Best The Curiosity Department Sponsored By Wix Studio Podcasts (2025)

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Bonus Episode: Amy Lokey, Chief Experience Officer at ServiceNow, live in SF for UserTesting's THiS Connect Tour 31:40

23h ago31:40

31:40

This interview was recorded live on May 1st for UserTesting’s ThiS Connect City Tour. Interested in joining us for our next live show? We’re joining an incredible lineup at #THiSConnect in NYC (including former Design Better guest Seth Godin), where we’ll talk about customer experience, innovation, and the real impact of AI. 📍 Catch us in New York …

1
Video Rewind: John Cleese: A cheerful guide to creativity 37:22

6d ago37:22

37:22

Hi everyone! We recently surveyed our audience and learned that many of you would like to see more video. So, we’re kicking off a new run of video episodes, beginning with our interview featuring John Cleese—actor, writer, comedian, and author of Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide. You can watch the interview on our Substack, or on Youtube. Enj…

1
Marco Suarez: From designer to coffee entrepreneur ☕ 49:32

15d ago49:32

49:32

A special sponsored episode of the Design Better Podcast It’s a tough job market out there right now for designers and other creative technologists. Many of us are wondering if there are other ways we might be able to use our skills, and some of us are considering an entrepreneurial path. Our guest today has done just that. Marco Suarez has had an …

1
Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross: Your Brain on Art 49:31

20d ago49:31

49:31

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/susan-magsamen-and-ivy-ross In school, art is often positioned in curricula as an enrichment subject, not a core skill like math or language arts. But those of us who pursue the arts instinctually recognize that there is something in creative expression that is foundat…

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Rewind: OK Go: Making the impossible possible 57:35

28d ago57:35

57:35

Visit our Substack for bonus content: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/rewind-ok-go Aarron and Eli are traveling with their families for Spring Break, so we’re bringing back one of our favorite episodes from 2023 with the band OK Go. In the time since we recorded the interview, they’ve come out with a new album, and with several new music videos, …

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Jordan Mechner: Pioneering game designer on creating Prince of Persia, Karateka, and a new graphic novel memoir 25:22

1M ago25:22

25:22

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jordan-mechner As a kid in the 80’s, Eli fell in love with games on computers like the Apple II, Commodore 64, and later the Amiga and Macintosh. One of the very first games he played was called Karateka, which was inspiring for the realistic movements of its digital k…

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Brad Frost: Design systems are about human relationships 1:12:48

1M ago1:12:48

1:12:48

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/brad-frost Design systems are the foundation of nearly every piece of software we use. No one has had a greater influence on the philosophy and tactics of building design systems than Brad Frost, author of Atomic Design. After helping countless companies craft design s…

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Heidi Trost: Human Centered Security 35:23

2M ago35:23

35:23

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/heidi-trost Designing a good security experience is hard. Every time we run into one of those security captchas that requires you to “identify all the motorcycles” in the tiled images, we want to give up and surrender to our robot overlords…or throw our laptop out the …

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The Brief: Afraid of losing your job? Become irreplaceable 9:14

2M ago9:14

9:14

Becoming an irreplaceable designer By Aarron Walter The software industry is in a tough contraction phase. Teams are downsizing, and companies are prioritizing efficiency. It’s a stressful time for many. But it’s also an opportunity—to reflect on your work, your skills, and the unique value you bring as a designer. What could you do to make yoursel…

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Trenton Doyle Hancock: An artist’s process for creating order from chaos 26:58

2M ago26:58

26:58

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/trenton-doyle-hancock Aarron’s friend Trenton Doyle Hancock did something remarkable when they were both in the graduate Painting and Drawing program at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia—he had work in the Whitney Biennial. It was a bit like winning an Oscar whil…

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Dan Harden: Form follows emotion—industrial design lessons from George Nelson to Steve Jobs 1:08:36

2M ago1:08:36

1:08:36

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more:https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/dan-harden If you were mapping out the most amazing career in industrial design, you might dream of working with George Nelson, Henry Dreyfuss, Steve Jobs, and influential companies like Frog design in the early days. It seems impossible that one person could have such …

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Kristen Berman: Behavioral economics expert on designing products that change behavior 28:16

2M ago28:16

28:16

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/kristen-berman Many of the most successful products launched in Silicon Valley lean heavily on behavioral design to increase engagement. Former Design Better guest Nir Eyal talks about this in his books Hooked and Indistractable, and today we have another expert in thi…

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The Brief: What designers can learn from writers and storytellers 15:27

2M ago15:27

15:27

Words are worth a thousand pictures by Eli Woolery How does Sir Jony Ive, the famed former head of design at Apple, start every project? If, like me, you guessed by sketching, you’d be wrong. I was surprised to learn when he visited the design capstone class I co-teach at Stanford that he starts all projects by writing. But Jony gave our class a po…

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Gareth Hinds: A golden age for the graphic novel 48:02

3M ago48:02

48:02

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/gareth-hinds Graphic novels are experiencing something of a renaissance recently. As the medium has gained popularity, notable thinkers like Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari and the late John Lewis have brought their stories to life beautifully in graphic novel form. G…

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From your inbox to your ears: Audio versions of The Brief 8:13

3M ago8:13

8:13

Every month, our premium subscribers receive our newsletter The Brief , which assembles wisdom gleaned from interviews with creative thinkers. It’s a chance to go deeper into salient topics like creative collaboration, the ephemeral nature of designing software, and how other creative people in music and film solve problems. But inboxes are busy pl…

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Kevin Bethune: Nonlinear—Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction 22:05

3M ago22:05

22:05

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/kevin-bethune-returns One core strength that good designers cultivate is the ability to navigate ambiguity. Our guest today, Kevin Bethune, returns to the show to discuss his new book, Nonlinear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction, which emphasizes that to…

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Scott Belsky: Adobe's Chief Strategist on navigating the creative Cambrian Explosion 46:07

3M ago46:07

46:07

Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/scott-belsky We live in an era where it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the pace of new technology. As designers, creatives, and technologists, we have a wealth of tools at our disposal that people in our roles only a decade ago could only have dreamed of. Yet it can be d…

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Idris Brewster: Bringing history to life with augmented reality 28:05

3M ago28:05

28:05

Find bonus content and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/idris-brewster In Berlin, there are memorials to the Holocaust called Stolpersteine, or “stumbling stones,” that memorialize some of the victims of the tragic event with small brass stones placed into the cobblestone streets outside their last-known residence. These poig…

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Jake Knapp: Click—How to make what people want 57:51

4M ago57:51

57:51

Design sprints have become a staple of the creative process at companies around the world and an indispensable tool in the pursuit of innovation. We owe a debt of thanks to Jake Knapp and his former colleagues at Google Ventures (now known as GV) who pioneered the design sprint. Visit our Substack for bonus content and more: https://designbetterpod…

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Jenny Blackburn: Google's VP of UX for Gemini on how generative AI can improve our workflows 22:11

4M ago22:11

22:11

We live in an era where the boundaries are beginning to blur between roles like designers and developers. Generative AI tools are making it easier for designers to code quick prototypes, and for developers to wireframe and create first-pass UI’s for applications. Find bonus content and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jenny-b…

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Scott Berkun: Why Design is Hard 51:21

4M ago51:21

51:21

As designers, we sometimes get caught up in our egos. I’m the creative one on the team. I’m the one who should have the final say on these designs. I’m misunderstood, and I feel like I’m always having to teach people a new language. Find full show notes and bonus content on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/scott-berkun-why-design-is-…

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Marcus Bell: Producer and songwriter for Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and Timbaland on music and creativity in the age of AI 33:01

4M ago33:01

33:01

There aren’t many kids who start a record label when they’re 12 years old. Or play piano professionally at the age of six. But our guest today, Marcus “Bellringer” Bell, is the kind of polymath that did those things, and went on to create a successful career in the music industry, as a producer and composer who has worked with musicians like Nicki …

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Reconsidering: Mastering change with Brad Stulberg 1:04:48

4M ago1:04:48

1:04:48

Our podcast network, The Curiosity Department, has a new show called Reconsidering. Though design and your work are a big part of who you are, you are so much more. Reconsidering is a show hosted by designers that aims to bring fresh eyes to the important things in life. Co-hosts Meredith Black, formerly at Pinterest and Figma, Bob Baxley, formerly…

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Rewind: Jonathan Hoefler: Typography legend on type history, philosophy, and entrepreneurship 1:05:57

5M ago1:05:57

1:05:57

Hi folks! We hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season, and have plenty of opportunities to relax and spend time with friends and family. This week we’re rewinding to one of our favorite episodes with Jonathan Hoefler, the legendary type designer. Enjoy the episode, and we’ll see you in the New Year! Find the full episode and bonus content on o…

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Alastair Simpson: From professional soccer to leading design at DropBox 26:17

5M ago26:17

26:17

Alastair Simpson is accustomed to adaptation. The first half of his life was spent in the pursuit of a professional football career (or soccer as we call it in the States). But things didn’t go as expected, and he found himself searching for a new path in life. Football taught him discipline and to focus on excellence, traits that transferred well …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

The Curiosity Department Sponsored By Wix Studio Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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Design Better

The Curiosity Department, sponsored by Wix Studio

1
Bonus Episode: Amy Lokey, Chief Experience Officer at ServiceNow, live in SF for UserTesting's THiS Connect Tour 31:40

1
Video Rewind: John Cleese: A cheerful guide to creativity 37:22

1
Marco Suarez: From designer to coffee entrepreneur ☕ 49:32

1
Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross: Your Brain on Art 49:31

1
Rewind: OK Go: Making the impossible possible 57:35

1
Jordan Mechner: Pioneering game designer on creating Prince of Persia, Karateka, and a new graphic novel memoir 25:22

1
Brad Frost: Design systems are about human relationships 1:12:48

1
Heidi Trost: Human Centered Security 35:23

1
The Brief: Afraid of losing your job? Become irreplaceable 9:14

1
Trenton Doyle Hancock: An artist’s process for creating order from chaos 26:58

1
Dan Harden: Form follows emotion—industrial design lessons from George Nelson to Steve Jobs 1:08:36

1
Kristen Berman: Behavioral economics expert on designing products that change behavior 28:16

1
The Brief: What designers can learn from writers and storytellers 15:27

1
Gareth Hinds: A golden age for the graphic novel 48:02

1
From your inbox to your ears: Audio versions of The Brief 8:13

1
Kevin Bethune: Nonlinear—Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction 22:05

1
Scott Belsky: Adobe's Chief Strategist on navigating the creative Cambrian Explosion 46:07

1
Idris Brewster: Bringing history to life with augmented reality 28:05

1
Jake Knapp: Click—How to make what people want 57:51

1
Jenny Blackburn: Google's VP of UX for Gemini on how generative AI can improve our workflows 22:11

1
Scott Berkun: Why Design is Hard 51:21

1
Marcus Bell: Producer and songwriter for Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and Timbaland on music and creativity in the age of AI 33:01

1
Reconsidering: Mastering change with Brad Stulberg 1:04:48

1
Rewind: Jonathan Hoefler: Typography legend on type history, philosophy, and entrepreneurship 1:05:57

1
Alastair Simpson: From professional soccer to leading design at DropBox 26:17