007 - Design Fundamentals, Should Designers Code, and Accessibility with Mike Mai of Pega

Today, I’m talking to Mike Mai.-Mike is currently the principal UI designer at Pegasystems primarily working on design systems. He started out with a strong design background, graduating with a BFA in Graphic Design at Massachusetts College of Art. There, he learned all the design fundamentals that helped him become the accomplished designer he is today.-Last spring, he was my mentor when I was a Design Intern on his team at Pega. And if you’ve checked out the thumbnail of this episode, you know this is gonna be a fun one. And can I just say: Mike is a designer with personality and swag, no kidding. We talked about his epic senior design project at MassArt, the importance of code to designers, accessibility, and so much more. I was really excited about this one, and it sure did not disappoint. So without further ado, here’s my conversation with Mike Mai.===Highlights⭐ The three fundamentals of design⭐ Mike’s senior design project (epic)⭐ Should designers code at all⭐ How to get started with coding as a designer⭐ Importance of accessibility in design===Links🔗 Heydon Pickering🔗 Adam Argyle🔗 Stephanie Eckles🔗 Mike’s article “Case for Respect”🔗 Adrian Roselli===Not Just Pixels is a student-led UX Design podcast that strives to help you grow as a designer and get that next design internship or job. This is the podcast I wished I had as a design student, and I hope you’ll get something valuable from this show.===Have a great day! :)