Best Ixd Podcasts (2024)

1
Jodi Forlizzi on Designing With AI 46:00

2d ago46:00

46:00

Jodi Forlizzi is the Herbert A. Simon Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Forlizzi has a distinguished career as a service designer, researcher, design leader, and academic. In this conversation, we discuss the changing role of design in the face of disruptive new technologies…

101
A heartfelt update from James and Per ❤️ 2:29

5d ago2:29

2:29

This is an update to let you know that we are delaying the start of season 3 as Per is soon to have a heart operation. We’re aiming now to start Season 3 in the new year, once Per has recovered. Per is currently in preparations to undergo open-heart surgery in about a month’s time, which will also require a few months of rehabilitation. The operati…

1
Greg Petroff on the State of Design 41:35

16d ago41:35

41:35

Greg Petroff is a renowned executive design leader. He’s built and led design teams for companies like GE, Google, Compass, and Cisco. In this conversation, we discuss the state of design and how designers can have more relevance in today’s changing environment. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/07/28/episode-145-greg-petroff/…

1
Colin Eagan and Jeffrey McIntyre on Personalization 43:38

30d ago43:38

43:38

My guests today are Colin Eagan and Jeffrey MacIntyre. Although they work for different companies, Colin and Jeffrey share a common focus: how information technologies might offer more personalized experiences. They co-authored an article on the subject for A List Apart and Jeffrey gave an excellent presentation based on that material at this year’…

1
Harry Max on Prioritization 46:13

1M ago46:13

46:13

Harry Max is an executive player coach with a long trajectory in Silicon Valley. Through his consultancy, he helps senior leaders and their teams realize their visions by zeroing in on pragmatic solutions to complex challenges. And on that note, Harry’s written a new book, called Managing Priorities, that teaches leaders how to do just that. You ca…

1
Stéphanie Walter on Neurospicy 39:43

2M ago39:43

39:43

Stéphanie Walter is a UX researcher and designer based in Luxembourg. She’s prolific in sharing useful information via social media and her newsletter. Recently, she co-founded a new project, called Neurospicy, to bring more awareness to issues of neurodiversity in design. Neurospicy has evolved since we recorded this conversation, but as you’ll he…

1
Season 3 update from James and Per 2:23

2M ago2:23

2:23

This is an update to let you know that we have reached the end of Season 2, a sensible 10-month season this time rather than more than 10 years! It’s time for us to take a short break before we kick off Season 3 on August 9th. We are already busy with planning the episodes for the next season – which includes content recorded at From Business To Bu…

1
Rachel Price on Responsible AI 41:56

2M ago41:56

41:56

Rachel Price is a Principal Information Architect at Microsoft and teaches Information Architecture at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. She was a guest on The Informed Life in 2019, discussing the role of structure in improvisation. Today’s conversation focuses on a subject that’s on a lot of information architects’ minds: how to responsib…

1
Interviewing users with Steve Portigal 39:25

3M ago39:25

39:25

S02E18 (#328). Over ten years have passed since the first edition of Steve Portigal’s legendary book Interviewing Users was released. Together with Steve, we reflect on how user research has evolved during the past decade, and how the importance of user research in order to understand people and their needs is still crucial. We discuss in-house vs …

1
Emily Campbell on The Shape of AI 38:05

3M ago38:05

38:05

Emily Campbell is a design leader and advisor. She brings thoughtfulness and depth to producing business results through design and helping designers develop their careers as they fulfill that mission. Like me, Emily is deeply interested in AI. She’s developing an emergent pattern language for working with AI, and that is the subject of our convers…

1
The President of Iceland 40:15

3M ago40:15

40:15

S02E17 (#327). A linkshow. James and Per discuss two articles they’ve stumbled on. This time we feature articles about how certain features of e-commerce sites have to go, and how a design mistake impacted civic engagement in Iceland. Article one is The lazy load, endless scroll, and color slicing have to go by Bethany Sadler-Jasmin. “UX Designers …

1
Chris Aldrich on Cybernetic Communications 48:22

3M ago48:22

48:22

Chris Aldrich has the most multi-disciplinary resume I’ve ever seen, with a background that includes biomedics, electrical engineering, entertainment, genetics, theoretical mathematics, and more. Chris describes himself as a modern-day cybernetician, and in this conversation we discuss cybernetics and communications, differences between oral and li…

1
Strategic impact with Nathan Shedroff 33:28

3M ago33:28

33:28

S02E16 (#326). Nathan Shedroff, author of A Whole New Strategy, talks to us about how we as designers can have strategic impact. Through an expanded understanding of the context you are working within, and building both situational and operational awareness, we can bridge the gap between design and business. We look at how some of the “special skil…

1
Dave Gray on Possibilities 42:35

4M ago42:35

42:35

Dave Gray describes himself as a possibilitarian. He focuses on helping people and teams realize their creative potential. Dave the author of several influential books, including Liminal Thinking and Gamestorming, which he co-authored with Sunni Brown and James Macanudo. He also founded the pioneering visual thinking company XPLANE. In this convers…

1
The rule of three with Ellen Lupton 31:22

4M ago31:22

31:22

S02E15 (#325). Ellen Lupton, designer, educator and author, helps us stock up our toolbox of design principles and methods, starting off with storytelling in visual design, and the “rule of three” before we move on to linear and non-linear experiences. Will we follow the rule of three and have a third topic? We talk about IKEA and The Wizard of Oz,…

1
Nikki Anderson on Research Impact 31:51

4M ago31:51

31:51

Nikki Anderson is an independent user research consultant, instructor, author, and speaker. Nikki uses her background in education and psychology to mentor people and organizations on the value of user research. And now, she’s written a book to help them build up their research operations. That’s the focus of our conversation today. Show notes Nikk…

1
Sketching workshop with Eva-Lotta Lamm 58:39

4M ago58:39

58:39

S02E14 (#324). A slightly different episode to usual. Eva-Lotta Lamm joins us to hold a visual thinking sketching workshop – Eva-Lotta, James and Per have fun going through three sketching exercises set by Eva-Lotta that can help you with your creativity, team-building, visual thinking and much more. Grab some pens, and perhaps even a couple of col…

1
Michael Anton Dila on Oslo for AI 48:55

5M ago48:55

48:55

Michael Anton Dila describes himself as a “designer of conversation” and someone with a passion for starting things. Among the things he’s started are ventures in online learning, co-working, and mobile technology. He’s also held several leadership roles in an elite innovation unit in the U.S. Department of Defense. In this conversation, we discuss…

1
Change leadership with Maria Giudice 42:51

5M ago42:51

42:51

S02E13 (#323). We are in the age of design-driven change. Maria Giudice joins us to talk about being changemakers – How we can design change in a complex world. We start by looking at the history of change management and how we are now firmly in the age of design-driven change and that requires change leadership. We look at change making and unders…

1
Dave Elfving on Gray Area 37:11

5M ago37:11

37:11

Dave Elfving is an experience designer and educator. He spent eleven years at apple, where his last role was as Head of Interactive Strategy. These days, he’s my colleague teaching interaction design at the California College of the Arts. He’s also co-chairperson at Gray Area, a San Francisco-based nonprofit interdisciplinary cultural incubator. Gr…

1
The right question with Meena Kothandaraman 32:50

6M ago32:50

32:50

S02E12 (#322). Asking the right question and wanting to get a good response. How do we handle that as researchers? Meena Kothandaraman joins us to talk about our curiosity as researchers, the different lenses of inquiry we can apply from exploratory to validation. We talk as well about being curious and the skill of getting people to articulate the…

1
Joey deVilla on Layoffs 35:53

6M ago35:53

35:53

Joey deVilla describes himself as an experienced, engaging, accordion-playing, golden-voiced developer advocate looking for a new role. He’s had a long career in the technology space and writes about his experiences in two long-running blogs, The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the Twenty-First Century and Global Nerdy. Recently, Joey became one of …

1
Building trust in AI with Carol Smith 35:26

6M ago35:26

35:26

S02E11 (#321). How do we know when to trust a system? Carol Smith leads the Trust Lab team at Carnagie Mellon Universty, where they conduct research into making trustworthy, human centered, and responsible AI systems. Our conversation highlights the importance of guardrails and ethical considerations in AI development, as well as to ask the right q…

1
Elizabeth McGuane on Design by Definition 34:14

6M ago34:14

34:14

Elizabeth McGuane is a UX director at Shopify and the author of Design by Definition, a book about the impact of language in user experience. As you might imagine, that’s a subject I’m keenly interested in, so I was excited to speak with Elizabeth about it. Show notes Elizabeth McGuane - LinkedIn Elizabeth McGuane – Medium Design by Definition by E…

1
Digital Ownership with David Dylan Thomas 47:53

6M ago47:53

47:53

S02E10 (#320). What does it mean to own something? We talk with David about the concept of ownership, going beyond the legal definition and into the wider concept of ownership and how digital artefacts lead us to re-think and re-evaluate some of the concepts that we have previously relied on. We talk about copyright, creative... The post Digital Ow…

1
Pierluigi Dalla Rosa on Interactive Environments 43:11

7M ago43:11

43:11

Pierluigi Dalla Rosa is an interaction designer at Humane, the makers of the AI Pin. But that isn’t the focus of our conversation today. Instead, we discuss novel computer interfaces in general, and interactive environments in particular. This is a subject that’s near to my heart, as it points to exciting possibilities for future digital experience…

1
Experience strategy 27:23

7M ago27:23

27:23

S02E09 (#319). A linkshow. James and Per discuss two articles that have caught their attention. The articles in this episode are about pragmatic discovery; delivering value to projects, and how UX Strategy should focus on, understand, and design, across all touchpoints, for the users – Experience strategy. Article one is Don’t get stuck in discover…

1
Nathan Shedroff on Strategy 43:19

7M ago43:19

43:19

Nathan Shedroff is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and educator. Like me, he teaches at the graduate interaction design program of the California College of the Arts. This conversation focuses on his new book, A Whole New Strategy, which teaches strategic thinking. Show notes Nathan Shedroff Design Strategy MBA - CCA A Whole New Strategy by Natha…

1
Lost history with Zoë Rose 47:07

7M ago47:07

47:07

S02E08 (#318). Zoë has been researching the history of some of the creative thinking methodologies we use as designers. In this episode she takes on a journey back to the origins of brainstorming, the double diamond, and design thinking. It turns out that the origins, and even the criticisms, of these methodologies go back further... The post Lost …

1
2023 Year in Review 1:10:04

8M ago1:10:04

1:10:04

This episode is a compilation of conversations from 2023. It’s not meant as a best-of collection, but an opportunity to highlight some themes that emerged during our conversations throughout the year. The episode is also an experiment, with the themes being curated partly by an AI. Cover photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash. Show notes Episode 107:…

1
Steve Portigal on Writing, part 2 37:07

8M ago37:07

37:07

Steve Portigal is an independent user research consultant. He is the author of Interviewing Users and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries. Steve and I both have new books, so we thought it’d be fun to compare notes on writing non-fiction. In this, the second of two episodes on the subject, we focus on the process of writing. If you haven’t done s…

1
Steve Portigal on Writing, part 1 39:03

8M ago39:03

39:03

Steve Portigal is an independent user research consultant. He is the author of Interviewing Users and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries. Steve was previously on the show last year, talking about research skills. This conversation is a bit different: both of us have written new books, and we thought it’d be fun to compare notes about the process…

1
Audrey Crane on Shadow Design 36:29

9M ago36:29

36:29

Audrey Crane is the Head of Growth at DesignMap, a product and strategy design firm. She’s also the author of What CEOs Need to Know About Design, a book that helps leaders understand and tap into the power of design in their organizations. In this, Audrey’s second appearance on the show, we focused on how organizations can ensure they’re getting t…

1
Hidden dilemmas 31:05

9M ago31:05

31:05

S02E07 (#317). A slightly different linkshow featuring two articles, one by James and one by Per. The articles in this episode are about how the experience of a delayed flight highlights the wider impact of poor service design, and how the way in which you type can reveal who you are. Article one is Final... The post Hidden dilemmas appeared first …

1
Nate Davis on IA Sub-disciplines 35:41

9M ago35:41

35:41

Nate Davis is an independent information architecture consultant and a longtime contributor to the global IA community. In this conversation, we discuss his ideas about IA sub-disciplines that influence the construction of digital user interfaces. Show notes Nathaniel Davis - LinkedIn Methodbrain Four Information Architecture Disciplines Every Team…

1
Karl Voit on Org Mode 41:36

10M ago41:36

41:36

Karl Voit describes himself as “a life hacker trying to make deliberate decisions on every aspect of life.” Among these are the tools he uses to manage his personal information. In particular, Karl is an avid user of Org Mode in Emacs, which is the focus of this conversation. Show notes public voit - Homepage of Karl Voit Karl Voit on Mastodon (@pu…

1
Designer accountability with Kim Goodwin 39:29

10M ago39:29

39:29

S02E06 (#316). Reflections and Lessons from heathcare design. Kim Goodwin has spent many years working within the healthcare industry. We discuss design principles used in healthcare and how they are transferrable across industries, as well as how designers should be more accountable. We also talk about enterprise design, traceability, accountabili…

1
Karl Fast on Reading 43:21

10M ago43:21

43:21

Karl Fast is an independent scholar, information architect, and futurist. He’s the co-author with Stephen Anderson of Figure It Out: Getting From Information to Understanding. Karl is one of the most avid readers I know, and in this conversation, we compare our reading practices. We discussed this subject in preparation for a personal knowledge man…

1
Presenting design work with Ben Sauer 44:55

10M ago44:55

44:55

S02E05 (#315). Death by screens. Presenting high stakes design work with Ben Sauer. We talk about how presenting is an experience that needs to be designed, and we discuss some of the ways in which you can approach crafting a presentation experience and become better at communicating your design work. As we have moved from... The post Presenting de…

1
Jenae Cohn on Design for Learning 37:00

11M ago37:00

37:00

Jenae Cohn is the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley. Along with Michael Greer, Jenae recently published Design for Learning, a book about how to teach better using technology, and what online teachers and instructors can learn from UX designers. Show notes Jenae Cohn Jenae Cohn, PhD - LinkedIn Design for Lear…

1
Make it more so with Chris Noessel and Nathan Shedroff 52:53

11M ago52:53

52:53

S02E04 (#314). Sci-fi and AI. Over a decade on from our first chat with Chris and Nathan, after the publishing of their book Make It So – Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction, Per and James found themselves with the opportunity at UXLx to talk to Chris and Nathan again. Our conversation starts with AI... The post Make it more so with Chr…

1
Sönke Ahrens on Smart Notes 44:33

11M ago44:33

44:33

Sönke Ahrens is an independent researcher and coach. He is best known as the author of How to Take Smart Notes, a popular book on the zettelkasten method of note-taking. In this conversation, we discuss the role of notes in thinking and learning, with a focus on zettelkasten-inspired note-taking. Show notes Sönke Ahrens How to Take Smart Notes by S…

1
Frugal computing 42:21

11M ago42:21

42:21

S02E03 (#313). A linkshow featuring two articles that have grabbed James and Per’s attention. The articles in this episode are about the need for low-carbon and sustainable computing and CSS media features that can be used for detecting user preferences and creating more inclusive experiences. Article one is Frugal computing: developer perspective …

1
Chiara Ogan on Personal Libraries 42:15

12M ago42:15

42:15

Chiara Ogan is a former UX designer and information architect. She recently left that career to become a mental health therapist. Chiara’s background is in library science, and in this conversation, we discuss how she organizes her personal book collection — which she just did in preparation for this major life change. Show notes Chiara Ogan Chiara…

1
Get the words to work with Torrey Podmajersky 38:43

12M ago38:43

38:43

S02E02 (#312). Torrey Podmajersky, author of Strategic Writing for UX, joined us to help us get the words to work. Together with Torrey we highlight the importance of giving our work context as well as establishing a shared vocabulary. We also talk reflect about how the focus on graphical design comes a the expense of... The post Get the words to w…

1
Alex Wright on Informatica 40:41

1y ago40:41

40:41

Alex Wright is the Head of User Experience at Google News. He’s also an author, and his most recent book, Informatica, is the second edition of Glut, his deep history of the information age. In this conversation, we discuss the history of information technologies and why learning about it matters to people who work in tech. Show notes Alex Wright A…

1
The leader’s journey with Donna Lichaw 45:13

1y ago45:13

45:13

S02E01 (#311). Donna Lichaw takes us on another enthrawling journey in our latest podcast interview with her. This time Donna helps us understand the value of finding out your superpower and becoming a superhero. What’s all that got to do with leadership? Listen along and find out. We discuss how there is so much expectation... The post The leader’…

1
Aidan Helfant on PKM for Learning 35:21

1y ago35:21

35:21

Aidan Helfant is a college student who’s using personal knowledge management (PKM) to improve his learning. He’s also sharing his methods and tools to help other college students succeed. In this conversation, we unpack Aidan’s approach to note-taking for learning. Show notes Aidan Helfant Aidan Helfant - YouTube Aidan’s newsletter Aidan’s blog Aid…

1
Maggie Appleton on Digital Gardening 37:59

1y ago37:59

37:59

Maggie Appleton is a product designer at Ought, an AI research lab that’s working on ways to scale open-ended thinking with machine learning. She’s also an advocate of sharing personal knowledge online. She publishes one of the best digital gardens I’ve seen, located at maggieappleton.com. In this conversation, we discuss the what, why, and how of …

1
Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 2 48:56

1y ago48:56

48:56

Bob Kasenchak is a taxonomist and information architect at Factor. This is the second of two episodes with Bob that focus on what information architects can learn from music. The first conversation, which you can find in episode 116, focused on the structure of music itself. Today’s conversation focuses on how we can make music more findable — but …

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