78. UX Design at the Speed of Silicon: FAANG vs Everyone Else

What’s it really like working for a big tech or FAANG company?

If you’ve gotten job hunting and career advice from someone who has never worked at a big tech company, the advice might not get you the outcome you’re hoping for.

The reality is that Product Design at big tech companies isn’t the same job as it is everywhere else.

Today we’re chatting with Mariyam, about the key differences between working as a product designer at a big tech company like FAANG versus more traditional UX design roles at places like enterprise corporations.

Mariyam has experienced both worlds. She’s worked in corporate IT, Enterprise orgs, startups, and big tech companies including Apple, Meta, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

She’s got a lot of great insights to share.

We kick things off by discussing what even constitutes a “tech” job and how companies in the tech industry like FAANG operate differently from traditional non-tech businesses when it comes to processes.

The truth is that big tech companies like Meta, Apple, Twitter, and TikTok operate differently than the UX that is taught in school or boot camps.

Mariyam explains the differing responsibilities between product designers at big tech companies, who are multidisciplinary across product strategy, prototyping, interaction design, and more, versus traditional UX designers at other companies who sometimes have a narrower focus.

So which role is the ideal job? Mariyam offers her personal take on the pace, responsibilities, and working styles between big tech Product Design and more traditional UX Design roles.

We wrap up with a reminder that career advice should be taken in the context of your own goals, work style preferences, technical capabilities, and other factors that make a role a great fit or not.

As with everything, your mileage may vary.

Topics:
• 24:51 – Tech companies and non-tech companies have a lot of differences
• 41:10 – What is a “tech” job?
• 42:58 – The role of the PM at these tech companies
• 47:36 – Product Designer vs UX Designer
• 54:22 – Internal tools vs commercial tools
• 60:00 – But what is your personal preference
• 65:01 – The context of the career advice you get matters

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