We underestimate how long projects will take—even when experience tells us otherwise. In this episode, I break down the planning fallacy: why it happens, how it derails projects, and what you can do to protect your team from unrealistic deadlines.

Why do we keep convincing ourselves that this time the project will be different, when it almost never is?

Every designer has been there: a bold timeline handed down from leadership, optimism in the air, and a quiet voice inside whispering, there’s no way this is going to happen. That voice is usually right, and it’s the planning fallacy at work.

In this episode, I share a real-world story of a global team tasked with rebuilding a massive legacy app on an impossible one-year deadline. The result? Chaos, delays, and missed expectations—classic symptoms of the planning fallacy. Along the way, I connect this to famous examples like the Sydney Opera House project and explain why even seasoned experts fall into the same trap.

Most importantly, I walk through practical strategies for beating the bias: using reference class forecasting, building in buffers, involving cross-functional teams in estimation, and learning from past outcomes. Because if we can see the planning fallacy for what it is, we can start making more realistic commitments—and protect our teams from burnout and broken trust.

Want to keep exploring cognitive biases that impact design teams? Subscribe to the Cognition Catalog newsletter and get a new bias in your inbox every week.

Topics:• 01:57 The Planning Fallacy in Action• 03:54 Understanding the Planning Fallacy• 05:50 Consequences of the Planning Fallacy• 07:30 Strategies to Combat the Planning Fallacy

To explore more about the Bike-Shedding Effect, don’t miss the full article @ cognitioncatalog.com

What if the most powerful skill you could develop as a designer has nothing to do with Figma or AI? In this episode, we explore why writing is the ultimate meta-skill—sharpening your thinking, influencing decisions, and accelerating your career in unexpected ways.

Is writing the most underrated design skill of all time?

We spend a lot of time talking about design skills like prototyping, facilitation, and AI tools. But what if the skill that strengthens all of those is the one designers most often ignore?

In this episode, I sit down with Thijs Kraan, a designer-turned-growth partner, who makes the case that writing is the ultimate meta-skill. For Thijs, writing every day didn’t just sharpen his thinking; it multiplied his impact. From running a 30-day challenge to publishing daily posts, writing became the catalyst for everything else in his career.

We talk about the difference between business writing, expert writing, and copywriting, why clear writing equals clear thinking, and how documentation can protect your career when tough decisions come back months later. We also tackle the elephant in the room: AI. Should you let ChatGPT do your writing, or will that shortcut make you worse in the long run?

Whether you’re trying to influence stakeholders, sharpen your thinking, or just get better at your day-to-day communication, this conversation will show you why writing might just be the most important design skill you haven’t been practicing.

Tune in and see why it’s time to pick up the pen (or keyboard).

Topics:
• 02:45 – The Importance of Writing in UX Design
• 04:19 – Thijs Kron’s Journey: From Web Development to Writing
• 06:05 – The Power of Writing in Design Thinking
• 06:31 – Building a Writing Habit
• 15:06 – Writing as a Meta Skill
• 20:55 – Different Types of Writing for Designers
• 22:33 – The Role of Copywriting in Design
• 24:36 – Writing as a Career Multiplier
• 28:38 – The Impact of AI on Writing
• 30:19 – Balancing AI and Human Thinking
• 31:35 – Personal Experience with AI in Writing
• 32:43 – Effective Uses of AI for Writing
• 34:54 – The Risks of Over-Reliance on AI
• 36:13 – Practical Tips for Writing and Thinking

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Thijs on LinkedIn

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Designers are told to climb ladders and fight for influence, but what’s the cost? Rashmi Lopez shares why she walked away from the corporate chase, how burnout stole her joy, and why community, creativity, and mental health are better markers of success than any leadership title.

What if climbing the ladder to a “seat at the table” comes at the expense of your health, joy, and sense of purpose? Would you still want it?

Corporate design culture pushes us toward one version of success: titles, promotions, and that coveted “seat at the table.” But for many, that seat comes with exhaustion, burnout, and a nagging question—why doesn’t this feel like success?

In this episode, I talk with Rashmi Lopez, a designer who hit that wall, realized the cost, and chose another path. After years of grinding in tech and reaching leadership roles, Rashmi found herself drained and disconnected. A layoff became her turning point, leading her to step back, heal, and refocus on helping small businesses tell their stories with design.

We explore how to rethink career success beyond titles, why boundaries and mental health are non-negotiable, and how community can give you more influence and fulfillment than any corporate ladder. If you’ve ever felt trapped in the cycle of overwork and chasing validation, this conversation will give you permission to define success on your own terms.

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Thanks for listening! We hope you dug today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you really enjoyed today’s episode, why don’t you leave a five-star review? Or tell some friends! It will help us out a ton.

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Estimating design work in hours sets teams up to fail. But story points help designers earn trust, align with product managers, and keep creative space intact. This week, we unpack how adopting story points can shift the way your team plans and communicates.

What if the secret to better collaboration wasn’t a new tool or process, but a number?

For years, UX teams have struggled with estimation. Say something will take ten hours, and suddenly you’re locked into a number that doesn’t account for iteration, alignment, or even creativity. The result? Broken trust and unrealistic expectations.

This week, I chat with Naresh Shan, a design leader who’s built global UX teams and proven that story points, not hours, are the secret to bridging the gap between design, engineering, and product management. By shifting estimation from time to effort, Naresh shows how design teams can protect creativity while building credibility with stakeholders.

We explore what story points are, what it looks like when designers adopt them, why this shared language breaks down silos, and how it transforms team dynamics.

If you’ve ever felt sidelined in sprint planning or struggled to explain your workload, this episode will give you practical ways to earn trust and plan smarter.

Topics:
• 03:02 Understanding Story Points in Agile Teams
• 03:33 Interview with Nhan: The Power of Story Points
• 08:24 The Fibonacci Sequence and Story Points
• 13:20 Challenges and Solutions in Estimating Design Work
• 22:24 Decentralized vs. Centralized Teams
• 32:04 Maintaining Momentum and Team Cohesion
• 35:27 Building Team Unity Through Gratitude
• 35:58 Embracing Change and Leadership
• 36:36 Benefits of Story Points in Design
• 41:22 Implementing Story Points: A Practical Guide
• 46:32 Balancing Design and Management Roles

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Naresh on LinkedIn
• Value UX Conference
• Aligned Podcast
• Aligned Consulting

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Thanks for listening! We hope you dug today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you really enjoyed today’s episode, why don’t you leave a five-star review? Or tell some friends! It will help us out a ton.

If you haven’t already, sign up for our email list. We won’t spam you. Pinky swear.

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We’ve all been there an hour into a meeting and somehow still debating button alignment. In this episode, we unpack the Bikeshedding Effect, why it derails teams, and how to keep your focus where it matters most.

Why do smart teams waste so much time on trivial details while the big, critical decisions gather dust?

If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting wondering how the last hour disappeared into debating something barely worth deciding, you’ve experienced the Bikeshedding Effect. Also known as the Law of Triviality, this bias pushes teams toward the easy-to-understand, low-stakes topics, while the truly strategic ones get sidelined.

In this episode, I share my own war stories from fluorescent-lit conference rooms and design critiques gone off the rails. We look at how Parkinson’s satirical observation about bike shed designs still plays out today—in agile ceremonies, leadership meetings, and design reviews. It’s not laziness, it’s our natural pull toward comfort and away from complexity.

You’ll learn how to spot the signs, structure meetings to avoid the trap, and shift your team’s culture toward tackling the work that actually moves the needle. Whether you’re leading a project or just trying to survive another round of pixel debates, this one’s for you.

Topics:
• 01:54 – Personal Anecdote
• 03:44 – Understanding the Bike Shedding Effect
• 07:02 – Combating the Bike Shedding Effect

To explore more about the Bike-Shedding Effect, don’t miss the full article @ cognitioncatalog.com