Best UXR Podcasts (2025)

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E46: Economics of Sweepstakes, Vertical Word Game Progression, and UXR Failure 55:41

Play Pause

11d ago55:41

55:41

Is fair matchmaking actually bad design? And how exactly did gaming companies fumble the bag when it came to the army of PhD psychologists they employ? We talk: • Sweepstakes, social casino, velocity, and why most players never cash out • Why Wordle feels flat to some designers and why elegance is not the same as progression • Surveys as UX, not tr…

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Player Insights as a Force Multiplier: UXR in the Production Pipeline 1:02:07

12d ago1:02:07

1:02:07

Successful games not only have a strong creative vision but are also highly acclaimed by players; this integration of player insights occurs throughout the entire development cycle and takes different forms. In this talk, we map out lightweight, well-timed user experience research (UXR) activities into a production pipeline that doesn’t slow things…

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The World of UX, Episode 293: UX Rapid Fire 33:20

2d ago33:20

33:20

This week includes another excerpt from Darren's appearance on the Beyond the Interface podcast where a broad array of topics were included. This segment includes "rapid fire" coverage of such topics such as the importance of embracing gatekeeping, the problem with bootcamps, the fallacy of UX writing, tips for starting a UX career, managing the vo…

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#179 - The Future of Research Operations with Kate Towsey LIVE 55:28

3d ago55:28

55:28

Erin May sits down with Kate Towsey, founder of Cha Cha Club and author of Research That Scales, for Research Ops Appreciation Week. Kate shares insights from producing an audio documentary series on the future of research ops, including her fascinating experience co-creating content with AI. She reveals how research ops teams are increasingly surv…

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Solo Dev Survival Guide with Nate Purkeypile, Just Purkey Games 59:23

6d ago59:23

59:23

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Nate Purkeypile, solo indie developer at Just Purkey Games. Nate shares what it’s really like to leave the AAA world and build games completely on your own. We’ll talk about why he shifted from major studios to solo development, why he chose not to start a small company, and how he stays on trac…

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We Need to Talk: Working With Your Publisher When Things Go South 1:02:19

7d ago1:02:19

1:02:19

Most developer-publisher relationships don’t turn sour because of money; they suffer from miscommunication, misaligned expectations, or ignored crises. In this talk, we break down your responsibilities as a developer, what to do when things go really wrong, and how to tell if your publisher producer isn’t doing their job. Packed with practical advi…

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Production Pipeline of a One-Developer Studio With 50M+ Downloads 1:01:28

8d ago1:01:28

1:01:28

I run x2line, a lean studio with 50M+ downloads across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android (including TV form factors), and the web. I’m the only full-time developer. I manage production, ship updates, and coordinate long-term art and animation contractors instead of an in-house team. I’ll cover: how to scope version 1 vs later updates, how to get usable as…

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Production First Aid: Getting Projects Back on Track 58:27

9d ago58:27

58:27

When game projects start slipping with missed milestones, scope creep, and fading morale, how do you get things back on track? This session presents a production first aid kit with tools to diagnose problems, triage scope, rebuild schedules, and communicate changes clearly to your teams. Key takeaways: Spot early warning signs, apply a lightweight …

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The World of UX, Episode 292: Understanding UX (and its Inner Workings) 35:35

9d ago35:35

35:35

This episode features Darren's appearance on the Beyond the Interface podcast, where he talked about the importance of understanding UX, embracing it as a discipline, the various pitfalls we face, some historical factoids, and more. Check out this engaging and very energetic conversation. REMINDER: Video is available for this episode via select res…

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Playtesting Process for Ultra Small Teams 56:34

10d ago56:34

56:34

Playtesting doesn’t need to be expensive or overwhelming. This talk shares a simple process any small team can use to run regular 1 on 1 playtesting sessions. Learn how to find testers outside your immediate circle, prepare stable builds, guide productive sessions, and turn feedback into meaningful improvements. You’ll leave with clear, repeatable …

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Milestones, Mishaps, and Moving Parts: Production in Practice 56:41

13d ago56:41

56:41

Game projects don’t get made in a straight line. In this session, we’ll explore how the producer’s role shifts across art, features, publishing, and external development—and why producers are essential to each. Our panelists will compare what their day-to-day looks like, the backgrounds that help most, how success is measured, and where the biggest…

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From Call of Duty to Indie Dev | Jess Feidt, Underwater Fire Games 1:09:17

13d ago1:09:17

1:09:17

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Jess Feidt, Owner of Underwater Fire Games. Jess shares his journey from working on massive AAA franchises like Call of Duty to building his own indie studio from the ground up. We’ll talk about why he decided to leave AAA, how he transitioned into running his own team, and how his experience at…

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Game Production Tools 1:05:30

14d ago1:05:30

1:05:30

Let's learn about game production tools! There are a lot of them out there, but which ones are right for my team size, game scope, and budget? We'll discuss industry standards, the pros and cons of several tools, and their applicability to different production methods such as Scrum and Kanban.

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Design Docs: The Blueprint Your Pipeline Needs 57:29

15d ago57:29

57:29

Most teams skip design documentation and pay for it later, in miscommunication, scope creep, and wasted development time. This session reveals how proper design docs streamline your entire pipeline. Learn the MDA framework for evaluating features, documentation techniques that actually help your team build faster, and how to communicate design deci…

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#178 - How to Measure What Matters with Lyndsi Lee of Turnitin 47:12

16d ago47:12

47:12

Ben talks with Lyndsi Lee, UX Manager at Turnitin, about moving beyond traditional metrics like NPS and CSAT to measure user experiences more effectively. The conversation centers on outcome-based assessment, a framework that breaks user experiences into atomic outcomes. Rather than asking broad satisfaction questions, this approach focuses on spec…

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The World of UX, Episode 291: The Difference Between Experience Maps & Journey Maps (From 97 Things) 32:34

16d ago32:34

32:34

This week, Darren shares his appearance on the 97 Things Podcast, where he talked about his chapter from the book "97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know." Check it out! REMINDER: Video is available for this episode via select resources. #ux #podcasts #cxofmradio #cxofm #realuxtalk #worldofux #worldoux Bookmark the new World of UX website at h…

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The World of UX, Episode 290: Overcoming the Ambiguity of Defining UX 28:54

23d ago28:54

28:54

Ever had trouble defining UX? Confused by all the definitions you've heard? You're not alone. In this episode, Darren demystifies the definition of UX, provides some key insights, and explains why the ability to properly define UX is critical to the discipline. REMINDER: Video is available for this episode via select resources. #ux #podcasts #cxofm…

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S3-E7: Introducing The UX Research Powerhouse 10:19

29d ago10:19

10:19

Send us a text In this episode of the UX Research Club, Dr Emmanuelle Savarit introduces her new book, The UX Research Powerhouse: The Foundation of Strategic Leadership. She shares why she wrote this book, who it is designed to support, and how years of experience, patterns, and leadership lessons shaped the tools and frameworks inside it. Emmanue…

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#177 - From Informing to Influencing with Shalin Pei & Natalie Golub of Coinbase 52:46

1M ago52:46

52:46

Ben is joined by Shalin Pei, Head of Design and Research and Natalie Golub, Head of UXR , both from Coinbase's Base product. Base is part of the crypto space, functioning as a network that offers secure and low cost ways to build decentralized apps, essentially helping create what they call the new internet. The conversation reveals how their small…

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The World of UX, Episode 289: The Truth About Personas 40:21

1M ago40:21

40:21

Many debates are taking place today about the relevance and value of personas for UX work. In this episode, in the spirit of critical thinking, Darren presents a case in support of using personas, while also explaining reasons for their rejection and abandonment in many circles. Up for the challenge to hear the case? Tune in for the presentation. R…

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E45: Autobattler Econ, WILD UGC Algo & A Currency Debate for the Ages (w/Arto Huhta) Autobattler Econ, WILD UGC Algo & The Big Currency Question (w/Arto Huhta) 1:13:44

1M ago1:13:44

1:13:44

What happens when autobattlers fail to monetize? We pull Arto Huhta into the cast and chat about Telegram’s pseudo-WeChat ambitions. Eric releases a distrack on Game Designer's obsessed social spaces, and Phil wants more blood from psychologists' nonsensical F2P "choice overload." Chris enleashes a model-meets-UGC experiment: a three-algorithm simu…

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How to Get Your Indie Game Funded and Published | Peter Kojesta, Exis Games 57:33

1M ago57:33

57:33

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Peter Kojesta, Founder of Exis Games. Peter shares how the publishing and funding landscape is evolving for indie developers and what studios need to know to successfully launch games in 2025 and beyond. We’ll explore the new requirements for getting a game published, the different types of publ…

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The World of UX, Episode 288: Today's UX Landscape (UXR Minds Interview) 35:44

1M ago35:44

35:44

In this episode from the UXR Minds podcast, Darren is interviewed by Dale Husband. They discuss the state of UX today and how to overcome the misinformation that overshadows the discipline. REMINDER: Video is available for this episode via select resources. #ux #podcasts #cxofmradio #cxofm #realuxtalk #worldofux #worldoux Bookmark the new World of …

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#176 - Building a Research Program from the Ground Up ft. Microsoft Azure Data 36:30

1M ago36:30

36:30

Erin is joined by Samira Jain, Serena Hillman, and Jackie Ianni from Microsoft Azure Data to discuss how they built the Swift Research Lab over the past two years. The team shares their systematic five-step approach for creating research programs that result in stakeholder satisfaction while delivering insights every 1.5 weeks. The Azure Data team …

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The World of UX, Episode 287: How to Build a Powerful UX Team 1:00:03

1M ago1:00:03

1:00:03

How do you find the right people for a balanced, effective, and powerful UX team? What traits and skills do you look for? In this segment from the Talk Circuit series, Darren revisits the topic "How to Build a Powerful UX Team" from the TryMyUI conference (Trymata) in 2016. REMINDER: Video is available for this episode via select resources. #ux #po…

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The World of UX, Episode 286: UX Domain Knowledge (Talk Circuit Series) 38:42

2M ago38:42

38:42

This week features a talk from a recent conference that has (apparently) been stricken from the organizer's records. Is it because of something Darren said wrong? Nope. It's because of people who refuse to embrace what's right. Ready for some hard truths? Check out UX Domain Knowledge: The Journey, Importance, and Value Proposition! REMINDER: Video…

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How Games Bring Hope to Kids | April Stallings, Make-A-Wish International 58:38

2M ago58:38

58:38

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by April Stallings, Charitable Gaming Program Manager at Make-A-Wish International. April shares how the power of games is helping grant life-changing wishes for children battling critical illnesses around the world. Founded in 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 615,000 wishes in nearly 50 cou…

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S3-E6: Inside the Mind of a UX Research Leader: A Conversation with Linh Nguyen Slater 49:35

2M ago49:35

49:35

Send us a text In Today's episode, I am delighted to have a conversation with Linh Nguyen Slater. Linh is a seasoned research leader with over 15 years of experience designing and testing cutting-edge products across industries, including financial services, healthcare, automotive, and consumer technology. She’s passionate about leveraging customer…

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#175 - The Scourge of Wasted Research with Jake Burghardt of Integrating Research 50:18

2M ago50:18

50:18

Ben sits down with Jake Burghardt from Integrating Research to discuss his new book Stop Wasting Research and how organizations can maximize the product impact of their customer insights. Jake breaks down the critical problem of research waste, where valuable insights from studies get left behind instead of informing future decisions and planning c…

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The World of UX, Episode 285: UX Acumen Development Interview (Talk Circuit Series) 46:14

2M ago46:14

46:14

This week features Darren's appearance on the Guidelines podcast in 2020, where he talked about his journey into UX and how to manage the development of one's UX acumen, including some under-the-radar factors of great importance. REMINDER: Video is available for this episode via select resources. #ux #podcasts #cxofmradio #cxofm #realuxtalk #worldo…

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How Indies Can Scale with Global Development | Brad Hendricks 59:33

2M ago59:33

59:33

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Brad Hendricks, Founder and CEO of Blind Squirrel Games. Brad shares why globally distributed development is the foundation for scalability, sustainability, and long-term success in today’s turbulent industry. We’ll discuss how Blind Squirrel positioned itself to thrive during industry shifts, h…

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# 174 - Qualitative Research's Enduring Impact with Nancy Baum of C+R Research LIVE 50:14

2M ago50:14

50:14

The popularity of AI moderation tools, increased attention on "big" data sets (and streams), and the ongoing uncertainty in the research job market have (understandably) led some to wonder about the future of qualitative research. Our guest today, however, is bullish, and explains why. Nancy Baum leads the qualitative research practice at C+R Resea…

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The World of UX, Episode 284: UX-Driven AI Panel Discussion, From the 2021 Dexignaire Design Development Days Conference (Talk Circuit Series) 1:23:03

2M ago1:23:03

1:23:03

This week features a panel discussion from Dexignaire's 2021 Design Development Days Conference where the topic of UX-Driven AI was discussed with Darren and Harshit Agrawal of Adobe. Check out this talk and the forecasted factors about the direction of AI, how we should approach it, and what we expected to occur. REMINDER: Video is available for t…

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Research Ops 2.0, Episode 5: The People of ResearchOps 54:03

2M ago54:03

54:03

In just ten years, ResearchOps has transformed from an obscure Silicon Valley speciality into a vibrant global profession. Despite economic headwinds, ResearchOps roles are emerging across industries far beyond tech, and the field is evolving at breathtaking speed. But where have we come from, and where are we going? In this five-part audio documen…

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The World of UX, Episode 283: The Garrison of Excellence — TED Talk from 2021 (Talk Circuit Series) 22:30

2M ago22:30

22:30

This episode goes off the beaten path just a tad. Instead of talking directly about UX and some of its inner workings, Darren shares his TED Talk from 2021. In this slightly biographical set, Darren talks about the importance of subscribing to excellence and the associated benefits. Enjoy! REMINDER: Video is available for this episode via select re…

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The World of UX, Episode 282: The Power of Holistic Empathy (Talk Circuit Series) 30:58

3M ago30:58

30:58

By CX of M Radio

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You Did What?! A Game Dev Legal Bingo Experience 1:00:15

3M ago1:00:15

1:00:15

Join attorney and game developer Veda Cruz for an interactive session where legal pitfalls take center stage—in bingo form! Each square represents a sketchy but all-too-common scenario that devs run into, like forgotten contracts, fuzzy ownership, or fan content gone rogue. As we play through the card, you’ll learn how to spot these legal traps ear…

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Why Games as Platforms Are the Future | Alex Seropian 57:19

3M ago57:19

57:19

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness, we’re joined by Alex Seropian, CEO and Founder of Look North World. Alex shares lessons learned from launching UEFN experiences with Hasbro, Harmonix, Bandai Namco, and Twitch, and unpacks why the idea of games as platforms is more than just a passing trend. We’ll dive into the growing influence of Gen-Z and Ge…

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The Problem with Publishing 1:02:10

3M ago1:02:10

1:02:10

It’s time to ask traditional video game publishing - are you ok? While the rest of the industry seems to evolve overnight, publishing remains the same, despite clear areas of concern. In this session, we’ll examine the state of publishing today, areas of risk and opportunity, and options available to developers and publishers alike.…

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The Adventure of Building an Indie Studio: Key Lessons from the Inside 58:18

3M ago58:18

58:18

Juan Pablo Guzmán Fernández, CEO of Infinite Thread Games, shares his ongoing experience leading an indie studio. In this talk, he walks through the development of the games Hitori Kakurenbo Online and Hidalgo, covering production, marketing, funding, and team building. He discusses remote workflows, incubation programs, and the importance of early…

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Surviving the Dragon's Den 57:12

3M ago57:12

57:12

Dan is a co-founder of award-winning 'The Detective Society', a board games company based in London, UK. In this talk, hear about how his small side project has survived 5-years without investment, and grown to be a leader in the innovative world of digital-hybrid gaming (part-board game, part video game)! Dan will talk about his experience raising…

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Skyrocketing Game Dev Costs! What Can We Do? 1:02:49

3M ago1:02:49

1:02:49

Game development costs are soaring to unprecedented heights, driven by the proliferation of new platforms, pandemic-fueled salary surges, shifting business models, and diverse expectations from different generations of gamers. In an industry where every new release is held to increasingly higher standards, players are paradoxically playing fewer ga…

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Research Ops 2.0, Episode 4: Building Enduring Systems Amidst Constant Change 48:33

3M ago48:33

48:33

In just ten years, ResearchOps has transformed from an obscure Silicon Valley speciality into a vibrant global profession. Despite economic headwinds, ResearchOps roles are emerging across industries far beyond tech, and the field is evolving at breathtaking speed. But where have we come from, and where are we going? In this five-part audio documen…

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The World of UX, Episode 281: The Problem with UX Education: How to Optimize Your Learning Journey (Talk Circuit Series) 1:00:44

3M ago1:00:44

1:00:44

This week, shares a talk from 2021 for the Students of UXD, where he demystified and provided several insights about UX and how to optimize your learning journey. Check it out. REMINDER: Video is available for this episode via select resources. #ux #podcasts #cxofmradio #cxofm #realuxtalk #worldofux #worldoux Bookmark the new World of UX website at…

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Remote, but Unstoppable: Unlocking the Power of a Fully Distributed Studio 58:58

3M ago58:58

58:58

Unlock the true power of a remote studio! Learn how to build strong teams, streamline workflows, and tackle challenges head-on. Through expert strategies and real lessons from Noname Studios, discover what it takes to thrive and innovate—no matter where you are.

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E44: Incentive UGC Determinism for the Future of Gaming (w/Alex Seropian) 45:55

3M ago45:55

45:55

UGC is about to change forever. In the same way all technologies govern and enable the creative, MTX will do the same for Fortnite. Or will it? Alex Seropian (Look World North, The Forth Curtain) joins the cast to discuss UEFN's ability to enable creators to monetize islands directly. We discuss: What new games will emerge with MTX? Is UGC IP defen…

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Proving Your Game’s Potential: Data-Driven Paths to Publishing 1:00:46

3M ago1:00:46

1:00:46

Securing a publishing deal takes more than a 'cool' game idea. It requires evidence of a marketable game, an engaged audience, and a capable team. This talk explores how data-driven development can support these three pillars: improving game quality through player data and player-centered design; using data to build and engage your player community…

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Play To Win —DLC Edition: A Legal Update to How Indie Devs Can Succeed 55:34

3M ago55:34

55:34

This session will include a wealth of trademark, copyright, and contract law basics that every indie developer or studio needs to know PLUS relevant legal updates affecting the gaming industry, Artificial Intelligence legal aspects, and more! The “Play to Win” presentation last year in 2024 was loaded with information but this year’s DLC edition wi…

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Passion, Paychecks & Parenthood: Balancing Life to Make Games 56:55

3M ago56:55

56:55

It’s never too late to follow your passion but real life doesn't hit pause. This is the story of building our first indie game while juggling a full-time job, family life, and all the responsibilities that come with adulthood. From finding a partner who shared the dream, to navigating burnout, budget limits, and baby naps, we learned that progress …

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From Kickstarter Failure to Successfully Shipping Shujinkou | Julian Rice 1:02:58

3M ago1:02:58

1:02:58

In this episode of IndieGameBusiness we’re joined by Julian Rice, Founder and CEO of Rice Games Inc, to talk about the long, challenging, and inspiring journey of bringing Shujinkou to life. From showing the game at Tokyo Game Show in 2019 to navigating a failed Kickstarter, Julian shares how his team overcame obstacles and kept pushing forward. We…