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#10 Why Most Startups Fail & What UX Leaders Need to Fix with Mark Swaine (featured on Better Tech Leadership)
Manage episode 497053919 series 3271517
On this special episode, your usual host Mark Swaine, sits down as a guest on the Better Tech Leadership podcast to unpack some of the biggest shifts happening at the intersection of UX, product, and AI.
"Building software today isn’t hard — what’s hard is building the right thing, in the right way, at the right time." – Mark Swaine
Drawing from his years leading UX and product across SaaS, VC, and fintech, Mark offers a front-row view into the critical patterns he sees in early-stage startups — and how many of them are sleepwalking into avoidable mistakes.
This is a candid, insight-packed conversation for anyone working in product, UX, or early-stage tech.
· Learn why most startups have to "rebuild" after launch — and how better UX thinking upfront can save years of technical debt and budget waste.
· Understand the real role of UX in venture capital — and how Mark uses his product lens to evaluate whether a startup has what it takes.
· Discover why the future of design isn’t in pixels — it’s in prompts, strategy, and systems. Mark shares how AI is shifting the designer’s job from flow builder to strategic director.
· Hear what founders get wrong about AI — especially the common trap of confusing automation for true generative value.
· Get practical advice on building smarter roadmaps, aligning teams, and avoiding the trap of enterprise sales cycles that strangle growth.
· Explore what Ireland’s startup ecosystem needs next — and the urgent opportunities we’re missing to stay globally competitive.
Whether you’re a UX leader, founder, or future product director, this episode will change how you think about the road from design to delivery — and the mindset needed to lead through uncertainty.
Connect with Mark Swaine:
UX Institute: https://uxinstitute.com/
Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy
This episode was originally recorded on the Better Tech Leadership podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0M4r4dUW4tzN8L9FjNgvrK
The UX Institute Podcast is produced in partnership with Podlad.com
UXI (UX Institute) Original Podcast 2024.
www.uxinstitute.com
11 episodes
Manage episode 497053919 series 3271517
On this special episode, your usual host Mark Swaine, sits down as a guest on the Better Tech Leadership podcast to unpack some of the biggest shifts happening at the intersection of UX, product, and AI.
"Building software today isn’t hard — what’s hard is building the right thing, in the right way, at the right time." – Mark Swaine
Drawing from his years leading UX and product across SaaS, VC, and fintech, Mark offers a front-row view into the critical patterns he sees in early-stage startups — and how many of them are sleepwalking into avoidable mistakes.
This is a candid, insight-packed conversation for anyone working in product, UX, or early-stage tech.
· Learn why most startups have to "rebuild" after launch — and how better UX thinking upfront can save years of technical debt and budget waste.
· Understand the real role of UX in venture capital — and how Mark uses his product lens to evaluate whether a startup has what it takes.
· Discover why the future of design isn’t in pixels — it’s in prompts, strategy, and systems. Mark shares how AI is shifting the designer’s job from flow builder to strategic director.
· Hear what founders get wrong about AI — especially the common trap of confusing automation for true generative value.
· Get practical advice on building smarter roadmaps, aligning teams, and avoiding the trap of enterprise sales cycles that strangle growth.
· Explore what Ireland’s startup ecosystem needs next — and the urgent opportunities we’re missing to stay globally competitive.
Whether you’re a UX leader, founder, or future product director, this episode will change how you think about the road from design to delivery — and the mindset needed to lead through uncertainty.
Connect with Mark Swaine:
UX Institute: https://uxinstitute.com/
Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy
This episode was originally recorded on the Better Tech Leadership podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0M4r4dUW4tzN8L9FjNgvrK
The UX Institute Podcast is produced in partnership with Podlad.com
UXI (UX Institute) Original Podcast 2024.
www.uxinstitute.com
11 episodes
All episodes
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