36. Thinking Caps On: Critical Thinking with Debbie Levitt

Critical thinking isn’t just important… It’s critical!

Critical thinking may be one of the most important skills for a UX professional to master. It’s important for doing our day-to-day work, but it’s also important when you’re just starting out and deciding things like how we might want to learn UX, who we’re going to learn from, what people we will take advice from, what “influencers” we should follow, or what information we share with our network.

When I think about critical thinking, one name comes to mind… Debbie Levitt.

Debbie Levitt’s clients call her the Mary Poppins of CX because she improves what she can, she sings a little song, then flies away. She’s also a strong advocate for critical thinking, which makes her the perfect guest for this topic.

If you follow Debbie on LinkedIn or her Delta CX YouTube channel, and you’ve listened to any of her talks, then you know how important asking critical questions is for UX professionals.

So, how often do you put on your critical thinking cap?

Critical thinking is important for every stage of our career, but it’s often something we aren’t taught in school, regardless of whether we’re self-taught, we went to a boot camp, or a traditional university.

Critical thinking is usually something were left learning on our own.

This week, Debbie Levitt joins the show to discuss why critical thinking is so, well, critical.

Topics:
• 04:36 – Critical thinking is lacking overall
• 07:25 – Debbie’s Practical Critical Thinking Show
• 11:47 – What is critical thinking?
• 17:26 – Do universities teach critical thinking?
• 26:18 – Critical thinking in your case study
• 37:07 – Critical thinking about the consequences of decisions
• 43:07 – What will your case study do for you once it’s done?
• 48:43 – How do we build the critical thinking muscle?
• 52:57 – Critical thinking when we disagree

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn
• Delta CX
• Delta CX on YouTube
• Customers Know You Suck: Actionable CX Strategies to Better Understand, Attract, and Retain Customers
• customercentricity.com

Debbie Levitt
The Mary Poppins of CX/UX ☂️

About Debbie

Debbie Levitt, CXO of Delta CX, has been a CX and UX consultant since the mid-1990s. She specializes in strategy, research, training, and Human-Centered Design/User-Centered Design. She helps companies become customer-centric using Agile and Lean principles. Debbie has held CX and UX positions at Wells Fargo, Macy’s, StepStone, Sony Mobile, and Constant Contact. Her clients call her “Mary Poppins” because she improves everything she can, sings a few songs, and flies away to her next adventure. Her latest book, “Customers Know You Suck,” is a customer-centricity how-to manual that teaches readers how to be value-led. When she’s not working, Debbie enjoys singing symphonic prog goth metal, opera, and New Wave. You can also find her on the Delta CX YouTube channel.

Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn

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