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The Importance of Self-Care for Designers

The Importance of Self-Care for Designers

BY Vivianne Castillo | Visual: mikroman6/Getty Images | This story is from the Founder of HmntyCntrd and is part of Self-Care is for UX, a series on the personal risks of working in design. “You often feel tired, not because you’ve done too...

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The Emotional Toll of Working in UX

The Emotional Toll of Working in UX

BY Vivianne Castillo | Visual: Debbie Lee | If you are reading this, you most likely fall into one of two categories: You’re either interested in becoming a UX professional or you already are one. Regardless of which category you...

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5 Questions You Should Ask to Avoid Working for a Toxic UX Manager

5 Questions You Should Ask to Avoid Working for a Toxic UX Manager

BY Vivianne Castillo | Visual: Pexels | Some of you are reading this because you are currently experiencing a horrible manager and are trying to GTFO. Some of you are reading this because you have goals to level up in...

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Why We Need to Talk About Spiritual Self-Care in UX

Why We Need to Talk About Spiritual Self-Care in UX

BY Vivianne Castillo | I was 22 years old when the doctor told me I was dying and might only have the next 15 years to live. I was told that a rare, incurable kidney disease was what had kicked...

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An Overdue Conversation: The UX Research Industry’s Achilles Heel

An Overdue Conversation: The UX Research Industry’s Achilles Heel

BY Vivianne Castillo | Visual Source: Universal Pictures (Get Out, 2017) When I first entered the UX field, I’ll admit that I eagerly drank the UX Research kool-aid, the batch filled with talks and articles about “the importance of empathy...

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The Most Important Thing You’re Not Doing as a UX Designer

The Most Important Thing You’re Not Doing as a UX Designer

BY Vivianne Castillo | Visual: Debbie Lee As I’m writing this, I’m having “one of those days.” I barely got any sleep, survived the work day on a steady diet of processed snacks and coffee (then attempted to alleviate guilt...

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Why Corporate Playbooks Fall Short in Tackling Organizational Trauma

Why Corporate Playbooks Fall Short in Tackling Organizational Trauma

BY Alba Villamil, Karen Eisenhauer, and Vivianne Castillo; Visuals by Thumy Phan The American workplace is a traumatized workplace. From the everyday dysfunction of work, to the devastation of COVID-19, many employees are feeling overwhelmed, disillusioned, and even unsafe. Trauma–any...

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