Best User Centred Design Podcasts (2025)

1
Headspace with Cal Thompson 48:44

4d ago48:44

48:44

S03E09 (#337). Cal Thompson, VP of Product Design and Research at Headspace, joins us to talk about the evolution of Headspace from a pure mindfulness app to a comprehensive mental health platform, including health coaches and therapists. We chat about Headspace’s internal culture and how they manage being a healthy workplace as a health company. W…

1
Dr. Katharine Halliday: Collaboration, leadership, AI and clinical judgment 44:36

14d ago44:36

44:36

Dr Katharine Halliday, President of the Royal College of Radiologists and a leading voice in UK radiology, joins host Sam Menter to discuss how collaboration, authentic leadership, and ground-up innovation drive meaningful change in complex healthcare systems. In this episode, they explore: Balancing AI with human expertise: Exploring how artificia…

1
UX for business with Joel Marsh 44:24

18d ago44:24

44:24

S03E08 (#336). Inspired by feedback from his booked UX for beginners, Joel Marsh has written UX for business. A comprehensive guide for designers navigating real-world challenges. We talk to him about his own journey from design principles to practical business applications. We chat about Joel’s VDP methodology: Value, Diagnosis, and Probability, e…

1
Service literacy with Lou Downe 41:29

1M ago41:29

41:29

S03E07 (#335). Lou Downe, author of Good Services and former director of design for the UK government joins us in this episode. We sat down with Lou and asked—Where is service design going wrong, and are we even doing service design? Among the topics we discussed were: The complexity of modern services and the complete reliance on infrastructure, a…

1
Dr. Jonathan Gregory: Part 2, AI and groundbreaking research 43:17

1M ago43:17

43:17

In this two part episode, we talk to Dr. Jonathan Gregory, a former NHS cancer surgeon turned healthcare innovator, to explore the intersection of data, digital tools, AI, and patient-centred design in transforming cancer pathways. With over 20 years in frontline surgery and leadership roles, Jonathan now works. as clinical advisor for Macmillan Ca…

1
Defending against evil with Aarathi Krishnan 40:39

2M ago40:39

40:39

S03E06 (#334). Aarathi Krishnan is an international aid expert, specialising in humanitarian futures and strategic foresight. In a world where the sets of rules that have governed us as humanity are rapidly changing, how will we know if the solutions that we are designing now are going to be fit for purpose? Aarathi pushes the importance of account…

1
Dr. Jonathan Gregory: Part 1, transforming cancer pathways 49:53

2M ago49:53

49:53

In this two part episode, we talk to Dr. Jonathan Gregory, a former NHS cancer surgeon turned healthcare innovator, to explore the intersection of data, digital tools, AI, and patient-centred design in transforming cancer pathways. With over 20 years in frontline surgery and leadership roles, Jonathan now works. as clinical advisor for Macmillan Ca…

1
Fail early 42:42

2M ago42:42

42:42

S03E05 (#333). A linkshow. James and Per discuss two articles they’ve stumbled on. This time we feature articles about things that slow down your website’s experience and why you can’t do anything about it plus the concept of “failing early” but not in a “failing fast” startup way. Article one is Six things that slow down your site’s UX (and why yo…

1
More systems thinking with Sheryl Cababa 48:47

2M ago48:47

48:47

S03E04 (#332). Two years on from when Sheryl Cababa released Closing The Loop, her book about systems thinking for designers, we hear Sheryls reflections and insights about what she’s learnt during that time and we grapple with the challenge of applying system thinking as designers “out of the box”. We work in a complex space, with many complex as …

1
Murky middle with Christina Joy Whittaker 38:29

3M ago38:29

38:29

S03E03 (#331). Your destiny isn’t tied to a role. You were a person before your role. Leadership expert and strategist Christina Joy Whittaker talks to us about the murky middle, a phenomenon rooted in misalignment and purpose and quite distinct from imposter syndrome which is rooted in confidence. Christina shares her personal journey from corpora…

1
The Great Amazon Heist with Oobah Butler 41:39

3M ago41:39

41:39

S03E02 (#330). Oobah Butler, journalist and filmmaker known for his prankster antics, joined us to discuss his work, including “The Great Amazon Heist” and “The Shed at Dulwich”. Oobah highlights the relative ease of manipulating algorithms, such as TripAdvisor and Amazon, to boost fake products’ rankings. We also discussed the broader implications…

1
Dr. Videha Sharma: designing for prevention through genetic testing 1:03:29

3M ago1:03:29

1:03:29

Dr. Videha Sharma—NHS doctor, clinical innovation lead at the University of Manchester, and co-founder of Fava Health—joins host, Sam Menter from Healthia®, to explore how prevention-focused care, human-centered design, and genomic insights can reshape healthcare. Dr. Sharma offers a unique perspective on the power of tailoring treatments to an ind…

1
Dark mode 36:06

4M ago36:06

36:06

S03E01 (#329). In the first episode of Season Three, James Royal-Lawson and Per Axbom discuss the concept of dark mode, its benefits, and its implications for UX design, user experience and accessibility. We delve into the European accessibility directive, and the EN 301 549 European standard which includes a section on user preferences, requiring …

1
Rochelle Gold: NHS user research, AI, collaboration and vampires 44:31

5M ago44:31

44:31

Rochelle Gold—Head of User Research and User-Centred Design at NHS England—joins host, Sam Menter from Healthia®, to explore the challenge of making digital services more human. They discuss how actionable insights from user research are delivering better outcomes for patients and healthcare professionals. From pioneering an AI-powered tool to mana…

1
68. How can AI fulfil technology's promise of making our professional lives easier, simpler and more efficient? - Noam Segal 51:51

5M ago51:51

51:51

"Although it's understandable that this technology brings all sorts of concerns and anxieties and worries with it, and I share those, by the way, as well. It's not all excitement. I really think this is going to transform the entire tech industry...And honestly, I'm really hoping that what AI brings is, it finally brings to fruition what technology…

1
67. UX Brighton 2024 - Part 2 - How are you using AI in your own work? What excites or scares you about it? - Attendees at UX Brighton 30:38

6M ago30:38

30:38

'From an internal perspective we're using AI everywhere from marketing to writing code..' 'I think because everybody is trying to get in the AI game you're just throwing things at a wall and seeing what sticks..' 'There's a good portion of my job that could be automated, so I'm just trying to get a little bit ahead of the curve..' 'My concern is th…

1
66. UX Brighton 2024 - Part 1: How can we reduce UX industry anxiety about AI? - Danny Hope, Curator @ UX Brighton 23:02

6M ago23:02

23:02

"What we're aiming to do is answer the question, what do UX practitioners need to know about AI? I want to reduce people's anxiety in the same way that my anxiety has been reduced by confronting the the subject...I'd really like people to leave the conference feeling less anxious about [AI] than they felt coming in." Danny Hope, Curator of the UX B…

1
Dr. Lia Ali: the intersection of design and healthcare 42:33

6M ago42:33

42:33

Dr. Lia Ali—consultant psychiatrist and clinical advisor at NHS England’s Transformation Directorate—joins host, Sam Menter from Healthia®, to explore the intersection of healthcare, human-centered design, and digital innovation. Dr. Ali shares her unique insights on the bio-psycho-social model and how it aligns with user-centered design to create …

1
A heartfelt update from James and Per ❤️ 2:29

9M 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
65. What do design teams need to consider when developing products for international markets?: Chui Chui Tan 40:54

10M ago40:54

40:54

Join me chatting with author and cultural expert Chui Chui Tan around researching and designing products for international markets. What do design teams need to consider to ensure the best cultural fit and customer uptake for what they're building? How can they better understand local market differences? What potential pitfalls should they watch ou…

1
Season 3 update from James and Per 2:23

11M 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... The post Season 3 update from James and Per appeared first on UX Podcast.…

1
Interviewing users with Steve Portigal 39:25

11M 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... The post …

1
The President of Iceland 40:15

12M 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... The pos…

1
64. Quantitative research: What are the pitfalls and benefits for product teams?: Ben Dressler @ Freelance Product Insights Researcher 52:01

12M ago52:01

52:01

"The only reason I sometimes shy away from the words 'qual' and 'quant' is I think they present this dichotomy that is not the full truth, right? I think people then start to think 'qual' means talking to people about fuzzy feelings and doing personas, whereas 'quant' means you sit on billions of data points and you put graphs and fancy charts out …

1
Strategic impact with Nathan Shedroff 33:28

12M 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 post Strat…

1
The rule of three with Ellen Lupton 31:22

1y 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... The post The rule of th…

1
63. Researcher Burnout: What is it? How do you spot the warning signs? And what can you do about it? 36:28

1y ago36:28

36:28

Tina Lickova is an independent researcher and service designer. She is also host of the excellent UX Research Geeks podcast. In this honest and candid episode, Tina talks with me from personal experience about professional burnout working as a researcher: what it is, how to acknowledge it, what the warning signs are and how to take action. We also …

1
Sketching workshop with Eva-Lotta Lamm 58:39

1y 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... The…

1
Change leadership with Maria Giudice 42:51

1y 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... The post Change leadership with Maria Giudic…

1
62. How do you uncover the most compelling insights when interviewing your users?: Author Steve Portigal 1:06:52

1y ago1:06:52

1:06:52

Steve Portigal is an experienced user researcher who helps organisations to build more mature user research practices. He is principal of Portigal Consulting, and the author of two books: Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries and Interviewing Users, the second edition of which is now out. He’s also the host of the Dollars to Donuts podcast. In this…

1
The right question with Meena Kothandaraman 32:50

1y 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... The post The right qu…

1
Building trust in AI with Carol Smith 35:26

1y 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..…

1
Digital Ownership with David Dylan Thomas 47:53

1y 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
Experience strategy 27:23

1+ y 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
61. What exactly is ’ResearchOps’? How can it help organisations to support research teams to understand their users better?: Julian Della Mattia @ Freelance ReOps Specialist 40:55

1+ y ago40:55

40:55

Julian Della Mattia is a UX Researcher specialised in Research Operations. He helps companies of all sizes build their user research practices from scratch. In this episode he explains the ResearchOps function, when and how it can add value to product teams, and he shares his experiences of advising and working with organisations across Europe to e…

1
Lost history with Zoë Rose 47:07

1+ y 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
60. UX Brighton 2023 - Part 3: What did those attending UX Brighton 2023 take away from the event? - Attendees @ UXBrighton 9:09

1+ y ago9:09

9:09

This time I'm chatting with some of the attendees at UX Brighton 2023, themed around Creativity and Innovation. They share with me why they came to this year's event and what they have taken away from it. I hope you enjoy the episode and find something thought-provoking here to consider in your own work. Thanks for listening. Mike Green…

1
Hidden dilemmas 31:05

1+ y 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
59. How should design leaders recruit and manage teams working on AI-based products? Chris Reardon, former Head of Product Design, Responsible AI @ Meta (Part 4) 28:35

1+ y ago28:35

28:35

"I think because of the gravitas of what AI can bring to the world in terms of social impact leaders have to be extremely humble...As a leader in this space, you have to kind of understand that you're going to have to hire people who aren't the typical employee. The other thing too - it's very important to the leadership team to hire a diverse grou…

1
58. How can UX designers and researchers safeguard their careers with the arrival of AI? Chris Reardon, former Head of Product Design, Responsible AI @ Meta (Part 3) 20:45

1+ y ago20:45

20:45

“If I think about five years from now, I would say that UX as we know it today will be radically changed....Things that deal with rote tasks are definitely going to be something of the domain of AI in the future.... [but] I think the space that we [as designers] work in is around intuition, empathy, emotion, and that's much much harder for AI. You …

1
57. What role will ethics play in designing and building AI-based systems? - Chris Reardon, former Head of Product Design, Responsible AI @ Meta (Part 2) 29:18

1+ y ago29:18

29:18

“Design is really going to be the practice of ethics in AI...Designers bring into reality these esoteric concepts, and so while an ethicist sitting next to you is helpful in the sense that they can help you think about these things, the designer's role is actually going to be how you implement those things.. We will also start to build UX AI tools …

1
56. How will AI change the make-up of digital design teams in the future? - Chris Reardon, former Head of Product Design, Responsible AI @ Meta (Part 1) 21:57

1+ y ago21:57

21:57

“I think the biggest thing is that with AI, you are definitely going to create net new roles in the in the team that you had never thought of before. And there's not going to be a playbook for that, and the HR person and the recruiter is not going to know how to help you with that and you're gonna have to figure those things out together as a team……

1
Designer accountability with Kim Goodwin 39:29

1+ y 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
55. UX Brighton 2023 - Part 2: What is happening at the intersection of creativity, innovation and AI in the design space? - The Speakers @ UX Brighton 2023 19:37

1+ y ago19:37

19:37

"Something that's colliding is definitely that sense of artificial intelligence and particularly generative AI, and what that means for creativity... I'm much more in the kind of William Morris view of the world, I think we need more thinkers and crafts people. And my positive view of AI is that it will get rid of some of the drudge work we do and …

1
Presenting design work with Ben Sauer 44:55

1+ y 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
54. DX Leeds Part 3: The Attendees | How do you see AI impacting your job role? What insights did you take away from DX Leeds 2023? 7:01

1+ y ago7:01

7:01

"Speak to your users directly and ask them specifically what their challenges are. That was that was probably the biggest takeaway [from today] for me.... I think, certainly in my [small business] sector we tend to assume rather than ask, and I think asking directly what users have feedback about, or reviewing how they how they use services or how …

1
53. UX Brighton 2023 - Part 1: How can we learn to talk comfortably and knowledgeably about creativity and innovation? - Danny Hope, Founder @ UX Brighton 15:38

1+ y ago15:38

15:38

Danny Hope is a Product Strategy Consultant and Founder of UX Brighton, a long-running annual one-day UX conference on the south coast of the UK. The theme of this year's event is Creativity and Innovation, and in this episode I chat with Danny about the kinds of talks attendees can expect and what learnings they can hope to take away to try out in…

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

1+ y 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
52. DX Leeds Part 2: The Speakers | What practical tips can attendees at the Digital Experience Leeds 2023 live event expect to take away for their own work? 26:42

1+ y ago26:42

26:42

"AI has existed for a long time. It's built into so many design tools that we use these days...It's just a case of exploring it, seeing what works for you and what doesn't - and obviously, getting a good understanding of, is this helping me or is it hindering me?" "In terms of AI, I don't know (and I don't want to know) how AI is going to affect pe…

1
51. DX Leeds Part 1: The power of in-person events & the perils of deploying AI without understanding user needs: Digital Experience Leeds live event - Andy Curry @ Lion+Mason 12:30

1+ y ago12:30

12:30

Andy Curry is Managing Director of product and design agency Lion+Mason. L+M are returning this year to the Leeds Digital Festival, an open, collaborative celebration of digital culture in all its forms held across the city. In association with Leeds Building Society, L+M are hosting an informal in-person event to hear from leading specialists disc…

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User Centred Design Podcasts

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