Design Better
212 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 8 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
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Dan Pink: Why collaboration is the key to being persuasive
May 25, 2021 08:00 - 44 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/dan-pink To Sell is Human. That’s the title of one of Dan Pink’s books, and also the foundational concept for his recent Masterclass on persuasion. Dan is also the bestselling author of books like When, Drive, and A Whole New Mind, and we sat down with him to discuss how we’re all tasked with selling something in our day-to-day roles, and why collaboration is the key to being persuasive. We chat with Dan about creating meaningful connections in a ...
Dan Pink: Creating meaningful connections
May 25, 2021 08:00 - 44 minutes - 101 MBTo Sell is Human. That’s the title of one of Dan Pink’s books, and also the foundational concept for his recent Masterclass on persuasion. Dan is also the bestselling author of books like When, Drive, and A Whole New Mind, and we sat down with him to discuss how we’re all tasked with selling something in our day-to-day roles, and why collaboration is the key to being persuasive. We chat with Dan about creating meaningful connections in a Zoom-dominated workplace, and giving teams a sense o...
Netflix's Steve Johnson and Rochelle King: Making great stories accessible
February 23, 2021 21:51 - 51 minutes - 122 MBIf you’re anything like us, you’ve been watching more than your fair share of Netflix this past year. And with such great original content, from The Queen’s Gambit to more obscure shows like Midnight Diner, we were curious what it takes from a product design perspective to create and deliver these shows to a massive audience, in a way that’s accessible not only to audiences here in the US, but all around the world. So we sat down to chat with Steve Johnson, Vice President of Design, and Ro...
Steve Johnson and Rochelle King: How Netflix designs for a global audience
February 23, 2021 21:51 - 52 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/steve-johnson-rochelle-king If you’re anything like us, you’ve been watching more than your fair share of Netflix this past year. And with such great original content, from The Queen’s Gambit to more obscure shows like Midnight Diner, we were curious what it takes from a product design perspective to create and deliver these shows to a massive audience, in a way that’s accessible not only to audiences here in the US, but all around the world. So w...
Apple TV+ Home’s Doug Pray and Matt Weaver: Designing spaces that change behavior and create opportunity
February 09, 2021 09:00 - 42 minutes - 100 MBOf the designed objects we interact with on a daily basis, our homes are probably the most influential on the way we live our lives. In Apple’s new series Home, the creators investigate the ways that some of the world’s most imaginative dwellings help their occupants reframe the way they live and work. In this episode, we chat with Matt Weaver and Doug Pray, who are both executive producers for the show. Matt also produced several other notable documentaries, including Chef’s Table and Jir...
Doug Pray and Matt Weaver: Apple TV+ Home and how spaces change our behavior
February 09, 2021 09:00 - 43 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/matt-weaver-doug-pray Of the designed objects we interact with on a daily basis, our homes are probably the most influential on the way we live our lives. In Apple’s new series Home, the creators investigate the ways that some of the world’s most imaginative dwellings help their occupants reframe the way they live and work. In this episode, we chat with Matt Weaver and Doug Pray, who are both executive producers for the show. Matt also produced se...
John Cleese: A cheerful guide to creativity
January 26, 2021 09:00 - 34 minutes - 83.4 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...
Jason Mayden: Air Jordan design and a brush with death that shaped a career
January 12, 2021 09:00 - 44 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jason-mayden As we head into a new year—and leave behind a year that was challenging for just about everyone on the planet, with the hope that this year will be better for all—we wanted to share an interview with one of the most optimistic, creative, and insightful people we know: designer, entrepreneur, and educator Jason Mayden. When we first interviewed Jason in 2018 for one of our Design Better Conversations, we knew we had to get him on the p...
Logitech's Jason Mayden: Leading with curiosity and humility
January 12, 2021 09:00 - 43 minutes - 104 MBAs we head into a new year—and leave behind a year that was challenging for just about everyone on the planet, with the hope that this year will be better for all—we wanted to share an interview with one of the most optimistic, creative, and insightful people we know: designer, entrepreneur, and educator Jason Mayden. When we first interviewed Jason in 2018 for one of our Design Better Conversations, we knew we had to get him on the podcast. He had such a unique perspective on design as a...
Brian Chesky: Airbnb’s co-founder on designing for trust
December 15, 2020 09:00 - 46 minutesShow notes: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/brian-chesky It all started with a box of cereal. Well, that’s not exactly the beginning, but when Brian Chesky and his roommates had maxed out their credit cards while starting up what would become Airbnb, they had a crazy idea to continue funding the company by designing and selling limited-edition cereal boxes during the 2008 presidential election, and call them Obama O’s & Captain McCain. Now, 12 years later Airbnb just made its initial public...