The UX Level-Up

085 - Teams that OOUX: Saving Time while Tackling Wildly Complex Product Design with Kayla Ferris and Ryan Young

Ryan Young and Kayla Ferris are Certified OOUX Strategists and UX leaders at P3+Uplift, an IT consulting firm based in Des Moines, Iowa. Ryan serves as Senior Director of Product and Design, while Kayla is a UX and Product Designer and mentor for the OOUX Certification Program. In this episode of the UX Level-Up Podcast, Sophia talks with Ryan and Kayla about how OOUX became P3’s “test-driven design” process, why it helps them ramp up on complex projects at lightning speed, and how mapping objects with clients—even those with PhDs in microbiology—turns confusion into clarity. They also share real stories of saving weeks of rework and being told they knew more about their clients’ businesses than ten-year veterans. LINKS: A List Apart: Object-Oriented UX — https://alistapart.com/article/object-oriented-ux/ [https://alistapart.com/article/object-oriented-ux/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Learn more about OOUX Certification — https://ooux.com/certification [https://ooux.com/certification] Continue the conversation on the OOUX Forum! [https://forum.ooux.com/posts/teams-that-ooux-saving-time-while-tackling-wildly-complex-product-design-with-kayla-ferris-and-ryan-young]

084 - (ORCA Series #14) - Relationship Representation: Connect Your Objects, Connect Your Teams with Allie Ofisher

Allie Ofisher is a UX designer and consultant with deep roots in systems thinking, visual design, and user research. She’s worked with countless teams to help them understand what they’re building, why they’re building it, and how to bring clarity to complex products using OOUX. As the lead steward of the Representation Round at OOUX, Allie brings her sharp visual eye and her obsession with relationships, context, and user mental models to everything she touches.In this episode of the UX Level Up Podcast, Sophia and Allie dig into Relationship Representation—how to avoid isolated objects, why contextual navigation matters more than top-down menus, and how Nested Object Matrixes (NOM) unlock innovation, break down silos, and transform collaboration with product owners and developers. They explore how disconnected UI patterns often point to deeper organizational issues, how research questions reveal real user needs, and how OOUX gives teams a shared language for designing systems that actually think the way users think. LINKS: Check out Allie's website [https://www.allieofisher.com] Connect with Allie on LinkedIn [⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/allieofisher⁠⁠] Catch up on episodes of OOUX We did it Again [⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OOUXwediditagain⁠] The Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass 3.0 is coming soon! Join the waitlist now [https://www.ooux.com/spmcwaitlist] for a black Friday surprise! Continue the conversation on the OOUX Forum! [https://forum.ooux.com/posts/orca-series-14-relationship-representation-connect-your-objects-connect-your-teams-with-allie-ofisher]

083 - (ORCA Series #13) - If Users Can’t Name It, They Can’t Value It - With Allie Ofisher

Allie Ofisher has worked as a UX consultant across AgTech and nonprofit product spaces, teaches the OOUX Representation Round in Foundations, and co-hosts the YouTube series “OOUX: We Did It Again.” In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Allie talk about using OOUX since 2020 to navigate the trickiest projects, why designing against the four UX “fails” (especially masked objects) helps teams onboard and audit existing products quickly, and how reverse-engineering Representation first—with intentional choices in shapes, labels, and attributes—keeps designs clear and resilient. LINKS: Allie Ofisher https://www.allieofisher.com/ [https://www.allieofisher.com/]• Connect with Allie Ofisher on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allieofisher [https://www.linkedin.com/in/allieofisher]• OOUX We did it Again https://www.youtube.com/@OOUXwediditagain [https://www.youtube.com/@OOUXwediditagain] Continue the conversation on the OOUX Forum! [https://forum.ooux.com/posts/orca-series-13-if-users-cant-name-it-they-cant-value-it-with-allie-ofisher]

082 - (ORCA Series #12) - Building Trust Through Attributes - Attribute Prioritization With Jake Zukowski

In this 12th installment of the ORCA Series, Jake Z is back to wrap up the Prioritization Round with Attribute Prioritization. In this episode we discuss content clashes, marketing demands, and how to align across teams when everyone wants their data front and center. LINKS: Check out Jake's previous appearances on the UX Level Up Podcast: 079 - ORCA Series #11 - CTA Prioritization [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5aplDitPbC7TKO7CYO85dV?si=EPxmz8q9RqWpV4ytM156FQ] 077 - ORCA Series #10 - Relationship Prioritization [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5iXDJr5YyO2iKRoCertSxM?si=wGjGCAM9RF6QbePjSV7iXQ] 038 - OOUX at Hello Fresh with Jake Zukowski [https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/bKm8SJvDYyb] Join the waitlist for the Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass 3.0! [https://www.ooux.com/spmcwaitlist] Continue the conversation on the OOUX Forum! [In this 12th installment of the ORCA Series, Jake Z is back to wrap up the Prioritization Round with Attribute Prioritization. In this episode we discuss content clashes, marketing demands, and how to align across teams when everyone wants their data front and center. LINKS: Check out Jake's previous appearances on the UX Level Up Podcast: ⁠079 - ORCA Series #11 - CTA Prioritization⁠ ⁠077 - ORCA Series #10 - Relationship Prioritization⁠ ⁠038 - OOUX at Hello Fresh with Jake Zukowski⁠ ⁠Join the waitlist for the Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass 3.0!⁠]

081 - UX That Ships - Better Project Launches Using OOUX with Philippe Fara

After leading a major gov site launch, Philippe Fara is back to share how OOUX helped him deliver better outcomes with less chaos. From mastering the ORCA Process to mentoring others, he spills the tea on scaling UX strategy, building confidence, and making complexity intuitive. OOUX LINKS: Check out Philippe's last appearance on the UX Level-Up Podcast! [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6AVGZ5sE2vZIfNC2YZ6P6i?si=9c79413398fe4302] Admire Philippe's work on Renfrewshire.gov.uk [https://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/] Join the waitlist for the Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass! [https://www.ooux.com/spmcwaitlist] Continue the conversation on the OOUX Forum! [https://forum.ooux.com/posts/ux-that-ships-better-project-launches-using-ooux-with-philippe-fara]