Design Better
222 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 5 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 286 ratingsDesign Better co-hosts Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter explore the intersection of design, technology, and the creative process through conversations with inspiring guests across many creative fields. Whether you’re design curious or a design pro, Design Better is guaranteed to inspire and inform. Episodes are released semi-weekly. Vanity Fair calls Design Better, “sharp, to the point, and full of incredibly valuable information for anyone looking to better understand how to build a more innovative world.”
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Episodes
Sheena Iyengar: Choose to think bigger
May 09, 2023 22:12 - 40 minutes - 56.7 MBWe may not think about it all that often, but the choices that we make often end up defining who we become. Dr. Sheena Iyengar, the S.T. Lee Professor of Business at the Columbia Business School, makes the psychology of choice and decision-making the focus of much of her research. She wrote a best-selling book called The Art of Choosing, and just published a new book called Think Bigger. We talk about Sheena’s new book, and dive into why decision-making has become a focus of her career. We...
Matt Mullenweg: WordPress, AI, and jazz
April 25, 2023 11:00 - 1 hourShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/matt-mullenweg-wordpress-ai-and-jazz Matt Mullenweg started out as a jazz saxophonist, and went on to create WordPress, which is the platform behind an astonishing 42% of the websites in the world. We chat with Matt about his journey from musician to developer to entrepreneur, his perspective on distributed work, and his thoughts on the transformative capabilities of the latest generation of Generative Artificial Intelligence. We also come back to...
Kevin Bethune: Innovation lessons from a nuclear engineer turned Air Jordan designer
April 11, 2023 11:00 - 48 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/kevin-bethune-reimagining-design Not many people can say they’ve gone from being a nuclear engineer to helping design Air Jordans at Nike. But that’s part of Kevin Bethune’s story, and today we chat with him about his journey from engineering to design. Kevin also published a best-selling book last year called Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation. We talk about what he hoped to learn from writing the book, and discuss a critique of d...
Kevin Bethune: Reimagining design
April 11, 2023 11:00 - 48 minutes - 67.2 MBNot many people can say they’ve gone from being a nuclear engineer to helping design Air Jordans at Nike. But that’s part of Kevin Bethune’s story, and today we chat with him about his journey from engineering to design. Kevin also published a best-selling book last year called Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation. We talk about what he hoped to learn from writing the book, and discuss a critique of design thinking, the role of rigor in creativity, and the rewards and challen...
Tony Fadell: How to build the future
March 28, 2023 11:00 - 53 minutes - 73.8 MBFor many of us, being the co-creator of two of the most transformative products of the early 21st century—the iPod and iPhone—would be enough for one career. But Tony Fadell was just getting started. After his time at Apple, Tony went on to start Nest Labs, known for its smart home products like thermostats and fire alarms, which sold to Google for over 3 billion dollars. He’s authored more than 300 patents, and with his newest venture, the Build Collective, he’s investing time and money t...
Tony Fadell: iPhone inventor on how to build the future
March 28, 2023 11:00 - 55 minutesShow 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 transformative products of the early 21st century—the iPod and iPhone—would be enough for one career. But Tony Fadell was just getting started. After his time at Apple, Tony went on to start Nest Labs, known for its smart home products like thermostats and fire alarms, which sold to Google for over 3 billion dollars. He’s authored more than 300 patents, and...
Judy and Daniel Wert: Surviving the tech layoffs
March 14, 2023 11:00 - 50 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/judy-and-daniel-wert-challenging It’s a challenging time in tech right now. Chances are, if you haven’t been directly affected by the layoffs, you know someone—or many people—who have. In today’s episode, we’re welcoming back Judy Wert, along with her son and colleague Daniel. At their executive search firm Wert & Co, they’ve guided many leaders through navigating career changes. We discuss the layoffs, and strategies for dealing with changes in ...
Judy and Daniel Wert: Challenging times in tech
March 14, 2023 11:00 - 48 minutes - 67.4 MBIt’s a challenging time in tech right now. Chances are, if you haven’t been directly affected by the layoffs, you know someone—or many people—who have. In today’s episode, we’re welcoming back Judy Wert, along with her son and colleague Daniel. At their executive search firm Wert & Co, they’ve guided many leaders through navigating career changes. We discuss the layoffs, and strategies for dealing with changes in your own career when the environment is as difficult as it is right now. W...
Tina Seelig: Constraints drive creativity
November 17, 2022 17:23 - 43 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/tina-seelig-constraints-drive-creativity What is the difference between creativity and innovation? What does it take to find your superpowers? How can you become open to embracing failure to learn and grow? Tina Seelig, Executive Director of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford, has spent a large part of her career answering questions like these, while studying and teaching creativity, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Tina has a PhD i...
Meredith Black: DesignOps has become essential
October 18, 2022 15:49 - 41 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/meredith-black-a-new-era-of-designops Design Operations, or “Design Ops,” is entering a new era. No longer the new kid on the block, it’s becoming a required discipline in many design organizations. We wanted to catch up to see where design ops is now, so who better to chat with than Meredith Black, a guest from our second season back in 2018. After leaving Pinterest, where she was head of Design Operations, Meredith co-founded the DesignOps Assem...
Meredith Black: A new era of DesignOps
October 18, 2022 15:49 - 41 minutes - 57.2 MBDesign Operations, or “Design Ops,” is entering a new era. No longer the new kid on the block, it’s becoming a required discipline in many design organizations. We wanted to catch up to see where design ops is now, so who better to chat with than Meredith Black, a guest from our second season back in 2018. After leaving Pinterest, where she was head of Design Operations, Meredith co-founded the DesignOps Assembly, which focuses on fostering community, offering educational opportunities, sh...
Greg Hoffman: Creativity is a team sport
August 30, 2022 16:19 - 43 minutes - 59.4 MBThere is probably no better training ground than Nike to learn about creativity as a team sport, and Greg Hoffman, former Chief Marketing Officer of Nike, shares this lesson—along with many other valuable insights—in his new book, Emotion by Design. In this episode, we chat with Greg about how his childhood shaped the way he thinks about creativity and collaboration, how working in inspiring spaces can influence your work (and how you might accomplish that in a remote environment), and abo...
Greg Hoffman: Nike CMO on the role of emotion in design
August 30, 2022 16:19 - 46 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/greg-hoffman There is probably no better training ground than Nike to learn about creativity as a team sport, and Greg Hoffman, former Chief Marketing Officer of Nike, shares this lesson—along with many other valuable insights—in his new book, Emotion by Design. In this episode, we chat with Greg about how his childhood shaped the way he thinks about creativity and collaboration, how working in inspiring spaces can influence your work (and how you...
Felecia Hatcher: Moments of enchantment
August 08, 2022 20:20 - 45 minutes - 61.8 MBOften it’s the little things, and not the flashy technology or slick user interface that make a product or experience memorable. The handwritten note from customer service, or the humorous quote that pops up as you’re waiting for a screen to load. Our guest today, Felecia Hatcher, calls these “moments of enchantment,” and she advocates for more opportunities for a human touch, as artificial intelligence and machine learning push us in the opposite direction. Felecia is the CEO of Black Amb...
Felecia Hatcher: Black Ambition CEO on entrepreneurship and working with Pharrell Williams
August 08, 2022 20:20 - 45 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/felicia-hatcher Often it’s the little things, and not the flashy technology or slick user interface that make a product or experience memorable. The handwritten note from customer service, or the humorous quote that pops up as you’re waiting for a screen to load. Our guest today, Felecia Hatcher, calls these “moments of enchantment,” and she advocates for more opportunities for a human touch, as artificial intelligence and machine learning push us...
Rewind: Seth Godin: Learning to take risks, be generous, and make a ruckus
July 06, 2022 10:59 - 43 minutes - 60.3 MBIf you don’t know who Seth Godin is, just type “Seth” into Google or DuckDuckGo. The first entry will lead you to his blog, where he writes—every day—about marketing, design, writing, how being a better human will make you better at your job. Once you’ve started to read his blog, you’ll probably be hungry for more of his wisdom. He’s written over eighteen bestselling books on business and marketing, including Linchpin, Purple Cow, and The Dip. We’ve been following Seth for a long time, a...
Seth Godin, Rewind: Learning to take risks, be generous, and make a ruckus
July 06, 2022 10:59 - 43 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/seth-godin If you don’t know who Seth Godin is, just type “Seth” into Google or DuckDuckGo. The first entry will lead you to his blog, where he writes—every day—about marketing, design, writing, how being a better human will make you better at your job. Once you’ve started to read his blog, you’ll probably be hungry for more of his wisdom. He’s written over eighteen bestselling books on business and marketing, including Linchpin, Purple Cow, and T...
Dr. Sian Proctor: Building common languages
June 21, 2022 17:03 - 27 minutes - 42.7 MBIf you’re looking for an inspiring human being, it would be hard to beat Dr. Sian Proctor. Dr. Proctor is a geoscientist, and also an artist and poet who uses her afro-futurist space art to encourage conversations about women of color in the space industry. For 21 years, she taught geology, sustainability, and planetary science. She also happens to be an astronaut(!), and was the mission pilot for the Inspiration4 all-civilian orbital mission to space. Her call sign “Leo” was eaned from he...
Dr. Sian Proctor: SpaceX astronaut on imposter syndrome
June 21, 2022 17:03 - 29 minutesShow 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. Dr. Proctor is a geoscientist, and also an artist and poet who uses her afro-futurist space art to encourage conversations about women of color in the space industry. For 21 years, she taught geology, sustainability, and planetary science. She also happens to be an astronaut(!), and was the mission pilot for the Inspiration4 all-civilian orbital...
IBM’s Katrina Alcorn: Developing partnerships
June 07, 2022 08:00 - 44 minutes - 61.2 MBIf you lead a team of over 700 people, what skills would you need to bring to the table to help them collaborate effectively? In today’s episode, we chat with Katrina Alcorn, General Manager of Design at IBM, about how she develops partnerships across her organization to resolve conflicts and get aligned. We also talk to Katrina about the challenges that large teams face in remote and hybrid environments, how her training in journalism influences her work as a leader, and what she learned ab...
Katrina Alcorn: IBM’s head of design on why partnerships are essential
June 07, 2022 08:00 - 44 minutesShow 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 to help them collaborate effectively? In today’s episode, we chat with Katrina Alcorn, General Manager of Design at IBM, about how she develops partnerships across her organization to resolve conflicts and get aligned. We also talk to Katrina about the challenges that large teams face in remote and hybrid environments, how her training in journal...
Nir Eyal: How to be Indistractable
May 24, 2022 15:47 - 37 minutes - 51.9 MBYou’re sitting at your desk, trying to do some deep work—finishing up a presentation, writing some code, sketching out a new interface—and you hear a noise. It’s the familiar knock of Slack, or the chime of your e-mail inbox. All of a sudden, you’re taken away from a state of flow and into an attempt to multi-task, which is the enemy of getting things done. By some estimates, distractions cost the US economy more than $650 billion dollars a year in lost productivity. And Nir Eyal, bestsell...
Nir Eyal: How to be indistractable
May 24, 2022 15:47 - 38 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/nir-eyal You’re sitting at your desk, trying to do some deep work—finishing up a presentation, writing some code, sketching out a new interface—and you hear a noise. It’s the familiar knock of Slack, or the chime of your e-mail inbox. All of a sudden, you’re taken away from a state of flow and into an attempt to multi-task, which is the enemy of getting things done. By some estimates, distractions cost the US economy more than $650 billion dollars...
Detria Williamson: Making collaboration more inclusive
May 10, 2022 07:00 - 36 minutes - 50.7 MBIn an interview with the Wall Street Journal last year, Detria Williamson, former Chief Marketing Officer of IDEO, said that “diversity can be engineered and inclusion cannot.” In this episode, we dive deeper into that statement, and also ask Detria what roadblocks she encountered over the course of her career—from working as a head of marketing in Dubai, to her most recent role at IDEO. We also ask her about what it means when design becomes commoditized, and how remote and hybrid work impa...
Detria Williamson: IDEO CMO on making collaboration more inclusive
May 10, 2022 07:00 - 37 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/detria-williamson In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last year, Detria Williamson, former Chief Marketing Officer of IDEO, said that “diversity can be engineered and inclusion cannot.” In this episode, we dive deeper into that statement, and also ask Detria what roadblocks she encountered over the course of her career—from working as a head of marketing in Dubai, to her most recent role at IDEO. We also ask her about what it means when d...
Guy Kawasaki: Being Remarkable
April 26, 2022 07:00 - 40 minutes - 55.8 MBGuy Kawasaki has certainly had a remarkable career. From gaining popularity as the Chief Evangelist at Apple for the Macintosh computer in the 1980’s, to authoring fifteen books, to hosting the Remarkable People podcast, Guy has made a habit of trying new things During our conversation with Guy, we talk about why it’s important to be able to make a sale, no matter what your role is. We discuss the start of his career at Apple, and how he got developers to write software for a relatively unkn...
Guy Kawasaki: Lessons from Apple's early days
April 26, 2022 07:00 - 41 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/guy-kawasaki Guy Kawasaki has certainly had a remarkable career. From gaining popularity as the Chief Evangelist at Apple for the Macintosh computer in the 1980’s, to authoring fifteen books, to hosting the Remarkable People podcast, Guy has made a habit of trying new things During our conversation with Guy, we talk about why it’s important to be able to make a sale, no matter what your role is. We discuss the start of his career at Apple, and how...
John Cleese, Rewind: Monty Python's cheerful guide to creativity
December 07, 2021 09:00 - 34 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/john-cleese The Ministry of Silly Walks. The Cheese Shop. French Taunting. If you haven’t seen any of these Monty Python sketches before, do us a favor and go watch one or two of them. You’ll discover—or re-discover—why our guest for this episode is a creative comic legend. John Cleese starred in and co-wrote the award-winning series Fawlty Towers, was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of A Fish Called Wanda, and even has a species...
Rewind: John Cleese: A cheerful guide to creativity
December 07, 2021 09:00 - 34 minutes - 47.6 MBThe Ministry of Silly Walks. The Cheese Shop. French Taunting. If you haven’t seen any of these Monty Python sketches before, do us a favor and go watch one or two of them. You’ll discover—or re-discover—why our guest for this episode is a creative comic legend. John Cleese starred in and co-wrote the award-winning series Fawlty Towers, was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of A Fish Called Wanda, and even has a species of lemur named after him (Cleese’s wooly lemur, Avahi...
Eileen Fisher: How design principles and systems guide a clothing company
November 09, 2021 09:00 - 42 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/rewind-eileen-fisher-embracing-imperfect In his book The Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda says that “simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.” Our final guest this season, Eileen Fisher, is a master at making the simple, meaningful. Eileen is the founder of her eponymous and iconic fashion brand Eileen Fisher, Inc., which is known for its ethical & sustainable practices, and elegant yet simple clothing. She started the...
Eileen Fisher: Embracing imperfect newness
November 09, 2021 09:00 - 42 minutes - 97 MBIn his book The Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda says that “simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.” Our final guest this season, Eileen Fisher, is a master at making the simple, meaningful. Eileen is the founder of her eponymous and iconic fashion brand Eileen Fisher, Inc., which is known for its ethical & sustainable practices, and elegant yet simple clothing. She started the company in 1984, and grew it from her first sale of $3000, to annual revenue of ove...
Robin Petravic: Midcentury modern design principles and Heath Ceramics
October 26, 2021 08:00 - 42 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/robin-petravic If you’re a fan of architecture and design, you’re probably familiar with the mid-century modern movement. It brought a simple, clean aesthetic inspired by the Bauhaus and International movements to the US. Heath Ceramics, founded by Edith Heath in 1948 and influenced by mid-century modern principles, is still making beautiful hand-crafted tableware and architectural tile in Sausalito, California. We wanted to chat with Heath’s cur...
Robin Petravic: Honoring the people behind the products at Heath Ceramics
October 26, 2021 08:00 - 41 minutes - 95.5 MBIf you’re a fan of architecture and design, you’re probably familiar with the mid-century modern movement. It brought a simple, clean aesthetic inspired by the Bauhaus and International movements to the US. Heath Ceramics, founded by Edith Heath in 1948 and influenced by mid-century modern principles, is still making beautiful hand-crafted tableware and architectural tile in Sausalito, California. We wanted to chat with Heath’s current owner, Robin Petravic, to find out how they approach ...
Spotify’s Vicki Tan: Learning from new voices
September 28, 2021 08:00 - 47 minutes - 108 MBVicki Tan has worked at companies that change the way we travel, think about our mental health, and access music from around the globe. To each of these roles she has brought her background in psychology, to better understand the needs of the people using these products. We chat with Vicki about some of the things she has learned over the course of her career, from Lyft to Headspace to Spotify, the ways that the pandemic has changed her work and her creative process, and how her team does ...
Vicki Tan: Spotify's design process and finding your purpose
September 28, 2021 08:00 - 46 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/spotifys-vicki-tan-learning-from Vicki Tan has worked at companies that change the way we travel, think about our mental health, and access music from around the globe. To each of these roles she has brought her background in psychology, to better understand the needs of the people using these products. We chat with Vicki about some of the things she has learned over the course of her career, from Lyft to Headspace to Spotify, the ways that the pa...
Judy Wert: Negotiating salary and navigating career changes
September 14, 2021 08:00 - 39 minutesShow 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 fortunate enough to have kept our jobs, it’s also caused many of us to question why we do what we do, and wonder if there are ways we could have a more positive influence on the world. We thought it would be great to speak with Judy Wert, co-founder of the executive search agency Wert & Co, who has guided many leaders through navigating career cha...
Judy Wert: Navigating career changes
September 14, 2021 08:00 - 40 minutes - 92.6 MBThe way that we work has been disrupted by the global pandemic, and for those of us who are fortunate enough to have kept our jobs, it’s also caused many of us to question why we do what we do, and wonder if there are ways we could have a more positive influence on the world. We thought it would be great to speak with Judy Wert, co-founder of the executive search agency Wert & Co, who has guided many leaders through navigating career changes, and who shares her perspective on knowing when ...
Rewind: Airbnb’s Benjamin Evans on the power of inclusive design
August 31, 2021 17:20 - 48 minutes - 67.3 MBBenjamin Evans, Inclusive Design Lead for Airbnb, is part of a new kind of problem solvers tackling issues like racism, sexism, and bias in digital product design. In this episode of the Design Better Podcast, Eli and Aarron chat with Benjamin about using techniques like design thinking, research, and storytelling to ensure a more inclusive experience for all your users.
Benjamin Evans, Rewind: Inclusive design at Airbnb
August 31, 2021 17:20 - 49 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/benjamin-evans Benjamin Evans, Inclusive Design Lead for Airbnb, is part of a new kind of problem solvers tackling issues like racism, sexism, and bias in digital product design. In this episode of the Design Better Podcast, Eli and Aarron chat with Benjamin about using techniques like design thinking, research, and storytelling to ensure a more inclusive experience for all your users. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Scott Berkun: How design makes the world
August 17, 2021 08:00 - 47 minutesShow 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 tried explaining it to your parents, but they just respond by asking you to fix their printer. If that’s the case, then Scott Berkun has written a book for you, to give to them. It’s called How Design Makes the World, and it’s a great beginner’s guide to how design shapes just about everything we interact with in modern society, for better or for wo...
Ford’s Sandy Fershee: Driving innovation with human-centered design
August 03, 2021 08:00 - 38 minutes - 88.5 MBThe most innovative electric car announced in 2021 was not a Tesla, but a Ford. The new Ford F-150 Lightning, a fully electric version of the best-selling vehicle in America for the past 30 years, is the culmination of thorough user research and fresh thinking on a familiar product. We were curious to learn how design and innovation are playing a role in Ford’s transformation, so we’re excited to bring Sandy Fershee, lab director at D-Ford Detroit, on to the show. Sandy talks about her ...
Sandy Fershee: How design thinking is transforming Ford
August 03, 2021 08:00 - 37 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/sandy-fershee The most innovative electric car announced in 2021 was not a Tesla, but a Ford. The new Ford F-150 Lightning, a fully electric version of the best-selling vehicle in America for the past 30 years, is the culmination of thorough user research and fresh thinking on a familiar product. We were curious to learn how design and innovation are playing a role in Ford’s transformation, so we’re excited to bring Sandy Fershee, lab director at ...
Chris Kemp: CEO of rocket maker Astra on collaborating on challenging problems
July 20, 2021 08:00 - 43 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/chris-kemp Over 50 years after humans first landed on the moon, it’s still extremely difficult—and expensive—to get anything into orbit. But imagine if there were a more affordable way to give scientists and entrepreneurs access to space. We could develop more efficient agriculture to feed people more affordably and sustainably, or more closely monitor the evolution of dangerous storm patterns to save lives. The company Astra is on a mission to do...
Astra CEO Chris Kemp: Bringing talent into your orbit
July 20, 2021 08:00 - 44 minutes - 101 MBOver 50 years after humans first landed on the moon, it’s still extremely difficult—and expensive—to get anything into orbit. But imagine if there were a more affordable way to give scientists and entrepreneurs access to space. We could develop more efficient agriculture to feed people more affordably and sustainably, or more closely monitor the evolution of dangerous storm patterns to save lives. The company Astra is on a mission to do just that, by creating a lower-cost platform that off...
Rewind: Julie Zhuo: Learning to manage like a leader
July 06, 2021 08:00 - 53 minutes - 73.2 MBListen as Julie Zhuo, VP of Product Design at Facebook and author of The Making of a Manager, recalls some of her earliest professional experiences at one of the fastest growing companies on the planet. She reveals how she got her start and grew to be a highly influential design leader renowned for building top-notch teams. Julie talks about the difference between leading and managing, and shares personal examples that can help you advance your career. Bio Julie Zhuo is one of Silicon V...
Julie Zhuo, Rewind: Facebook's VP of Product Design on what she got right and wrong as a leader
July 06, 2021 08:00 - 53 minutesShow 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, recalls some of her earliest professional experiences at one of the fastest growing companies on the planet. She reveals how she got her start and grew to be a highly influential design leader renowned for building top-notch teams. Julie talks about the difference between leading and managing, and shares personal examples that can help you adva...
Rosanne Somerson: A look inside RISD, one of America’s premier design schools
June 22, 2021 08:00 - 46 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/rosanne-somerson In its 144-year history, the Rhode Island School of Design—also known as RISD—has graduated numerous notable designers and creatives, from graphic designers Shepard Fairey and Tobias Frere-Jones, to painter Kara Walker, to cartoonist Roz Chast, to Airbnb co-founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia. Rosanne Somerson became president of RISD in 2015 after a distinguished teaching career there (and after John Maeda’s departure). We speak...
RISD President Rosanne Somerson: Transformation through education
June 22, 2021 08:00 - 45 minutes - 106 MBIn its 144-year history, the Rhode Island School of Design—also known as RISD—has graduated numerous notable designers and creatives, from graphic designers Shepard Fairey and Tobias Frere-Jones, to painter Kara Walker, to cartoonist Roz Chast, to Airbnb co-founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia. Rosanne Somerson became president of RISD in 2015 after a distinguished teaching career there (and after John Maeda’s departure). We speak with her about some of the common traits of RISDs most succ...
Sara Seager: What the search for exoplanets can teach us about collaboration
June 08, 2021 08:00 - 36 minutesShow 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 visible to the naked eye, it’s hard not to wonder, “are there other planets like ours out there?” Our guest for this episode, Professor Sara Seager, is on a mission to discover potentially habitable planets outside our solar system. Sara is an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at MIT, and to discover these exoplanets, she relies not only on he...
Sara Seager: Pushing boundaries through collaboration
June 08, 2021 08:00 - 36 minutes - 84.5 MBIf you’re lucky enough to look up into a clear night sky and see the thousands of stars visible to the naked eye, it’s hard not to wonder, “are there other planets like ours out there?” Our guest for this episode, Professor Sara Seager, is on a mission to discover potentially habitable planets outside our solar system. Sara is an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at MIT, and to discover these exoplanets, she relies not only on her own brilliance—she’s the recipient of a Macarthur Fel...