2 / Stay calm; Paavan Buddhdev
+ Headspace, public speaking and creative roles in times of uncertainty
Hi, I'm Oli Batstone and this is Design Tales, a weekly profile of bright creatives. This week I'm joined by Paavan Buddhdev, UX Designer at AND Digital in London, UK.
Thanks for joining me Paavan. What’s a product you use that deserves more attention and why?
Headspace — it is already very popular but it's just so damn good. It's fast, looks beautiful cross-device, and has been incredibly beneficial to mental health.
What’s the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Speaking about UX at a tech conference in front of 200 people — exhilarating and terrifying. I think everyone should try public speaking out!
What do you wish you knew at the start of your career?
You don't have to make websites look like all the other websites!
What do you think are some of the challenges creatives will face over the coming years?
Justifying their place at the table in a time of uncertainty, when decisions will be guided by the financials.
What advice do you follow?
Stay calm & specialisation is for insects.
Where can we find you online?
paavandesign.com, and twitter @p44v9n
Do you have anything to promote?
I write regularly at my blog, take a look at: paavanblog.com
Fin
I’d like to thank Paavan for sharing his stories.
Specialisation is for insects is a fun reminder of our unique capacity to adapt. To new environments, new people, new careers. And to embrace it. To find new learning opportunities in and outside of your field. I recently read about a successful media account manager who, when her employer went under, found herself embarking on an entirely new career in a hospital as a nurse. Maybe this inspires you to set aside a bit of time to learn that bit of CSS, the basics of print-making or colour fundamentals. Or maybe you’ll think about jumping ship into something completely different like the account manager did. I heard astrophysics is pretty cool. 🚀
If you’d like to share your experience on this topic or about anything else you read, or just to say hi, tweet me.
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Have an exceptional week — Oli