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 silently disqualify junior designers, and why UI alone is not enough to get hired.

You will learn how to present your work, what hiring managers actually look for, and the simplest changes that instantly make any portfolio feel senior.

If you are rewriting your case studies for the fifth time and still getting ignored, this is the most practical episode you will watch all year.

Here is what is on the table:
🔸 Fixing a real UX portfolio and the mistakes that sabotage it
🔸 Is a Figma prototype enough or do you need a website?
🔸 The UI spacing mistakes that expose beginners instantly
🔸 How to present your designs so reviewers do not skip your context
🔸 Why your case study language sounds weak and how to fix it
🔸 Using grids, copy, and real data to make work look professional
🔸 The difference between showing screens and showing thinking
🔸 Why lorem ipsum portfolios get rejected before conversations even start

Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe

More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

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 experience, how to craft a “business impact” narrative even as a beginner, and the psychology behind great case study titles. They also share how to use video to stand out, how to collect testimonials early, and why your portfolio should be built iteratively instead of in one giant, painful launch.

They finish with a conversation about free projects: the myths, the risks, the benefits, and how to use them strategically to build real case studies that don’t feel fake or bootcamp-manufactured.

This episode gives you a clear roadmap forward if you're stuck rewriting your portfolio for the 5th time, unsure what to niche into, or struggling to show credibility without job experience.

Here is what’s on the table in Part 2:
🔸 Should junior designers do free work? (And how to do it strategically)
🔸 Fake projects vs. real projects — what recruiters think
🔸 How to niche yourself when you have zero experience
🔸 Case study storytelling that signals senior-level thinking
🔸 How to build a “testimonial bank” early in your career
🔸 Why your portfolio should launch at version 0.5, not 1.0
🔸 How video intros & thank-you pages convert better than text
🔸 Showing how you think, not just what you designed
🔸 Aligning your entire personal brand under one clear message

📢 Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
👉 https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe

👋 More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick discuss the one thing every product designer struggles with the most: creating a portfolio that actually gets interviews, callbacks, and job offers.

Most designers ship portfolios that read like academic essays. They're too long, too vague, too generic, and way too similar to everyone else’s. Even great designers get ignored because their hero section, titles, and case studies fail to communicate what hiring managers actually care about.

Tyler and Nick walk through why portfolios miss the mark, how recruiters skim your site (in less than 2 minutes), and the step-by-step structure of a high-conversion portfolio. Everything comes by from your H1 to your footer.

They also cover niching vs. generalizing, how to stand out in a crowded market, what your case study titles really need to say, and how to communicate business impact without sounding like a template (and everyone else).

If you’re a junior designer, in a bootcamp, applying for your first product job, or rebuilding your portfolio after months of ghosting… this episode will save you weeks of trial and error, frustration, and burn out.

Here is what’s on the table in Part 1:
🔸 Why most UX portfolios are way too long (and what to cut)
🔸 The hero section formula that gets you interviews
🔸 How hiring managers actually scan portfolios
🔸 Why generic “I’m a UX designer” intros kill your chances
🔸 Positioning yourself without locking into one industry
🔸 How to write case study titles that show business impact
🔸 Treating your homepage like a sales page
🔸 Using social proof & storytelling to stand out
🔸 Why messaging must be consistent across your entire brand

📢 Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
👉 https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe

👋 More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick attempt something different: a live, real-time brainstorm where two senior product designers tackle an actual business problem — low feature adoption and poor upgrade conversion.

Companies keep shipping features that barely anyone uses. New tiers launch and… crickets. PMs blame “awareness” while designers blame “UX,” marketing blames “messaging,” and leadership wonders why revenue isn’t moving.

Tyler and Nick figure out why this happens, why most teams under-invest in feature communication, and how design, product, and marketing can work together to drive meaningful adoption without becoming sleazy or spammy.

They walk through upsell flow strategy, segmentation, in-app nudges, email sequencing, pricing psychology, ROI calculators, freemium tier traps, and how designers can get more comfortable with selling — because no one upgrades on accident.

If you work in SaaS, design for B2C or B2B, or you’ve ever launched a feature that landed with a sad thud… this episode is a must-listen.

Here is what is on the table in this episode:

🔸 Why “great features” still fail to get adoption
🔸 The biggest gap between feature design & feature awareness
🔸 How to avoid sounding salesy while still driving upgrades
🔸 Segmentation: who to upsell and when
🔸 The underrated power of email sequences for product teams
🔸 In-app education that actually works (and doesn’t annoy users)
🔸 How pricing, tiers, and value ladders influence upgrades
🔸 Why ROI calculators convert better than feature pages
🔸 What designers must learn from sales teams
🔸 How to build user advocates & power users intentionally

Chapters

00:00 Intro
00:32 The business problem we’re solving
01:54 B2C vs. B2B and how upgrades actually happen
03:50 Why awareness is the missing link
05:04 The disconnect between “we built it” and “users found it”
07:38 How to scorecard your adoption levers
10:07 The email sequencing mistake every product team makes
12:55 Building relationships vs. blasting announcements
17:00 Pricing tiers, value ladders & usage ceilings
21:56 When upgrades fail because value isn’t communicated
24:55 ROI examples (Zapier, time saved, etc.)
29:18 The role of in-app nudges, limits & locked features
34:57 Segmentation and timing your upsells
36:50 Avoiding pop-up overload
40:23 Webinars, product events & hype building
45:07 Discounts, loyalty, advocates & power-user programs
50:16 Stop being afraid to “sell” as a product designer
53:10 Next episode teaser: The Portfolio Mastermind

📢 Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
👉 https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe

👋 More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick discuss the big gap between what UX education teaches you and what real product design work looks like on the job.

Most junior designers leave school excited to “help users” and “make the world a better place” only to slam face first into business goals, tech debt, and stakeholders who want results... well... yesterday.

Tyler and Nick compare their first jobs with what schools promise and share how new designers can overcome that gap faster. The conversation covers internships, design tools, stakeholder management, zero-to-one vs. one-to-a-hundred design work, and why learning never stops.

If you are in school, in a bootcamp, or trying to break into product design… this episode will save you from a painful wake-up call.

Here is what is on the table in this episode:

🔸 The common misconception every UX student has
🔸 The surprise reality of most entry design jobs
🔸 Zero-to-one vs. one-to-a-hundred design work
🔸 What school should teach but does not
🔸 Why designers must care about revenue
🔸 Portfolio projects vs. actual feature work
🔸 How to learn faster once you get hired
🔸 The best way to network without being cringe
🔸 Should designers hop industries early in their career
🔸 Our pitch for a better UX education model

Chapters
00:00 Intro and jokes about Breaking Bad
01:12 Why do people want to become designers
02:39 When “helping users” meets revenue targets
05:20 School ideal vs corporate reality
09:50 Why the design process is rarely followed perfectly
12:55 Design education is too theoretical
18:40 Zero to one is not what you think
21:25 How design school should evolve
27:58 Why internships matter more than classes
33:19 The myth of picking the perfect industry
40:51 Automation skills and continuous learning
53:10 The one thing every new designer should do
54:25 How to build real relationships in the industry
57:20 A teaser for the next hands on episode

📢 Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
👉 https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe

👋 More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick figure out the hard truth about why so many UX and product designers struggle to get hired.

Hint: it is not your (lack of) Figma skills.

They discuss best practices and advice from their experience as UX coaches. From confidence gaps to portfolios that all look the same to the finding out that design careers are built through stakeholders and users instead of pixels, they share the mindset and strategy that actually moves you forward in your product design career.

Tyler brings his ROI-focused product design experience while Nick shares the wins and failures that shaped his coaching style. Together, they talk through what stops designers from leveling up and how the right support can accelerate your career growth.

Here is what is on the table in this episode:

🔸 Why most designers get stuck in the middle and how to break out
🔸 The career advice we wish someone gave us before our first job
🔸 Why coaching works better than another bootcamp
🔸 The confidence unlock that helps you interview like you belong
🔸 Common portfolio traps that keep you getting ghosted
🔸 Networking moves that actually lead to job offers
🔸 Why paying for help finally makes you take your career seriously
🔸 Senior designer skills you can start using right now
🔸 How to stop presenting like an order taker
🔸 The difference between showing screens and selling outcomes

🔗 Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the chaos
02:00 The real blockers in most design careers
05:40 Tyler almost gets fired straight out of school
11:20 Nick survives the fastest rejection ever
14:30 Why goals come before portfolios
20:50 The storytelling gap holding designers back
26:10 The networking strategy that makes life easier
36:40 Agency vs in house growth paths
48:10 Coaching is not therapy but it feels close
56:00 Our shameless plug to get help if you need it

📢 Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
👉 https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe

👋 More about Tyler and Nick:
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick share conversion optimization secrets they've learned over their combined 20 years of design experience.

From the psychology behind high-converting ads to the small tweaks that always boost your landing page performance, they share the tactics that have moved the needle for many of the design projects they've worked on before.

Tyler brings his ROI-focused design expertise while Nick shares insights from his freelance conversion projects. Together, they discuss the entire customer journey from first ad impression to final checkout while revealing which design decisions actually drive revenue and which "best practices" might be holding you back.

Here's what's on the table in this episode:

🔸 Why banner blindness is real and how to design ads that stop the scroll
🔸 The retargeting funnel strategy (and why you need multiple touchpoints to convert)
🔸 Landing page copy secrets that matter most
🔸 The unexpected checkout experiment that boosted conversions
🔸 Why the ugliest ads often convert the best
🔸 When to make landing pages longer vs. shorter
🔸 A/B testing strategies that give you a "raise every week"
🔸 PayPal integration and the 20% conversion lift it used to provide
🔸 Upselling: helpful suggestions vs. dark patterns
🔸 The biggest mistake designers make with progressive disclosure
🔸 Why user research beats design intuition every time
🔸 Trust signals to build credibility during checkout

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👋 More about Tyler and Nick

In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick become the "Design Mythbusters" and tackle the biggest misconceptions about UX design that both designers and non-designers believe.

From the idea that UX is just about making things pretty to the pressure of getting everything right the first time, they bust (or confirm) myths that hold you back in your design career.

Tyler shares his perspective as a senior product designer in-house, while Nick brings his freelance experience to debunk these widespread beliefs.

They explore myths from both sides; what stakeholders wrongly believe about designers, but also what designers tell themselves that creates unnecessary stress and limitations.

Here's what's on the table in this episode:

🔸 Why "UX is just about making things pretty" isn't wrong
🔸 The myth that UX designers create "delightful" experiences
🔸 Why you don't need to get everything right the first time
🔸 The accessibility myth of "we haven't heard any complaints"
🔸 How to balance pretty AND useful design
🔸 Why UX designers don't hold all the keys to user experience
🔸 The pressure to shoulder all responsibility for design decisions
🔸 Case study number inflation and why 2% improvements are impressive
🔸 The "it depends" answer and when it's actually helpful
🔸 Whether you need a traditional art background to be a UX designer
🔸 How AI myths are creating unnecessary fear in the design community

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👋 More about Tyler and Nick