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Tent Talks by Chicago CampsAuthor: Chicago Camps
Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anywayIf its a cool idea, wed love to hear about it and share it! What is a Tent Talk? Thats a great question, wed love to tell you. Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded formatwe like to think of them as Smores-sized content because thats pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anythingwe dont want to limit ourselves, or you. Language: en Genres: Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Tent Talks Featuring: Tyler Quackenbush
Episode 60
Sunday, 13 April, 2025
From UX to PM—How the Transition Happened: Transitioned into project management organically when the former PM left—Tyler was already exploring Agile and had strong team relationships.Leaned into a design mindset to lead—asking questions, listening, finding patterns, and breaking down complexity.Learned the value of not needing all the answers—collaboration beats solo problem-solving.Project management, to him, is about creating conditions for great work, not controlling outcomes.Making Agile Work for Designers:Tyler’s team was already working in a design-forward agile way from the start, often encouraging devs to adopt more iterative practices, not the other way around.Practice of “sharing before we’re ready” allows for earlier feedback and keeps iteration alive.Involve design early—in sprint planning and backlog refinement—to avoid isolation.Work slightly ahead of development to maintain flow without sacrificing quality.Breaking Away from Waterfall:Made iteration non-negotiable by building habits like early sharing.Celebrated small wins instead of waiting for one big reveal.Iteration encourages shared ownership and cross-functional collaboration.Shifting from Waterfall isn’t a one-time change—it’s about consistent small practices that reinforce flexibility.Keeping Creativity Alive in Fast Iterations:Creativity isn’t the job of one person—it thrives when shared across the team.Feedback and spontaneous working sessions fuel idea generation.Non-designers bring fresh perspectives that enhance creative problem-solving.A culture of openness and collaboration keeps creativity from getting lost in speed.Design Mindset in PM Work:Leading like a designer means simplifying, listening, and focusing on clarity.Project management is about creating space for good work, not just managing timelines.Recognizing when complexity is self-imposed—and stepping back to clarify the real problem.Two core leadership principles: “share before we’re ready” and “everyone contributes to the solution.”Notable Quotes“I still think like a designer because I still am a designer.”“Project management is about creating the conditions for collaboration and momentum.”“Share before we’re ready—that vulnerability is a strength.”“Iteration isn’t a process change, it’s a mindset shift.”“Creativity doesn’t live in isolation—it thrives in transparency and collaboration.”“Everyone on the team, regardless of title, has a role in getting us to the right solution.”Reference MaterialsAgile methodologies (Scrum, sprint planning, backlog refinement)Design thinking principlesUX research and collaboration practices About Tent TalksChicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!
