Edwin Z.

The #1 question I get asked: "How do you get leads?" I've been running Halaska Studio over the past 12 months have have generated ~$1M in rev with ZERO cold outreach. Here's what's worked for me... Most designers focus on the wrong things: • Polishing their portfolio • Lowering their rates • Posting content that appeals to other designers But none of these truly move the needle. The real formula for attracting clients comes down to three elements: Trust Building genuine relationships and showing up consistently. Authority Demonstrating deep expertise in your field and owning it. Impact Proving the tangible results your work delivers, not just pretty designs. When you nail these three elements, clients start coming to you. No cold outreach needed. No race to the bottom on pricing. No desperate portfolio updates. Just authentic connection and proven results.

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If you feel like the honesty and humanity has been drained from the design industry in recent years then consider subscribing to Blair Fraser's new substack "The imperfect designer". He will be exploring an alternative viewpoint on the design profession covering topics like self doubt, burn-out, failure and the constant struggle to achieve balance in life. Zero hustle content guaranteed 😉 https://lnkd.in/eQdrvP-Y

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Designers are problem solvers who craft strategies and experiences that make businesses more unique, memorable, favorable, and profitable. There is a current movement of people with these skills taking their future into their own hands rather than relying on the false security of their full time roles at agencies or studios. We need to stop competing and keep supporting each other. There are collectives and coalitions of independent creatives forming all over the world right now. Neol is an example of a financially-backed version. There are also millions of independent design business owners (like me)partnering and growing our personal networks with complementary services. We’re doing amazing work together with measurable business results — WITHOUT trying to make a markup on each other. That is how we’re thriving individually and building trust and loyalty with our clients.

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Etsy was recently seen A/B testing AND eventually shipping a more visible search with the help of a higher contrast orange background button color (instead of a ghost-like icon only approach). Full screenshots: https://lnkd.in/gVJThW3W Now I don't work for Etsy (as much as I'd love to design some experiments for/with them) so we can't see the actual numbers beyond this feint probabilistic residue from the public domain. However, the amazing Andrey Andreev who runs experiments at Metro recently ran a very similar one and shared a solid result on GoodUI - with a positive impact to sales and searches. N = 896,009 SRM Check = Pass p-val on Increased Sales = 0.0139 (I know some people might like this to be even lower for a primary metric; but there is also reinforcing evidence on increased searches with an even lower p value at "ultra stat-sig" levels using Ron Kohavi's language; p < 0.00000001). I inverted the a/b test and categorized it under the Filled Vs Ghost Button pattern - further weakening the ghosts and strengthening the high contrast filled button styles on multiple metrics. https://lnkd.in/gmD8Exvc Thanks Andrey for a somewhat of an unintended replication, as I know your source of inspiration came from somewhere else on this one. :) Have you tested anything similar or different. If so, what did you discover? I'd be super curious to see more examples where increases to search have either ❌ failed or ✅ succeeded. Please share independent of outcome. ps. We also have a handful of similar "visible search" experiments where companies tested adding or hiding search: https://lnkd.in/gvWqzrK5 - further supporting this direction. [EDIT]: Note the additional confounders / variables in the Metro test - a stronger border, a change in background color of the search box as per Jakob Nielsen comment. They may be similar along the lines of the increased visibility theme - but possible additional variables nevertheless. #experimentation #ecommerce #replication #optimization #ui #ux

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Oh, I cannot ignore this post without saying something about it! Yes, I have only four years of experience as a UX designer. Yes, I am not a design system expert. Yes, I am not a UX design wunderkind. However, what I've learned while building Guidesight - how to actually build a product and not just design pretty screens, how to transform design into front-end development, integrate with back-end systems, and connect to databases (AWS IAM, Cognito, DynamoDB, etc.), collaborating with developers, testing with UX leaders, and be a problem solver, is something I would never have learned in a regular UX job. I recently said to someone that the past six months have felt like a full-time design, coding, marketing, and sales bootcamp. The challenges life has thrown at me over the past six months have taught me lessons I’m convinced I wouldn’t have learned in many years as a FAANG designer. If Guidesight were to fail tomorrow, I would still have a huge smile on my face. I wouldn’t regret anything; I still won gold (pun intended!) in terms of how much I’ve learned.

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My thoughts on Figma Slides: Each of the major tech companies have their own slideshow software and they all excel at different things: Google Slides is good for quick and dirty decks with lots of collaboration, Apple Keynote is brilliant for animation and rich presentation, and Microsoft PowerPoint is included with Office and the industry standard. Figma Slides (which I will call “Flides” so as not to confuse with Google’s Slides and to honor Mihika Kapoor's original artistic intent) is the first *design-focused* presentation tool. Adobe has no serious players in the game (although some companies use InDesign?) and Canva is about on par with Google Slides, leaving a vacuum in the design-heavy slideshow tool space. Auto Layout, Embeds, and Interactive Polls are so obvious in retrospect it’s a miracle the other tools haven’t implemented them already. It seems the killer app for Flides is the same as Figma: great design tools, interactivity, collaboration, and the promise of fast-paced feature shipping if they stay as dedicated to it as their other sub-tool, #FigJam. The main issue I see is that it’s too easy to fall back on normal Figma if you don’t want to pay for Flides. Most of the people who wanted to use Figma for their decks already were — just less efficiently. I could take or leave the generative stuff, I guess you have to have an AI story for every launch if you want to be taken seriously now. Also, no export to PPT makes this DOA for most business use cases as any non-designer just wants a PowerPoint. Maybe that will change over time, but there are decades of momentum behind PowerPoint A few other thoughts: - The text tone adjuster reminds me of Apple’s GarageBand Drummer interface and I think it’s going to define tone adjustment going forward. It’s a very nice piece of interface. - Slides started as a hackathon project — showing how a group of creative people will always find a way to get a good ROI on play!

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shower thought: by 2025 product designers and devs will be co-creating in tools that feel like Figma and an IDE had a baby—turbocharged with AI coding faster launches, tighter feedback loops, and way less time lost in handoffs. PDs, it’s time to start picking up some dev basics. DEVs, your backend and architecture skills are about to be more valuable than ever

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Before BRICX, I gave a whiteboarding interview at a massive company for a Sr. Product Design role. My interviewer said that it was one of the best whiteboarding sessions he has conducted. Sadly, most new designers don’t understand the goal of a whiteboarding round. I see this problem routinely when I’m hiring for new designers at Bricx. A whiteboarding round is where you & the interviewer will brainstorm about a problem trying to find a solution. I know it sounds absurd but the goal of the interviewer is actually not to see the solution, but your thought process. I’ll give you an example. You’re presented with the problem: Design a kayak rental service Firstly, ALWAYS start with ‘why’. Why are we designing this? What are we trying to accomplish? Secondly, talk about the user. What are our user personas? What are their demographics? What are their psychographics? What are their behaviors? Next, talk about things like constraints, taking assumptions, business goals, KPIs, existing research, etc. The more you clarify your thoughts & create constraints, the more specific your solution will be. The WORST thing you can do is dive right into the solution after hearing the problem. It absolutely ruins the purpose of the round. Think. Be creative & talk as much as possible with the interviewer. When you’re working as a product designer, you will be working on problems you haven’t ever worked on before. With this interview, you have to show your thought process towards tackling new problem statements. Would love to hear your thoughts on your whiteboarding session as an interviewer or interviewee :)

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Scared to start your design studio? I was too - especially while planning for a baby 👶 Then I hit $1M in revenue within a year Here's my reality check framework: • Set a 6-month experiment • Define clear success metrics • Build a solid safety net • Watch for momentum The result? I got the validation I needed in just 2 months Proof that calculated risk-taking beats analysis paralysis every time This wasn't luck - it was strategic planning Sometimes you just need to give yourself permission to experiment within safe boundaries I share more about my studio journey and how to future-proof yourself as a designer in my newsletter - https://lnkd.in/gGQSHW-v

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It's interesting to me that, while engineers are seeing a massive explosion in productivity from AI, product design has yet to see any real progress. Where are the tools from Figma/Adobe that 2-3x the output of a designer? Where is the AI-driven design system, etc.

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👋 Hi friends! I'm on the lookout for 1️⃣ new product design contract this year—do you know anyone who could use my expertise? 💃 Over the last couple years, I've had the pleasure of working with some incredible organizations. Here’s a glimpse into what I’ve accomplished: 🍎 ED TECH 📝 ✅ Collaborated with product owners, account managers, and engineers to set a strategic design direction for multi-product integration following mergers between several EdTech companies. ✅ Worked with the team to determine what the new platform would incorporate from the existing platforms, what cross-over functionality we would implement, and what functionality would come from existing external platforms. ✅ Established a Figma-based design system, ensuring consistent UI across the responsive web app, speeding up design and development. ✅ Continuously improved the platform post-launch to enhance features and add value. 🎶 ENTERTAINMENT 🎙 ✅ Partnered with the Design System team, product managers, and feature designers to develop components and templates for web and tablet apps, and provided consultation on mobile components and variables for a full product relaunch. ✅ Worked within cross-functional teams that included marketing, sales, product, design, and engineering. ✅ Collaborated with marketing teams to design email campaigns focused on product education, new releases, and recommended content. ✅ Assisted executive leadership with design materials and motion UI prototypes for special events and executive media presentations. 💜 NONPROFIT 👯‍♀️ ✅ Relaunched site on new platform, reorganized content and layout. ✅ Optimized site for SEO and localization. ✅ Provided ongoing maintenance including updating content, products, and special events. ✅ Maintained and expanded brand standards for marketing. ✅ Increased website visits by 120% from 2022 to 2023 and so far 47% from 2023 to 2024. ✅ Increased online sales revenue by 170% from 2023 to 2023 and so far 148% from 2023 to 2024. I’m looking to add about 10-15 hours per week to my schedule—not seeking a full-time contract. If you know a someone at an agency/enterprise/startup/organization in need of a lead/senior product designer who can hit the ground running, deliver immediate value, and get the job done right the first time, please connect us! 💫 And if you’ve enjoyed working with me and are willing to share this with your networks, I’d really appreciate it! Thanks, y'all! 💜

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Despite advances in technology: Great designers will always be in demand. Cheap designers will always be in demand. Mid-tier designers are in a lot of trouble. And for those of you who consider yourself “great”… it only takes a couple years of chilling at an easy job to drop to mid-tier. If that’s you…. time to level the f*ck up! ESPECIALLY if you have more than 20 working years left in your career.

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We’re often taught a linear process when it comes to building software, right? Discovery → Define → Design → Release But what happens when you land a job right in the middle of that process? After countless decisions have been made? What do you do? --- I’ve seen so many new designers expect to start a job and hit the ground running. 🏇 They want to impress everyone. 🤿 They’ll jump straight into designs.  🏅 They’ll expect to contribute to meetings. 😖 Then they’re surprised when no one listens. --- Building great software is hard. We know that. Not only is the code complex. There may be tons of flows, features, screens, components, and copy to think about and keep track of. Then there are the hundreds of conversations, debates, arguments, and decisions that went into coming up with all the code, flows, features, screens, components, and copy. That’s all well and good when you were there from the beginning, but how often are we actually starting all of this from scratch? The chances are good when you land a job you’re replacing someone who recently left or you’re part of a growing team. Either way, a lot of these decisions have been made and you need to help execute. If you *really* want to help execute, you can’t start from the middle. You need to start from the start. ✅ Starting from the start is about understanding the context. ✅ It’s about breaking up bigger problems into more digestible chunks. ✅ It’s about looking back at everything you know you know. ✅ It’s about getting a better sense of what you don’t yet know. 🎯 Here are a few key takeaways: ▶️ You’re likely going to end up in the middle of a process: When you start a new job, you’re most likely going to end up on a team that has already started work. Spend the first month getting to know the people, the processes, and the overall context. ▶️ Don’t rush into it: You *could* skip the context and jump to one specific solution, but you may be totally wrong at best, or risk hurting your credibility with the team at worst. You won’t get fired for doing your due diligence. ▶️ It’s a marathon, not a sprint: You’ve often got time to take a step back and consider the larger problem. You may not have months or even weeks, but even if you’ve only got a few hours, do what you can to get the context before settling on a solution. ▶️ You won’t have all the answers: Unless you’re a software team of one, your team will have insights you aren’t aware of. They may have additional context and additional insights. Reach out to your team and see what they have to say. ▶️ Avoid confirmation bias: Chances are good you’ll have some ideas in your head. There’s nothing wrong with that. But be sure to avoid confirming your suspicions or validating your ideas simply because they’re your ideas. Be objective and open to anything. --- So the next time you’re faced with a big problem, take a step back and start from the start. #UXdesign #SoftSkills

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I’ve hired designers for 14 years, sifted through ~1000s of portfolios, but never read a full case study. Shocking? Maybe. But let's be real: time is a luxury, and hiring managers don't have it in abundance. Here’s what catches their eye and could seal the deal for you. 1. Speed wins: Your portfolio needs to cut to the chase. Show high quality visuals of your work above the fold on your landing page. It shows what you’ve accomplished right off the bat. 2. Make It scan-friendly: Optimize your headers, images, and image captions. A quick scan should tell everything the reader needs to know. If your design fundamentals are solid, your portfolio will reflect that. 3. Long text blocks are your enemy. Remember, hiring managers skim a lot. Ever skimmed through a long read online? Guess what? They do the same thing on your portfolio. ==== BONUS: 3 more pro-tips to really stand out: → Avoid red flags: Clunky navigation, low-res images, or a slow-loading site? That’s a hard pass. Make everything about your portfolio high quality and easy to navigate. - Tailor-made: Adapt your portfolio for the type of work you’re trying to get. Trying to get work as a product designer? Gonna be hard if your portfolio is full of web design and logos. - Be easy to find: Make sure your LinkedIn, resume, and contact info are just a click away. Don't make them hunt for you. TL;DR: Make the hiring manager’s job easy. Don’t give them easy reasons to say “NO”.

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Hey Designers, Just a quick reminder: your NDA isn’t just a piece of paper—it’s a legal obligation. Sharing password-protected portfolios without permission isn’t just risky, it’s illegal. Here's a hypothetical but all-too-real scenario: what if your competitor needed some insights? They reached out to designers at rival companies under the guise of potential job opportunities. As UX designers, we work on ideas and projects that may not be implemented today but in years to come. Imagine your company’s long-term strategies being exposed, some user research data shared, and performance and accessibility KPIs revealed. Sketchy, right? For Recruiters: If a candidate says their portfolio is under NDA, respect that. It shows they value confidentiality and will protect your info too. If they’re willing to break an NDA for you, what’s stopping them from doing the same to you down the line? Remember, many designers work on projects that are never meant to be displayed publicly. Let’s keep things above board and respect each other’s legal boundaries. Remember the Golden Rule: treat others as you would want to be treated. Thanks for understanding!

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This just happened at Config 2024... Figma has introduced some major updates at Config 2024. The updates include a new user interface, AI integrations, auto layout suggestions, Figma Slides, and an improved DEV mode. The new AI tools can create UI mockups, offer visual search, and automate text translation and image background removal tasks. One downside is that Figma will now use our intellectual property to train its AI, which is a concern. Where will this all lead us in the next few years? That's something we'll know when we get there. #Config2024 #Figma #ProductDesign #News #AI

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Update: Closing this now and getting back to designers 🫶 -- This year I want to give back more. To get started - designers - drop your portfolio in the comments and I’ll send you an actionable review👇

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