If, like us, you’ve been tinkering with the plethora of AI tools that have emerged recently, chances are it’s changing your workflow and creative process. AI is a great thought partner for writing, illustration, and even user research, but we’ve been wondering how people in other creative disciplines are using it. Matthias Hollwich, principal and f…

If, like us, you’ve been tinkering with the plethora of AI tools that have emerged recently, chances are it’s changing your workflow and creative process. AI is a great thought partner for writing, illustration, and even user research, but we’ve been wondering how people in other creative disciplines are using it. Matthias Hollwich, principal and f…

We’ve talked with people across many creative disciplines on Design Better, and there’s a red thread that keeps popping up—many are neurodivergent in some way. A diagnosis of ADHD in childhood can seem like a disadvantage, but it can actually become a superpower that enables hyper-focus and deep learning. We wanted to learn more about ADHD so we ca…

We’ve talked with people across many creative disciplines on Design Better, and there’s a red thread that keeps popping up—many are neurodivergent in some way. A diagnosis of ADHD in childhood can seem like a disadvantage, but it can actually become a superpower that enables hyper-focus and deep learning. We wanted to learn more about ADHD so we ca…

In this special, live episode from the Config conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Jesse James Garrett recounts his significant career co-founding Adaptive Path, pioneering foundational processes in software design, and navigating strange waters as his company was sold to Capital One. Just as he was finding his footing as a design exe…

Until Designer Fund was founded by Enrique Allen and Ben Blumenrose, venture capital investments rarely considered design strategy when investing. Companies like Stripe, Notion, Gusto, and Omada Health—all in Designer Fund portfolio companies—see design as a competitive advantage and a tool for acquiring and retaining customers. Enrique Allen told …

Until Designer Fund was founded by Enrique Allen and Ben Blumenrose, venture capital investments rarely considered design strategy when investing. Companies like Stripe, Notion, Gusto, and Omada Health—all in Designer Fund portfolio companies—see design as a competitive advantage and a tool for acquiring and retaining customers. Enrique Allen told …

Design Better co-hosts Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter explore the intersection of design, technology, and the creative process through conversations with inspiring guests across diverse creative fields, to help you hone your craft, unlock your creative potential, and learn the art of collaboration. Whether you’re design curious or a design pro, Desi…

One of the great things about being a dad is getting to watch your favorite movies again with your kids and experience them through a new point of view, and also to watch new films together and see how things like animation evolve and create new ways of telling stories. One of the best examples of this from the past decade is Spider-Man: Into The S…

One of the great things about being a dad is getting to watch your favorite movies again with your kids and experience them through a new point of view, and also to watch new films together and see how things like animation evolve and create new ways of telling stories. One of the best examples of this from the past decade is Spider-Man: Into The S…

Costume design plays an important role in filmmaking. Films like Austin Powers, Lala Land, Boogie Nights, Black Panther, and Malcolm X transport us to a different time and place through costume. Have you ever wondered how the concepts for costume designs come together? We have—that’s why we’re talking today with Mimi Haddon, author of Palace Costum…

[note: this episode is intended for educational institutions. Please don’t share the link publicly] Eli first met Brendan Boyle when Brendan was his instructor in the undergraduate Product Design program at Stanford, where Brendan has taught for many years. Brendan is also a toy inventor, and one of the assignments in his class was to design a toy—…

Costume design plays an important role in filmmaking. Films like Austin Powers, Lala Land, Boogie Nights, Black Panther, and Malcolm X transport us to a different time and place through costume. Have you ever wondered how the concepts for costume designs come together? We have—that’s why we’re talking today with Mimi Haddon, author of Palace Costum…

Eli first met Brendan Boyle when Brendan was his instructor in the undergraduate Product Design program at Stanford, where Brendan has taught for many years. Brendan is also a toy inventor, and one of the assignments in his class was to design a toy—now that Eli has kids, he realizes how bad his toy project was, which made Brendan’s justified criti…

This week, we’re rewinding to one of our favorite episodes from our 6th season, with Vicki Tan. Vicki is a designer and author, who is now a staff product designer at Pinterest. When we spoke with her, Vicki was an associate principal product designer at Spotify, and Earlier in her career, she was a senior product designer at Headspace, worked on c…

This week, we’re rewinding to one of our favorite episodes from our 6th season, with Vicki Tan. Vicki is a designer and author, who is now a staff product designer at Pinterest. When we spoke with her, Vicki was an associate principal product designer at Spotify, and Earlier in her career, she was a senior product designer at Headspace, worked on c…

In this issue of The Brief: How to multiply creativity with lessons from Pixar, OK GO, and Meta How to stay connected to nature to fuel your creativity, with Natsai Audrey Chieza, David Sedaris, and John Cleese. Videos, books, and articles to challenge and inspire Come meet Eli and Aarron in person in Austin Oct 28-30 at UserTesting’s The Human Ins…

Sound is the unsung hero of interaction design. The iconic chorus you hear as you boot up your Mac, the double knock of an arriving Slack message, and the ascending notes Airpods make as they connect to a device all provide context and feedback without visual interactions. Without sound in our design toolbox, interacting with technology would be mu…

Sound is the unsung hero of interaction design. The iconic chorus you hear as you boot up your Mac, the double knock of an arriving Slack message, and the ascending notes Airpods make as they connect to a device all provide context and feedback without visual interactions. Without sound in our design toolbox, interacting with technology would be mu…

Becoming a better communicator is one of the best ways to level up your career. Being able to think on your feet and communicate ideas effectively is critical, no matter what role you have right now, or where you’d like to be in the coming years. Our guest today, Matt Abrahams, is just the guide you need to help you improve your communication skill…

Becoming a better communicator is one of the best ways to level up your career. Being able to think on your feet and communicate ideas effectively is critical, no matter what role you have right now, or where you’d like to be in the coming years. Our guest today, Matt Abrahams, is just the guide you need to help you improve your communication skill…

Design has the potential to help us solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. But few designers and entrepreneurs recognize that potential. Paul Lambert, co-founder and CEO of Quilt, sees design as a tool to drive the adoption of climate change mitigation technologies. That’s why he’s partnered with industrial designers Maaike Evers and Mik…

Hi folks! We hope your summer is going well. Aarron and I are traveling and spending some time with our families this week, so we thought we’d rewind to one of our favorite episodes, with Julie Zhuo. The episode came to mind because one of our listeners asked us what episodes we’d recommend to someone who is growing their team, and Julie’s book The…

Over the years, Eli spent a lot of time diving and doing photography—from designing underwater photography equipment, to running an underwater photography magazine in the early 2000’s, to doing research work using towed underwater camera systems. And both he and Aarron have a huge amount of respect and admiration for folks that are at the top of th…

There’s an art to interviewing customers. It’s so much harder than just asking a few people some questions. If we’re not careful, bias can throw off our findings. And sometimes the most salient information that may inform the next generation of your products can slip by even the most seasoned researchers. Few people have mastered interviewing users…

There’s a reason why we’ve been talking about design systems for a number of years now—it’s the key to collaboration at scale. Few people get that more than Dan Mall who has helped the world’s most recognizable brands create design practices that are truly sustainable and successful. We spoke to Dan about his new book, Design That Scales, which div…

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 of July to those celebrating it 🎆—so we’re rewinding to one of our favorite episodes. NASA has been making a lot of headlines with the discovery of planets outside of our solar system that may harbor life,…

Find show notes, transcripts, and bonus content on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/carissa-carter-scott-doorley Most of us are too busy with the present to think far into the future—work, kids, pets and other obligations can make it feel like planning for anything more than a week away is a fool’s errand. But we also live in a time …

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 print shop with a storied history that began in 1879. Hand cut wood block type and illustrations filled the shelves around presses busy producing posters for famous bands and artists. Johnny Cash, Dol…

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 Shirley Leung is opening up the conversation about stress and burnout to help listeners feel less alone and inspired to get help. She connects with experts like Krista Tippett and Emily Nagoski, who use…