Missed opportunities, frustrated users, and diminished trust. How do you keep your “digital house” in shape? 👇 #UXResearch #UserExperience #DigitalProducts #SystemMaintenance #ContinuousImprovement #UserFeedback #DesignThinking #Tech #ProductManagement #Innovation

Design for Users or Humans? User centric design is all over the place all the time. When we are taught design, talking about it or having discussions about it in a meeting room, we always address it as something that is user centric, user first, user is the centre of the entire effort. But are we sure we are doing the right thing? I recently heard a very interesting TEDxYoungstown where Johannes Ippen points out the problems in UX. He highlights the difficulties we make our beloved users go through just by taking the wrong approach. He put forth examples which pointed out that most companies want user retention and user engagement more than user satisfaction. That statement hit me like a bullet. It is true instead of fulfilling the expectation we mostly are focused on having the user come to our platform and spend a lot of time over there without thinking what this is doing to the user on their end. It is leading them to addiction of those platforms, things like fear of leaving out, constant peer pressure, and persistent social reminders all because we want them to spend their time on our platform. That was not the aim of design ever, was it? Design was always supposed to solve problems not create new ones while solving a few. I highly recommend watching that video to all my fellow designers. Let's grow in the right direction, because we have the power to guide. #designthinking #Rethinkdesign #designthought #Thinkthrough #designforhuman #Humanapproch #thehumanedesign

If you want to design features much faster, here is an example of how to filter design requests and don’t waste your time on unnecessary activity/ Some ideas don’t need to be researched for weeks and then proceed to first drafts, we must do it quickly and effective for business. Projects or tasks can be: - A high-risk request - classic HCD with full research process - A low-risk request - if there’s significant upfront confidence and clarity, it’s OK to make a quick release into production - A high-risk idea - try to play with something existing and test - A low risk idea - test quickly Run your design task through this matrix and act faster. The main idea is to get the feature into production as soon as possible and test it, very important thing is to remember about your Target Audience and whether you have enough users to reach statistical significance #brainstorming #process #design #ux #management #article #effectiveness

This is your reminder that even when things don’t go as planned, there’s still value in the experience. 🥲 Maybe the failure gave us unexpected insights, exposed a hidden user need, or sparked an innovative idea. 🧠 In UX, the process is rarely about getting everything right the first time - it’s about being curious, adaptable, and willing to evolve. Progress is built on iteration, experimentation, and yes, even failure. 🤓 So, keep designing, testing, and iterating. Embrace those ‘successful failures’ as opportunities to grow, because every step, no matter how imperfect, brings us closer to creating something truly impactful for our users. Every misstep, unexpected outcome, or outright failure can become a ✨ powerful learning moment✨ ! #uxcon #userexperience #uxdesign #uxresearch #failforward