Welcome to episode #72 We’re thrilled to be joined by Will Soward today. Will works creatively in a diverse field of digital media. He's invested in making online education more accessible for neurodiverse learners and the Web a better place to learn. Will talks about UX and accessible UI design with communities in the design and education space. He has 7 years as a UX designer under his belt, 12 years as an adult educator, and 20 years designing and coding front-end. Will is currently the Lead UX/LX Designer for Tait Communications in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Welcome to the show Will! Questions JN: Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? When did you realise that you weren’t neurotypical? Dyslexia 11 ADHD adult What challenges did you face? Masking - asking questions Academic - Rote learning Sit still and listen Speaking What changes have come post diagnosis? Context: why does it matter? More acceptance - stoicism - out of my control Environmental changes - clutter, to do lists What challenges do you still face now? Rabbitholes during meeting Interrupting solutionising What neuroexceptional strengths are you leaning into now? Jump ahead to solve problems quickly Creativity Hyperfocus JC: What "work" projects are you concentrating on? Tait - accessibility design Online learning - development + design Make it better for ND adults JN: How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time? Renovating house (last 8 yrs) Martial arts - forced calm and focus - karate -> taekwando -> BJJ -> muay thai JC: Productivity tips What do you do to optimise productivity during your working hours? Philosophy: stoicism Breathing: calming Flywheel to build up motivation Lists Key priorities for the week Reprioritise Alarm 30 minutes before need to leave What is some unhelpful productivity advice that doesn’t work for you? Eat that frog BREAK JC: What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time? Reprioritise list JC: How is your sleep? How do you switch off at night? Finish in evening at 5pm to make space for relationship - shut laptop JN: Where can people connect with you or find your work? Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willsoward/ Website: https://willsoward.com/ JC: Do you have any final words or asks for our audience? Learn more about neurodiversity More from Focus Bear: Website: https://focusbear.io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-bear/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@focusbearapp Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusbear1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focus_bear/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/focusbearapp/ Podcast: https://podcast.focusbear.io Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@focusbear Connect with Jeremy: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nageljeremy Email:
[email protected] Connect with Joey: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeycorea/ Newsletter: https://thepluckyjester.com/newsletter/
