Insights from Nebo

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing the new blockbuster hit, based on the book of the same name, Project Hail Mary. The movie starred Ryan Gosling as Grace and a fantastic alien named Rocky. I heard good things going in, but it still managed to exceed my expectations. The premise was fascinating, and the filmmakers did an amazing job with the script and cinematography. Gosling, in particular, deserves a ton of credit for anchoring such an emotionally demanding role while still bringing moments of levity along the way.

In the ever-changing world of product design, roles across teams are starting to shift and blend. User experience designers are helping more with Product Requirement Documents (PRDs), product managers are building MVPs in Lovable or Figma Make, and almost everyone is a certified engineer now. In this new environment, being an exceptional designer is no longer defined by how well you can use Figma to create pixel perfect products. It’s about how well you think like a strategist.

I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. I’ve been a UX designer at a 400,000+ person corporation, where the product team alone was 250+ members. It was easy to feel like a small cog in a massive machine. At Nebo, I collaborate with folks from every team involved in each project, including our client. The difference isn’t just the headcount, it’s the proximity to the “why.” 

The wheel.

Sliced bread.

Heated Rivalry.

Very few inventions in human history have had the same monumental impact as Artificial Intelligence. What started out as the stuff of science fiction (who could shake the chilling “I’m sorry I can’t do that, David”?) has rapidly become a staple in our everyday lives. 

College graduation. Society tells us it’s one of the most exciting times in a young person’s life. What’s not to be excited about? Never having to worry about homework again (okay, almost never) and finally getting to enjoy being an adult on your own terms is pretty awesome, right? But as most graduates can tell you, there’s also that sinking realization that, yup, now you have to find a full-time job. 

Let’s time-travel.

The year is 2005. I awake to the sound of My Chemical Romance playing from my iPod alarm clock. I roll out of bed, straighten my hair, and put on all my Hot Topic favs before grabbing a Gogurt and walking to the bus stop. 

The truth is, I’m kind of miserable.

An awkward, insecure kid so deep in the closet that I don’t even realize it. This is the year I decide to start watching the news, and the only break from the Iraq War is…Hurricane Katrina. It’s not a great time!

There’s an old saying in our industry: “Marketers plan. God laughs.” Okay, if it’s not a saying, it should be. 

In many ways, marketing has always been a game of chance. We pore over spreadsheets, deploy our ever-growing arsenal of “disruptive” tech, and triple-check against audience personas. Then, we cross our fingers that everything pays off as planned. But these days, there’s too much at stake to rely on hope as a strategy.