Design Better

Rewind: Sara Seager: Astrophysicist pushing the boundaries of collaboration while discovering exoplanets

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Find full show notes, bonus content and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/rewind-sara-seager It’s a holiday week—happy 4th o...

Carissa Carter and Scott Doorley: Assembling Tomorrow

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Find show notes, transcripts, and bonus content on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/carissa-carter-scott-doorley Most of us are too bus...

Celene Aubry: 100+ years of designing for legendary musicians at Hatch Show Print

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Get access to the full episode on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/celene-aubry Back in 2010, Aarron visited Hatch Show Print, a small ...

Special Episode: "Say More" Feed Drop from The Boston Globe with guest Cal Newport

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hey, everybody. We're sharing something special today from our pals over at the Say More podcast, where in a special series, Boston Globe columnist Sh...

Hillary Coe: Emmy Award-winning designer, certified commercial pilot, astronaut candidate, and drag-racing record holder on designing for SpaceX and Vast

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Visit our Substack for a video of the live interview, transcript, and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/hillary-coe This is our 100th episode of...

Bonus: AI and the Creative Process

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Generative AI is finding its way into the tools and processes that power creative work. Exciting? Terrifying? Maybe a little of both. Adobe has been n...

Ben Clymer: Hodinkee founder on watch design and creating a compelling content brand

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Get access to the full episode on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/ben-clymer Aarron fell down a rabbit hole when the Apple Watch came ...

Natsai Audrey Chieza: Designing with biology

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

View show notes, transcript, and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/natsai-audrey-chieza Steve Jobs perfectly described the creat...

Pablo Stanley: A creative force of nature on the importance persistence and hustle

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Get access to the full episode, show notes, transcript and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/pablo-stanley Pablo Stanley’s cre...

Tasha Golden: Avoiding burnout while pursuing creativity with passion

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Find full show notes, transcript, and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/tasha-golden As designers and creatives, we often find o...

Jonathan Adler: Famed potter and designer on bringing creativity into all aspects of life

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Visit our Substack to get access to the full show: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jonathan-adler We’ve admired Jonathan Adler’s work for a long...

Making Design Better—better—with weekly episodes, an enhanced newsletter, and more

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tldr; We’re transitioning to weekly episode releases, publishing an enhanced newsletter, and simplifying our premium subscription which will now be...

Brian Tyler, composer for Yellowstone, Crazy Rich Asians, Mario Brothers, and more, on his creative process

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Find the transcript, full show notes, and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/brian-tyler Our conversation today takes us further ...

Bonus: Eric Snowden, Head of Adobe Design, on AI + Design

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Find the transcript, show notes, and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/eric-snowden Adobe has been the big wrench in our creativ...

Kate Aronowitz: Shaping the story of design in business

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Visit our Substack for transcript, show notes, and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/kate-aronowitz Few designers have an instinct for busine...

Ellen Lupton: Thinking With Type

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, graphic designers have been introduced to typography by Ellen Lupton’s book, Thinking With Type. It was certainly a staple in Aarron’...

Jonathan Hoefler: Typography legend on type history, philosophy, and entrepreneurship

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Visit our Substack for the transcript, additional show notes and links, and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jonathan-hoefler Chances are you h...

Bonus: Hamish Smyth of Standards

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Visit our Substack for the transcript, links, and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/hamish-smyth Design systems have been on the minds of those ...

Bonus: Hiroki Asai, Global Head of Marketing at Airbnb

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Find a transcript and more show notes on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/hiroki-asai Airbnb and Apple have a few things in common: The...

Vanessa Gennarelli: Surviving Change at Work

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Find the transcript and full show notes on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/vanessa-gennarelli Change at work is tough, and it’s seem...

Scott Rice: Creative lessons learned teaching film with Matthew McConaughey

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With a more than 100 year history, movie making has a lot to teach us about collaboration and creativity in complex environments. How do directors bri...

Autumn Durald Arkapaw: Cinematographer for Wakanda Forever and Loki on the overlap between design and photography

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Find more show notes and the transcript on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/autumn-durald-arkapaw-cinematographer The Marvel Cinematic ...

Rewind: Midcentury modern design principles and Heath Ceramics

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We hope that you’re having a festive holiday season, and that you’re able to take some time off to be with friends and family. Today we’re rewin...

Barry Katz: The history and philosophy of design in Silicon Valley and beyond

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Find the transcript, show notes, and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/barry-katz We bet you don’t know where the term “inte...

Bonus Episode: Dorrian Porter, CEO of Vestaboard

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Find the transcript, show notes, and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/dorrian-porter-vestaboard The sound and movement of a spl...

Paola Antonelli: How design shapes culture

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Find show notes, transcripts, and more at https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/paola-antonelli The Museum of Modern Art brings to mind images of Van Goug...

Design Better Holiday Gift Guide

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As designers, we can’t help but be particular about the gifts we give and receive. We’ve put together a list of beautiful and useful gifts at vary...

Tycho: The soundtrack for creative work

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Find the episode transcript and show notes on designbetterpodcast.com Our show starts with a little sample of the music that fuels our creative work. ...

Bonus Episode: Gil Gershoni on Dyslexic Design Thinking

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Find the transcript and episode notes here: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/gil-gershoni#details October is dyslexia awareness month, and we were re...

OK Go: Making the impossible possible

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes and transcript: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/ok-go Not many bands hire Russian pilots to film a Zero-G video on their cosmonaut traini...

Announcing something new…

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over the seven years doing the show, we noticed a pattern in those who achieve their career goals fastest—they consciously invest in themselves by b...

Paula Scher: Pentagram legend on design, persuasion & embracing mistakes

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aarron first met Paula Scher as a grad student in Philadelphia. He worked at the Temple University gallery and was hanging an exhibition of her poste...

Bonus Episode: Matt D Smith from Shift Nudge on the elements of a great user interface

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes and transcript: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/bonus-episode-matt-d-smith#details We’ve got a special bonus episode for you today. Mat...

Llisa Demetrios: Ray and Charles Eames's granddaughter on their legacy and influence on mid century modern design

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes and transcript: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/llisa-demetrios#details Mid century modern design aesthetics are enduring and as relevan...

Bonus Episode: Bayard Winthrop, CEO of American Giant

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hey everybody, we have a special bonus episode for you today. We're having a conversation with Bayard Winthrop, the founder and CEO of American Giant...

Ed Catmull: Creative lessons from Lucasfilm to Pixar and beyond

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to our second Design Better episode on the creative process. You may not know Ed Catmull’s name, but there’s almost no doubt you’re fami...

David Sedaris: How observation and prototyping shapes his work

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first episode in our Design Better series on the creative process. In this series, we’re going beyond the confines of design to speak...

Design Better Trailer

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Design Better co-hosts Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter explore the intersection of design, technology, and the creative process through conversations wi...

Design Better's New Adventure: Exciting changes to the show

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We recently hit our 100th episode, and we have a big announcement to share. If you haven't already subscribed to our Substack at https://designbetter...

Bonus Episode with Don Norman: Panel discussion on designing a better world

19 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/bonus-episode-with-don-norman-panel In this special bonus episode, renowned scholar and author Don Norma...

Ole Lütjens: The story behind the Disney+ launch

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Subscribe for free to our show on Substack to receive episodes a week early, bonus content like post-show discussions, and more: https://designbetterp...

Georg Petschnigg: Product design and storytelling at The New York Times

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Subscribe to the Design Better Podcast on Substack to get episodes a week early and other bonus content: https://designbetterpodcast.com/ Show notes...

Eileen Fisher, Rewind: How design principles and systems guide a clothing company

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/rewind-eileen-fisher-embracing-imperfect Hi Folks- We hope that everyone is enjoying their summer so far...

Donna Lichaw: The leader’s journey

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/donna-lichaw-the-leaders-journey “Management is a job, whereas leadership is a quality you have to ear...

Robert Brunner: The design giant who hired Jony Ive

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/robert-brunner-where-art-and-commerce Our guest today, Robert Brunner, once joked that his tombstone wil...

John Maeda: AI + Design

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/john-maeda-ai-design Today we welcome back John Maeda, who is currently Vice President of Design and Ar...

Sheena Iyengar: Decision making and innovation myths

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/sheena-iyengar-choose-to-think-bigger We may not think about it all that often, but the choices that we ...

Matt Mullenweg: WordPress, AI, and jazz

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/matt-mullenweg-wordpress-ai-and-jazz Matt Mullenweg started out as a jazz saxophonist, and went on to cr...

Kevin Bethune: Innovation lessons from a nuclear engineer turned Air Jordan designer

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/kevin-bethune-reimagining-design Not many people can say they’ve gone from being a nuclear engineer to...

Tony Fadell: iPhone inventor on how to build the future

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/tony-fadell-how-to-build-the-future For many of us, being the co-creator of two of the most transformati...

Judy and Daniel Wert: Surviving the tech layoffs

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/judy-and-daniel-wert-challenging It’s a challenging time in tech right now. Chances are, if you haven’...

Tina Seelig: Constraints drive creativity

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/tina-seelig-constraints-drive-creativity What is the difference between creativity and innovation? What ...

Meredith Black: DesignOps has become essential

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/meredith-black-a-new-era-of-designops Design Operations, or “Design Ops,” is entering a new era. No ...

Greg Hoffman: Nike CMO on the role of emotion in design

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/greg-hoffman There is probably no better training ground than Nike to learn about creativity as a team s...

Felecia Hatcher: Black Ambition CEO on entrepreneurship and working with Pharrell Williams

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/felicia-hatcher Often it’s the little things, and not the flashy technology or slick user interface th...

Seth Godin, Rewind: Learning to take risks, be generous, and make a ruckus

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/seth-godin If you don’t know who Seth Godin is, just type “Seth” into Google or DuckDuckGo. The fi...

Dr. Sian Proctor: SpaceX astronaut on imposter syndrome

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/sian-proctor If you’re looking for an inspiring human being, it would be hard to beat Dr. Sian Proctor...

Katrina Alcorn: IBM’s head of design on why partnerships are essential

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/katrina-alcorn If you lead a team of over 700 people, what skills would you need to bring to the table t...

Nir Eyal: How to be indistractable

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/nir-eyal You’re sitting at your desk, trying to do some deep work—finishing up a presentation, writi...

Detria Williamson: IDEO CMO on making collaboration more inclusive

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/detria-williamson In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last year, Detria Williamson, former Chie...

Guy Kawasaki: Lessons from Apple's early days

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/guy-kawasaki Guy Kawasaki has certainly had a remarkable career. From gaining popularity as the Chief Ev...

John Cleese, Rewind: Monty Python's cheerful guide to creativity

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/john-cleese The Ministry of Silly Walks. The Cheese Shop. French Taunting. If you haven’t seen any of ...

Eileen Fisher: How design principles and systems guide a clothing company

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/rewind-eileen-fisher-embracing-imperfect In his book The Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda says that “sim...

Robin Petravic: Midcentury modern design principles and Heath Ceramics

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/robin-petravic If you’re a fan of architecture and design, you’re probably familiar with the mid-cen...

Vicki Tan: Spotify's design process and finding your purpose

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/spotifys-vicki-tan-learning-from Vicki Tan has worked at companies that change the way we travel, think ...

Judy Wert: Negotiating salary and navigating career changes

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/judy-wert The way that we work has been disrupted by the global pandemic, and for those of us who are fo...

Benjamin Evans, Rewind: Inclusive design at Airbnb

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/benjamin-evans Benjamin Evans, Inclusive Design Lead for Airbnb, is part of a new kind of problem solver...

Scott Berkun: How design makes the world

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/scott-berkun Do you have a colleague who just doesn’t get what design is all about? Or maybe you’ve ...

Sandy Fershee: How design thinking is transforming Ford

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/sandy-fershee The most innovative electric car announced in 2021 was not a Tesla, but a Ford. The new Fo...

Chris Kemp: CEO of rocket maker Astra on collaborating on challenging problems

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/chris-kemp Over 50 years after humans first landed on the moon, it’s still extremely difficult—and e...

Julie Zhuo, Rewind: Facebook's VP of Product Design on what she got right and wrong as a leader

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/julie-zhuo Listen as Julie Zhuo, VP of Product Design at Facebook and author of The Making of a Manager...

Rosanne Somerson: A look inside RISD, one of America’s premier design schools

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/rosanne-somerson In its 144-year history, the Rhode Island School of Design—also known as RISD—has g...

Sara Seager: What the search for exoplanets can teach us about collaboration

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/sara-seager If you’re lucky enough to look up into a clear night sky and see the thousands of stars vi...

Dan Pink: Why collaboration is the key to being persuasive

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/dan-pink To Sell is Human. That’s the title of one of Dan Pink’s books, and also the foundational co...

Steve Johnson and Rochelle King: How Netflix designs for a global audience

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/steve-johnson-rochelle-king If you’re anything like us, you’ve been watching more than your fair sha...

Doug Pray and Matt Weaver: Apple TV+ Home and how spaces change our behavior

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/matt-weaver-doug-pray Of the designed objects we interact with on a daily basis, our homes are probably ...

Jason Mayden: Air Jordan design and a brush with death that shaped a career

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jason-mayden As we head into a new year—and leave behind a year that was challenging for just about ev...

Brian Chesky: Airbnb’s co-founder on designing for trust

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/brian-chesky It all started with a box of cereal. Well, that’s not exactly the beginning, but when Bri...

Annie Jean Baptiste: Google's approach to inclusive design

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/annie-jean-baptiste As designers and design leaders, most of us understand the ethical importance of mak...

Bill Burnett: Designing your work fife

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/bill-burnett In the wake of a pandemic and economic catastrophe, many of our friends and colleagues in t...

Debbie Millman: Revealing what matters the most to designers and creatives

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/debbie-millman We’re not ashamed to admit that, when we booked Debbie Millman for our show, we were a ...

John Maeda: Design in Tech Report

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/john-maeda Over the arc of his career, John Maeda has been many things: a professor at MIT, president at...

Seth Godin: Learning to take risks, be generous, and make a ruckus

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/seth-godin If you don’t know who Seth Godin is, just type “Seth” into Google or DuckDuckGo. The fi...

Jina Anne: How design systems affect company culture

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jina-anne To celebrate the new InVision DSM, we're sharing one of our favorite episodes in conversation ...

Jahan Mantin and Boyuan Gao: Designing for diversity

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/designing-for-diversity In today’s episode, we talk with Boyuan Gao and Jahan Mantin—the founders of...

Marty Cagan: Understanding product management and Agile

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/marty-cagan Are you on a product team or a feature team? After you listen to our interview with Marty Ca...

Naveen Gavini: Uniting design and engineering at Pinterest

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/podcast We’ve spoken to a lot of design leaders over the course of the Design Better Podcast, but this...

Stephen Deasy: How designers and engineers can work together better

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/stephen-deasy “Designers are about possibilities. Engineers are about probabilities.” This quote, fr...

Joshua Seiden: Agile, Lean UX, and measuring your work

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/joshua-seiden Love it or hate it, the agile approach to software development seems to be here to stay. O...

Steve Rader: NASA's approach to problem-solving and leading people

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/steve-rader There’s a lot of talk in the tech world about moonshots, and what it takes to build a team...

Ryan Rumsey: Designers need to understand the language of business

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/business-thinking We’ve just published a new book on DesignBetter.com called Business Thinking for De...

Remote Work for Design Teams: Lessons in leadership, collaboration, and culture

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/remoteworkbook We’ve just published a new book on DesignBetter.com called Remote Work for Design Teams...

Richard Banfield and Alison Rand: Remote design sprints and design reviews

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/richard-banfield-alison-rand In this bonus episode, we’re once more focused on remote teams, and more ...

Making remote teams work

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/stephen-gates-jennifer-aldrich In this bonus episode, we chat about balancing personal and professional ...

Jehad Affoneh: VMWare’s head of design on being a business leader, not a design leader

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jehad-affoneh In this episode, we speak with VMWare’s Head of Design Jehad Affoneh about how he measur...

Joanna Peña-Bickley: Amazon Alexa's design leader on collaboration and diverse teams

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/joanna-pena-bickley Joanna Peña-Bickley has had an amazing arc to her design leadership career: from Ch...

Natalya Shelburne: How designers and developers work together at The New York Times

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/natalya-shelburne Natalya Shelburne, Tech Lead for Design Engineering at The New York Times, sits at a f...

Kristin Wisnewski: More women in tech leadership roles

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/kristin-wisnewski In the tech world, it's rare these days to spend more than a few years at one company....

Nancy Douyon: Ethical and inclusive design

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Show notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/nancy-douyon Nancy Douyon has a remarkable story that lead her into a career in technology. From her chi...

Season 4 Preview Episode

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

https://www.designbetterpodcast.com Next week we'll be launching our fourth season of the Design Better Podcast by InVision. Listen now for a special...