Design Buddies

🌟 Excited to announce that I’m part of the DDX team! 🌟 DDX is back, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share the news! After a phenomenal event in Dubai last year, DDX ‘25 returns with an Innovation Weekend on February 15–16, 2025. This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better, featuring top global leaders in innovation, design, and technology from companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, JP Morgan, EA Games, and more. ✨ What to Expect: ✅ Learn from top experts: Talks, panels, and hands-on workshops. ✅ Network with like-minded professionals: Build connections and exchange ideas. ✅ Discover new opportunities: Job prospects, project ideas, and career inspiration. ✅ Enjoy the experience: Two days of engaging discussions paired with great coffee, drinks, and food. 🎟 Special Discount for the Design Buddies Community: Use code DESIGNBUDDIES20 for 20% off! Join us in Dubai and be part of an inspiring weekend of growth and innovation. 👉 Learn more and grab your tickets here: https://lnkd.in/d2HK4VfD #DDX2025 #DesignInnovation #Networking #CareerGrowth #InnovationWeekend #Dubai

One of my favorite Design Buddies events I’ve co-hosted was our design holiday party in Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭 It’s our largest event outside of San Francisco!! Thank you all for being part of this: - The ~300 buddies who came through! - Thanakorn (Kati) Plian, Pizza, Zim, Parin and team for hosting with me - Speakers Kamila Hoe, Ruby Pryor, Chusek Phientharntham, Apirak Panatkool, and Chanon - Sponsors LINE Man Wognai, Friends of Figma, LottieFiles, adplist.org I was in Bangkok for the month of November and will be back 🫡 The local and digital nomad communities here are awesome~ #Bangkok #Thailand #DesignEvent #DigitalNomad #Designer

You need experience to land a job, but you need a job to gain experience In 2020, Design Buddies Founder Grace Ling 🐰 was ghosted everywhere on her UX design job search. A few months later, she landed my first UX design job at Electronic Arts In between, she worked on real-world projects with startups to build my experience and built her portfolio. She didn’t want an expensive degree or bootcamp with: - Fictional projects that don’t reflect real-world work - Shady marketing - mention of high job placement % but they hire their own students - High costs of time and money That’s why we are excited to launch our next 10-week design project cohort with Design Buddies and UXGO! We’re doing things differently: - Real-world projects: Collaborate with early-stage startups in emerging tech/social good - Cross-functional collaboration experience: Work with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders - Mentorship from design professionals: Learn from experienced UX designers at top tech companies - Career-ready outcomes: Finish with a portfolio of tangible, real-world case studies and a shot at getting hired by the startup you work with Our founding team, Leon, Manvi, and Grace have years of experience working as a UX designer in big tech. Leon, who has developed the curriculum, has personally mentored 100+ designers and helping them land offers in big tech! Applications are open now and accepted on a rolling basis Next cohort: January 2025 🎉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eMypGvhR A full scholarship will also be offered - apply and note that if you want the scholarship. #DesignStudent #UXDesigner #UX #Design #DesignIntern

New year, new intro! Do reach out if you'd like to be friends~ 🎨 I love to draw and design! Specifically kawaii/anime style art. Originally inspired by MapleStory! 🌎 I’ve been to 40+ countries and host parties around the world. Currently posting this from Antarctica! 💁🏻♀️ I’m in my mid 20’s and live in San Francisco. I grew up in Cupertino, California 🐰 I founded Design Buddies, a community of 150,000+ designers. We’re helping designers improve their skills and land jobs! 🤠 I’ve been on many random career side quests including wanting to be a doctor, software engineer, game designer, professional runner, and more. Most recently I was a UX designer but I left to vibe around the world 📍 My parents are from Singapore and Taiwan. I exist because they met at a professional networking event in Silicon Valley. I can also speak fluent Mandarin Chinese 🏃🏻♀️ I made my Instagram account when I was really into running. So obsessed that I placed top 10 at USA nationals. Then I got injured in college. I’ve been running again and am training for marathons! 💡~professionally~ I've only had one full-time job out of school. I was a UX Designer at Electronic Arts but left in 2024. I was formerly a Virtual Reality Robotic Surgery Game Developer Intern (yes, that was my official title) at Intuitive before I joined EA. I studied Bioengineering and Computer Science engineering for my bachelor's degree and master's degree from Santa Clara University. 👀 What else would you like to see on my LinkedIn? In 2025 I'm going to be real AF here. No more sugar coating. I'd also love to learn about you! Do feel free to introduce yourself in the comments~ #Introduction #Founder #Designer #ContentCreator #DigitalNomad

My predictions for design and marketing 👀 🐰 AI will create more jobs for designers. Tech will advance faster, creating more opportunities for designers to create products. Stop fear mongering 🐰 Events as part of your marketing strategy. Yes, human interaction, something AI can’t replace. Events are great for community building, and if you’re selling a product, organic is the way to go 🐰 More AI-generated content on social media. This is sad. So I think content that’s authentic, vulnerable, and human will stand out. Share your stories, wins, failures, and life. Don’t be generic! Don’t worry about being perfect, too. Show your flaws. 🐰 Mental health becoming a more important conversation. Without your health, both physical and mental, you have nothing. Whoever tells you not to care about your mental health should not be in your life. 🐰 Skibidi toilet brain rot. Kids these days are like dependent on technology and have a lower attention span and more social anxiety. Even myself, as an elder Z., Social media is not real life, and make sure you go out, travel, hang out with your friends, and explore the world beyond your screen. Also, learn the Gen Alpha and Z jargon to be hip with the kids because they are your customers!!! 🐰 AI will help products become more personalized. It will also help save you time on things you don’t want to do, like analyzing a lot of user research, helping you get over designer’s block, and making pixel-perfect mockups. Don’t copy and paste what AI generates. 🐰 The design job market will become more competitive. AI will help designers work faster, and UX design is a great job because it pays well without needing to code - surely lots of people would want to work in this field. Check out our 10-week design project cohort with Design Buddies and UXGO to get ahead. Starts Mid Jan 2025, link in comments 🤠 Thank you to Justin Strong, Kamila Hoe, and Tim Wagner for the awesome photos of me in this post~! 👀 I started doodling on myself. What do you think of this new style of carousels? 👀 Also what else would you add to this list? #2025 #2025predictions #design #marketing #illustrator

Hola Buenos Aires Buddies! Join us in-person on Jan 6! 🎉RSVP (free): https://lnkd.in/gm8ipdVY Join an evening of making new friends and maybe even new business connections with other designers and founders in Buenos Aries, Argentina! - Share about what you're working on and goals for 2025 - Make new friends! - Get free swags, including bunny stickers Locals and digital nomads of any experience level are welcome! You're also welcome to bring your friends. It will be a casual and fun evening with good vibes. 🐰Hosted by Grace Ling 🐰, Sarah Barcellos 🏳️🌈, and Ivone Aylen Nahir Tripicchio Rodas! This our first Design Buddies event in South America! We're mainly in San Francisco and have hosted events across North America, Asia, and Europe so far on our world tour :D #DesignMeetup #BuenosAires #Argentina #DesignEvent #Designer

A big Thanks to Design Buddies for sending such a sweet holiday gift! What a pleasant surprise in the mail 🥰🎁

Many design bootcamps are sus AF. Here’s why: - Shady marketing - mention of high job placement % but they hire their own students - Fictional projects that don’t reflect real-world work - High costs of time and money - End up with some generic portfolio that’s similar to your classmates unless you go above and beyond That’s why we at Design Buddies and UXGO are hosting our next UX design project cohort focusing on real world projects and cross functional experience to help designers land jobs. Taught by our awesome coaches who are practicing UX designers on large tech companies and run by our team with years of UX design industry experience - leo ZM, Manvitha Madem, and myself Apply here! Starts mid January 2025: https://lnkd.in/gy2JEpcU Selfie taken in Antarctica yesterday!! Elephant Island 👀 Have you ever done a design bootcamp? What was your experience? Both positive and negative. Prove me wrong. We are working to be better!! #UXDesigner #Design #DesignBootcamp #ProductDesigner #Education

If your salary is so "competitive," why don't you tell us what it is? 😏

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