

The UX Level-Up
Sophia V. Prater
Join Sophia V. Prater on a dive into the weeds on UX systems, information architecture, human psychology, and simplifying complexity.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 11, 2023 • 30min
040 - (ORCA Series #2) - Eight Hot Tips to Level Up Your System Modeling Prowess
In this episode of the podcast, Sophia explains eight ways to level up your system modeling skills, plus diagramming The Church of Latter Day Saints!
Please let Sophia know on Twitter (@sophiavux) what you think. What was your favorite tip? What do you think you will start using? Next time on The OOUX Podcast, we will do my top tips on the CTA matrix. Until then, happy OOUXing!
LINKS:
Take The Fundamentals of Object-Oriented UX: OOUX.com/training
Leveraging the Power of Junction Objects Article.
Junction object Video showing the System Model and Object Map hybrid.
Check out episode 029 of The OOUX Podcast with Scott Kubie.

Apr 27, 2023 • 56min
039 - Content Design at Wealthfront and Chewy.com, with Chase Roberts
Chase Roberts is the Senior Content designer at Chewy.com and has worked as a senior content designer in the fintech world with Global 500 banks, like Capital One and BBVA, as well as at startups like Wealthfront and Relief App. In this episode of the podcast Sophia and Chase discuss using Object-Oriented UX to onboard at Chewy.com, creating new objects at Wealthfront, how OOUX fits in with other design methodologies, plus how you can get started with OOUX in your organization. We nerded out in this one. Enjoy!
LINKS:
Sign up for The Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass
Learn more about Content Strategy and OOUX
Connect with Chase on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasejosephroberts/

7 snips
Apr 13, 2023 • 1h 9min
038 - OOUX at HelloFresh with Jake Zukowski
In this episode of the podcast, Sophia talks to the VP of Design and Research at HelloFresh — Jake Zukowski. They discuss how a designer on his team started sneaking OOUX through the backdoor into their design meetings, they debate about the difference between a Product Manager and a UX Designer, and they talk about how PMs can bring OOUX to their teams. It's a great conversation and we hope you enjoy!
Go to www.ooux.com/teamcohorts to get pricing on multiple seats in The Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass for your team.
If you are a Product Manager/Product Owner, use the coupon code OOUXPM10 to get 10% off the total price of a Team Cohort of The Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass.
Keep up with Jake on Twitter: @jakez
Follow Jake on Instagram: jake.zukowski
Connect with Jake on LinkedIn: Jake Zukowski

Mar 30, 2023 • 1h 5min
037 - Joe Natoli on OOUX (a sneak peak into our new course!)
NOW AVAILABLE! Sign up for Joe & Sophia's Udemy course: OOUX Fundamentals!
In this super candid conversation, Joe Natoli and Sophia sit down to talk UX process, sketching, creativity, agile, and how OOUX can fit into to all of the above, "meeting you where you are". We'll give you a look into the new course that Joe and Sophia are launching on April 1st, 2023 — a course that targets the fundamentals of OOUX and can get you rocking and rolling in about a weekend.
Joe brings his 30+ years in the field of UX to explain to us how OOUX can solve so many of the problems he's seen out in the field. In addition to his consulting work, Joe's THE guy to teach you UX on Udemy. He's taught almost 300,000 students there. And with this newest course with Sophia, he'll introduce them (and hopefully you!) to OOUX and the ORCA process.

Mar 9, 2023 • 45min
036 - UXing in the Dark, Finding the Light
This is a story about finding a path from struggle to satisfaction and from frustration to way more fun. In yet another solo episode (we promise we’ve got some interviews coming up!), Sophia goes way back to her childhood, high school, college days, and early UX career to make sense of the current state of OOUX and ORCA. Sophia gets into the frustrations of designing in the dark, shares a few juicy life lessons, and reveals the early principles that make up the foundation of her career — and the movement she’s built.
Download the OOUX Launch Guide: OOUX.com/resources/launchguide
Get on the waitlist for Cohort 8: OOUX.com/certification
Better yet, enroll in the Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass: OOUX.com/masterclass

Feb 17, 2023 • 43min
035 - (ORCA Series #1) Start any UX Project with Noun Foraging
In this episode of the podcast, Sophia kicks off the first in a 15-part series on her ORCA (Objects, Relationships, CTAs, and Attributes) process. This first installment will cover the process of Noun Foraging. Learn Sophia's 10 hot tips for getting started with noun foraging. Plus, how artificial intelligence can help you do the work, and how noun foraging might not be just for nouns. Enjoy!
LINKS:
OOUX Happy Hour: Noun Foraging with Rik Williams, Sophia Prater, and Robots
Take The Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass!

Jan 26, 2023 • 1h
Episode 034 - Running ORCA Sprints at Autodesk
In this first episode of 2023, Sophia lays out her findings after successfully rolling out the ORCA Sprint envisioned in episode 033 from last season. She talks about manifesting the ORCA Sprint from concept to deliverable, what worked and what didn't work (and what can probably be skipped) while running the first ORCA Sprint, and why ending Day 2 of the ORCA Sprint with a nav flow is guaranteed to blow people's minds.
LINKS:
For background on this episode, check out episode 033 - The ORCA Sprint with Sophia V. Prater, as well as The OOUX Happy Hour with Certified OOUX Strategist, Allie Ofisher - OOUX Happy Hour: Running ORCA Sprints with Allie Ofisher, as well as The ORCA Sprint Outline in Notion - www.ooux.com/hi/orca-sprints.
Download The OOUX Launch Guide!
Contact Sophia with your thoughts on the ORCA Sprint on Twitter @sophiavux
Email Sophia at sophia@rewiredux.com to get more information on ORCA Sprints

May 12, 2022 • 1h 6min
Episode 033 - The ORCA Sprint with Sophia V. Prater
In this solo episode of the podcast (and final episode of this season), Sophia talks about a new concept called "The ORCA Sprint." A week-long OOUX journey teams can take to tackle their projects head-on with the methodology of ORCA (tackling objects, relationships, calls-to-action, and attributes). Sophia will take you through each day of the ORCA Sprint schedule going step by step with recommended tools and templates included. And she's looking for feedback! We recommend you listen to this episode in front of your computer so that you can follow along and take notes.
Following this episode, the OOUX Podcast will be going on hiatus until the fall.
LINKS:
The Notion ORCA Sprint Outline
The Whimsical ORCA Collab Hub
OOUX-Style Sketch Worksheets
Keep up with the latest OOUX News with the OOUX Newsletter
Give us feedback on the ORCA Sprint or set up a meeting with Sophia to discuss doing an ORCA Sprint for your team by writing us at hello@rewiredux.com.

Apr 21, 2022 • 54min
Episode 032 - How to "Dev-ign" with Keith Rich and Anthony Gallo
Keith Rich and Anthony Gallo join us from Think Company, a bespoke UX and software firm out of Philadelphia. Anthony, the "engineer" of Think Company, began his career in system administration. He took learning how things work "under the hood" to a new level when he later became a self-taught developer. Keith, the "midfielder" at Think Company, comes from Pharma advertising and is passionate about prototyping new ideas and bridging the gaps between design and development.
In this episode of the podcast, Sophia chats with Keith and Anthony about how they discovered OOUX, how they use it at Think Company, and what it means to "dev-ign."
LINKS:
Don't miss hearing more from Keith and Anthony at the upcoming Object-Oriented UX Happy Hour on May 5, 2022 @ 6pm EST.
Follow Keith on Twitter: @keith_rich
Follow Anthony on Twitter: @_ant_g
Read the series on OOUX by Keren Toledano on the Think Company blog: Part 1 and Part 2
And Think Company’s article “What the Heck is a ‘Full Stack’ Developer, Anyhow?”

Mar 31, 2022 • 1h 28min
Episode 031 - Applying Value Paths to OOUX with Samuel Hulick
Samuel Hulick runs UserOnboard where he researches, writes about, and implements successful user onboarding for companies around the world. In this episode, Sophia and Samuel chat about Value Paths and how they hone in on the deeper value of our products. Listen as they lay this lens over a medical prescription app design challenge, the Headspace onboarding experience, and even OOUX.com's offerings.
LINKS:
OOUX Fundamentals workshop recording — mentioned in the intro!
OOUX Podcast Episode 024, Value Paths and OOUX — Samuel Hulick’s first time on the podcast
Useronboard.com — Samuel’s website
The Elements of User Onboarding — Samuel’s book
Value Paths — Samuel’s new onboarding approach
Follow Samuel on Twitter
Follow UserOnboard on Twitter


