Good morning!

Brrr it’s getting chilly outside. It feels like that darn head janitor started turning off the big yellow in the sky much too early this year and that hot cup warming up your innards is not enough to get you fired up and inspired in the morning. I want to share with you three of my secret resources to get you to level up in your career. You didn’t see #2 coming.

Meet our curator of the month

Jussi T is your average design nerd/skater hailing from Finland. A former pro snowboarder, he has worked with the biggest brands in the sports industry (like Oakley, Etnies and Helly Hansen) to the largest corporations in Finland. Jussi is a full-time senior designer at Futurice on all things service design, UX/UI, branding, and brand strategy.

Jussi's picks

#1 Process Masterclass - Design Course

by Nguyen Le

Okay, so you want to bust some serious Donkie Kong ass and become the next big-shot designer, right? To do that you need to upgrade your skills to the latest and greatest. And that’s where Nguyen Le, the founder of Process Masterclass comes along. Nguyen is a product designer who runs an online design school and has a fantastic Slack group. 6 years ago an old friend of mine Dave Benton from Metajive recommended checking out Nguyen’s Process Masterclass. That class is responsible for making me much of the designer I am today. It will blow your mind if you want to become a more valuable UX and UI designer.

#2 Copywriting course

by Cole Schafer

What if you could wrap people around your pinkie finger and have them do what the puppet master says? Okay, that’s scary. But in all seriousness what if you had the ability to sling the ink out of your digital pen that would help people understand you better? Words are not equal. Knowing what words to use and how to combine them in sentences that get people to listen and to take action is one heck of a magic wand that will make you a better communicator and one heck of an asset to the company you work at. Because we all know that we need to make those awful presentations and reports for the stakeholders and by knowing how to wield your sword like a master you get the respect, ears, and budgets you need.

#3 Product Thinking Podcast

By Melissa Perri

As a designer, it’s pretty dang smart at times to elevate your flight height and look at the big picture. To get off the ground and out of the weeds you’re wise to look at the big picture of product design. This way you’ll become more valuable as a designer, grow less grey hair, as in you understand the reasoning for orders coming from above, and can better serve your organization and the customers. And that’s where Melissa Perri comes along. She’ll set you straight on understanding your organization and how you can move around and improve it so you can actually deliver true value for the users.

Few facts about the curator

How did you end up becoming a designer?

Three things. 1. Doing graphic and web design for twenty years.  2. Being a mental coach for Olympic-level athletes, entrepreneurs, and CEO’s.  3. Starting (and failing) at multiple businesses.

How did you end up in your current role?

I came into Futurice as a UX designer but have been able to expand into Service Design because of being curious, wanting to learn, and having a background in relevant things.

Name one superpower that makes you different from the others

I’m relentless at learning. Cultivate curiosity to listen, passion to keep discovering, and openness to being wrong.

Something you feel very grateful for when looking back in your career.

This is so cheesy, but honest to god truth. Getting a job at Futurice. The learning here is paramount. So many talented people, projects and resources that will turn you into a learning machine.

What would you have wanted to tell yourself 5 years back?

It’s okay to feel lost. Everyone else feels that too at times. More than once in their life. Focus on enjoying the road. That’s where the fun is. Not at the hotel at the end of your road trip. The hotel’s got cockroaches. Screw that. The grind, the frustration, the struggle, that won’t change as long as you keep progressing, so learn to love it. And if you are lost, just do what you like. Doesn’t matter where you end up when you do what you love, right?

Jobs

Lead Product Designer

You would be the one putting the needs of real users at the center of your thought process, and use insights and data to guide your decision-making.

Join us in London >>

Senior Service Designer

We would love to have you, if you have experience in strategic foresight or/and data trend analysis, change management, team operational improvement, and data metrics consulting.

Join us in Stockholm >>