Whether you need to learn on the go or sit and just absorb fresh insights and information, podcasts are an excellent way to stay up to date on the world of UX—trends, best practices, new voices, seasoned wisdom, and more.
But where to start? It can take time to find the podcasts that really target your interests and that provide a trove of quality content. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of our top 11 podcasts that pack a real punch—offering useful and insightful content to boost your knowledge of the industry and fine tune your practices. We’ll even tell you a little about what each one offers so you can decide which ones to start with. Here they are!
- UX Podcast
- Google Design
- Writers in Tech
- UI Breakfast
- High Resolution
- Design Matters
- Design MBA
- 99% Invisible
- The Futur
- Ramblings of a Designer
- Revision Path
Note: All images come from the podcasts themselves, either logos/images published on their websites or social media, or as the podcasts display in Overcast.
1. UX Podcast
First up, we have UX Podcast—a twice monthly podcast hosted by James Royal-Lawson and Per Axbom. UX Podcast was created in response to “organizational silos” within the UX community- meaning a lack of adequate communication or means to share knowledge and information within UX and related fields. Founded in 2011, Axbom and Royal-Lawson’s aim was to go beyond just UX content and provide useful info for anyone with interest in the digital world- whether it be for business, tech, or design. Each episode will fit into any one of their four categories: a link show, guest show, topic show, or event show. Link shows discuss a few different cutting edge articles while guest shows focus on interviewing intriguing people in the industry. Topic shows dig deep on a single subject—covering anything from mental health, paper prototypes, inclusive/accessible design, or even the evolution of Search. Lastly, event shows keep you up to date and involved in the latest UX conferences, meetups, and workshops.
2. Google Design
This design powerhouse podcast is split into two main shows: Method, which has over 20 episodes, and Design Notes with more than 35 episodes. The Method podcast explores the career journeys of Google designers while Design Notes takes a look at the lives of designers around the globe working in diverse creative disciplines. These podcasts are great for new designers in the field to hear other peoples stories and learn how others have gotten started in the field. The Method episodes are especially helpful for those looking to start a career with Google as they offer first hand stories of Google designers, tips about the application process, and a sense of the design culture and community at Google.
3. Writers in Tech
Looking to delve into UX writing? Writers in Tech is a podcast where content strategists, UX writers, and content designers share industry tips and tricks. It features interviews with various UX writers and authors around the globe from prominent organizations like Kickstarter, Waze, Google, Intuit and more. These episodes are a wonderful listen for UX writers looking for new sources of inspiration to freshen up their work. However, other designers wanting to improve their UX writing skills or make a career transition can benefit equally from these info-heavy episodes. Furthermore, Writers in Tech is not just a podcast as the brand also offers online courses in UX writing as well as a weekly newsletter with helpful updates and insights. Writers in Tech is available for online streaming and on Apple Podcasts.
4. UI Breakfast
First aired in 2013, UI Breakfast is one-stop-shop for concise and intriguing podcasts, thought-provoking blog content, and books, guides, and tools to help UX/UI designers advance their skills. Hosted by Jane Portman, a Russian UI/UX consultant, these weekly interview style podcasts are no longer than 45 minutes and highlight exciting conversations with industry experts about UI/UX design, products, marketing, and more. UI Breakfast also offers the chance to become a podcast sponsor and highlight your brand or product on their show—a great opportunity for businesses looking to reach a wide audience as UI breakfast has over 8,000 subscribers and more than 45,000 downloads per month.
5. High Resolution
High Resolution is a unique, YouTube-based video series on product design and design thinking hosted by Bobby Ghoshal and Jared Erondu. Over a six month time period in 2017, Ghoshal and Erondu sat down with 25 masters in the industry from big-name organizations like Facebook, AirBnb, IBM, Uber, and Instagram to create 1000 hours (about the length of a good audiobook) of purposeful and relevant design content. Their episodes and interviews help listeners recognize the value of design within their own organizations, communicate design ideas with investors, business leaders, and non-designers, and show how to instill a successful design culture within their business by creating team members who confidently use the design process to solve problems.
6. Design Matters
Design Matters is considered the first and longest-running design podcast in the world. The show’s biggest allure lies in its host, Debbie Millman. Millman is a gifted designer, six-book author, educator, and brand strategist with an impressive background and portfolio. She has been published by numerous publications including New York Magazine and The New York Times and was named one of the most influential designers by Graphic Design USA. Millman started the Design Matters podcast with the intention of asking her “heroes” everything she’s ever wanted to know about them. Since its birth in 2005, the show has shared the brilliance of over 300 designers, actors, writers, journalists, chefs, cultural commentators, and more.
7. Design MBA
This podcast is all about combining the world of business with the world of product design. Host and designer Jayneil Dalal, created Design MBA, a no-cost MBA program for designers, to make learning about business concepts more accessible for creatives. His episodes uncover what it takes for product designers to launch their own business ventures and how to adopt a mindset for success. Dalal interviews “design hustlers” from all over the world and discusses topics such as mastering finance, applying design thinking to daily life, dealing with difficult colleagues, and even how to start your own podcast or sell your own course!
8. 99% Invisible
This independently produced radio show’s edge comes from it’s quirky host Roman Mars, an ex-plant population geneticist with a curious approach to the world around him. Three years after 99% Invisible’s launch in 2010, Roman Mars was named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in 2013 and has hosted over 350 episodes since covering topics within the categories of architecture, sound, cities, infrastructure, objects, visuals, technology, and history. 99% Invisible is a real grassroots project funded completely by it’s listeners, Kickstarter donations, and podcast underwriters. The episodes delve into “all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about—the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.”
9. The Futur
The Futur is an online education platform founded by Chris Do, an Emmy winning designer and director and CEO of Blind, a prominent brand strategy design consultancy. The Futur’s mission of “teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love” is highlighted in their podcast series that provides entertaining yet significant insight into how creativity, business, and humanity intersect. Listeners can pretty much click on any random episode and be sure to walk away better informed. Do’s thought-provoking questions go beyond the surface level and delve into all the ways in which creativity can be fostered and business streamlined. Though famed and celebrated within the higher ranks of the design community, Do’s humble and enthusiastic tone shows he is just as interested in his esteemed guests as the listeners.
10. Ramblings of a Designer
Ramblings of a Designer is a weekly podcast that covers the latest graphic design news from around the web. Hosted by UX/UI designer Terri Rodriguez-Hong and front-end developer Laszlo Lazuer, this podcast merges the worlds of design and development in a really exciting way. The episodes feature interviews with credible and inspiring designers as well as insightful article discussions on the latest design topics. Ramblings of a Designer also specializes in portfolio reviews with a guest designer from the industry, a front-end engineer, and a recruiter so listeners can hear feedback from multiple, important viewpoints. This podcast is completely Patreon supported and has over 100 episodes of intriguing and useful content.
11. Revision Path
This award-winning, weekly podcast is all about inclusion and representation in the design community. Based out of Atlanta, Revision Path showcases Black designers and developers from all over the world, sharing over 350 stories from software developers, indie game developers, presentation specialists, UX developers, entrepreneurs, creative directors, art directors, illustrators, and animators of color since its inception in 2013. Tuning in to these in-depth interviews, listeners will have access to weekly job listings, cutting-edge design topics, and learn about a variety of creatives achievements, goals, and inspirations within the design world. Amidst various other awards, Revision Path is also the first podcast to be added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The world of design is constantly shifting and transforming as novice and seasoned creatives use their ingenuity to revamp old concepts and birth completely new ones. The above podcasts are a great way to watch the culture of design grow, adapt, and reshape the world around us. Just a few minutes of listening a week can help spark your design thinking mind and provide insights into the best ways to improve your skills as a designer.
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