108. Unlocking Career Success with Human Connections

Could the secret to advancing your UX career lie in the relationships you build?

This week, Matthew McPhail, a principal UX designer at Home Depot, joins the show to share his journey from Industrial Design to UX design, highlighting how relationships have been instrumental in his quick career progression to UX Principal. Matthew underscores the importance of trust, empathy, and respect in fostering a collaborative work environment that drives success.

We dig into the scientific basis for relationship-building, explaining how it influences team dynamics and personal growth. Matthew emphasizes that while technical skills are essential, the ability to forge meaningful connections often plays a pivotal role in the effectiveness of software projects and career development. At the end of the day, managing ambiguity becomes easier when we build strong relationships.

Whether you’re an experienced UX practitioner or new to the field, you’ll gain valuable insights into the soft skills that can transform your career and your team’s success. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn from Matthew’s experiences!

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn

Matthew McPhail
UX Principal @ The Home Depot

About Matthew

approach to problem-solving, and connecting the dots between those customer needs and business goals. His diverse design background has given Matthew the opportunity to work within different industries and scale of companies, from startups like XENITH, a Detroit-based challenger brand in the sport of Football, to large corporate organizations like General Motors and The Home Depot. Matthew also spent time in design consultancy at Sundberg-Ferar, where he honed his UX chops working on in-vehicle infotainment systems for clients like Nissan and Infiniti. Today, Matthew works as a UX Principal at The Home Depot, where he’s embedded within the team responsible for bringing experience enhancements to life for the Pro customer across several capability categories. His role involves broad cross-functional execution on UX research, CX journey management, and UX strategy projects across the entire Pro program.

Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn

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