Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Informed Life
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epilogue | 29 Dec 2024 | 00:41:54 | |
In this final episode, I reflect on things I learned by producing the show. Photo by Diego Jimenez on Unsplash. | |||
| Peter Morville on Exit Interview, part 2 | 15 Dec 2024 | 00:32:37 | |
Peter Morville is a pioneer of information architecture. He co-authored Information Architecture for the World-Wide Web, the classic O’Reilly “polar bear” book on the subject. In our previous conversation, I interviewed Peter about a big change in his life. In this interview, we turn the tables: he interviews me about a big change to this show. | |||
| Peter Morville on Exit Interview, part 1 | 01 Dec 2024 | 00:51:03 | |
Peter Morville is a pioneer of information architecture. He co-authored Information Architecture for the World-Wide Web, the classic O’Reilly “polar bear” book on the subject. This is Peter’s third appearance on the show. I asked him back because I wanted to learn about his decision to retire from IA consulting. This is the first of two conversations with Peter about navigating big changes. | |||
| Joe Natoli on The UX Team of One | 17 Nov 2024 | 00:37:57 | |
Joe Natoli is a renowned UX design consultant, advisor, and educator. Now, he’s collaborated with Leah Buley on a new edition of her classic book, The User Experience Team of One. That is the subject of our conversation. | |||
| Andy Budd on The Growth Equation | 03 Nov 2024 | 00:41:32 | |
Andy Budd co-founded pioneering UX design agency Clearleft. After leading and growing that company, he became an advisor, VC, and coach. He’s now written a book on how early stage startups can benefit from good design. That is the focus of our conversation. | |||
| Karen McGrane on Content Management | 20 Oct 2024 | 00:41:09 | |
Karen McGrane describes herself as a “UX multi-hyphenate”: information architect, content strategist, technical communicator, accessibility advocate, and more. She’s co-founder of Autogram, a content management and design system consultancy, and author of two classic books on content strategy. In this conversation, we focus on how AI might affect content management on the web. See full show notes: | |||
| Scott Berkun on Why Design is Hard | 06 Oct 2024 | 00:36:03 | |
Scott Berkun is the bestselling author of nine books on design, innovation, remote work, and more. His most recent book, Why Design Is Hard, is the second of a pair on why design makes a difference and how designers can best go about it. That is the focus of today’s conversation. | |||
| Tamsen Webster on Communicating Change | 22 Sep 2024 | 00:39:52 | |
Tamsen Webster describes herself as “part message designer, part English-to-English translator, and part magpie.” She is also a consultant and author who helps leaders enact large-scale change. Her latest book, Say What They Can’t Unhear, explains how to drive lasting change through effective communication. That is the focus of our conversation. | |||
| Luc Beaudoin on Hookmark | 08 Sep 2024 | 00:40:56 | |
Dr. Luc Beaudoin is the co-founder and CEO of CogSci Apps, the developers of a brilliant Mac productivity tool called Hookmark. He is also an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and author of two books on using cognitive science to improve productivity. In this conversation, we discuss the origins and philosophy of Hookmark, the concept of ubiquitous linking and how it improves productivity, the importance of deep focus for knowledge work, how to reduce friction in information management, how cognitive science can help you work more effectively, and the importance of deliberate practice for knowledge workers. Whether you’re a student, academic, or professional, this conversation offers valuable tips and strategies for using this powerful tool to streamline your workflows and help with your focus. | |||
| Chris Risdon on Service Design | 25 Aug 2024 | 00:43:02 | |
Chris Risdon is a Senior Staff Designer at eBay. Chris describes himself as an interaction designer that tends to look through a service design lens. Alongside his co-author Patrick Quattlebaum, Chris wrote Orchestrating Experiences, which is an excellent guide to the practice of service design. In this conversation, we unpack service design: what it is, how it benefits organizations, and how it might be changing in light of new technologies like AI. | |||
| Jodi Forlizzi on Designing With AI | 11 Aug 2024 | 00:46:00 | |
Jodi Forlizzi is the Herbert A. Simon Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Forlizzi has a distinguished career as a service designer, researcher, design leader, and academic. In this conversation, we discuss the changing role of design in the face of disruptive new technologies such as AI. | |||
| Greg Petroff on the State of Design | 28 Jul 2024 | 00:41:35 | |
Greg Petroff is a renowned executive design leader. He’s built and led design teams for companies like GE, Google, Compass, and Cisco. In this conversation, we discuss the state of design and how designers can have more relevance in today’s changing environment. | |||
| Colin Eagan and Jeffrey MacIntyre on Personalization | 14 Jul 2024 | 00:43:38 | |
My guests today are Colin Eagan and Jeffrey MacIntyre. Although they work for different companies, Colin and Jeffrey share a common focus: how information technologies might offer more personalized experiences. They co-authored an article on the subject for A List Apart and Jeffrey gave an excellent presentation based on that material at this year’s IA Conference, which led to this interview. | |||
| Harry Max on Prioritization | 30 Jun 2024 | 00:46:13 | |
Harry Max is an executive player coach with a long trajectory in Silicon Valley. Through his consultancy, he helps senior leaders and their teams realize their visions by zeroing in on pragmatic solutions to complex challenges. And on that note, Harry’s written a new book, called Managing Priorities, that teaches leaders how to do just that. You can buy Harry’s book from Rosenfeld Media. Use discount code INFORMED20 for 20% off until July 30, 2024. Disclaimer: I received a copy of Harry’s book from Rosenfeld Media for review purposes. | |||
| Stéphanie Walter on Neurospicy | 16 Jun 2024 | 00:39:43 | |
Stéphanie Walter is a UX researcher and designer based in Luxembourg. She’s prolific in sharing useful information via social media and her newsletter. Recently, she co-founded a new project, called Neurospicy, to bring more awareness to issues of neurodiversity in design. Neurospicy has evolved since we recorded this conversation, but as you’ll hear, organic evolution is part of Stéphanie’s approach. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/06/16/episode-142-stephanie-walter/ | |||
| Rachel Price on Responsible AI | 02 Jun 2024 | 00:41:56 | |
Rachel Price is a Principal Information Architect at Microsoft and teaches Information Architecture at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. She was a guest on The Informed Life in 2019, discussing the role of structure in improvisation. Today’s conversation focuses on a subject that’s on a lot of information architects’ minds: how to responsibly design AI-powered systems. | |||
| Emily Campbell on The Shape of AI | 19 May 2024 | 00:38:05 | |
Emily Campbell is a design leader and advisor. She brings thoughtfulness and depth to producing business results through design and helping designers develop their careers as they fulfill that mission. Like me, Emily is deeply interested in AI. She’s developing an emergent pattern language for working with AI, and that is the subject of our conversation. | |||
| Chris Aldrich on Cybernetic Communications | 05 May 2024 | 00:48:22 | |
Chris Aldrich has the most multi-disciplinary resume I’ve ever seen, with a background that includes biomedics, electrical engineering, entertainment, genetics, theoretical mathematics, and more. Chris describes himself as a modern-day cybernetician, and in this conversation we discuss cybernetics and communications, differences between oral and literary cultures, and indigenous traditions and mnemonics, among many other things. | |||
| Dave Gray on Possibilities | 21 Apr 2024 | 00:42:35 | |
Dave Gray describes himself as a possibilitarian. He focuses on helping people and teams realize their creative potential. Dave the author of several influential books, including Liminal Thinking and Gamestorming, which he co-authored with Sunni Brown and James Macanudo. He also founded the pioneering visual thinking company XPLANE. In this conversation, we discuss how to move beyond mental models that constrain us to open up new possibilities. See full show notes at: | |||
| Nikki Anderson on Research Impact | 07 Apr 2024 | 00:31:51 | |
Nikki Anderson is an independent user research consultant, instructor, author, and speaker. Nikki uses her background in education and psychology to mentor people and organizations on the value of user research. And now, she’s written a book to help them build up their research operations. That’s the focus of our conversation today. See full show notes at: | |||
| Michael Anton Dila on Oslo for AI | 24 Mar 2024 | 00:48:55 | |
Michael Anton Dila describes himself as a “designer of conversation” and someone with a passion for starting things. Among the things he’s started are ventures in online learning, co-working, and mobile technology. He’s also held several leadership roles in an elite innovation unit in the U.S. Department of Defense. In this conversation, we discuss his latest initiative, Oslo for AI, which seeks to design better processes for governing artificial intelligence.Show notes See full show notes at: | |||
| Dave Elfving on Gray Area | 10 Mar 2024 | 00:37:11 | |
Dave Elfving is an experience designer and educator. He spent eleven years at apple, where his last role was as Head of Interactive Strategy. These days, he’s my colleague teaching interaction design at the California College of the Arts. He’s also co-chairperson at Gray Area, a San Francisco-based nonprofit interdisciplinary cultural incubator. Gray Area is fostering fascinating work, and I wanted to discuss it with Dave. | |||
| Joey deVilla on Layoffs | 25 Feb 2024 | 00:35:53 | |
Joey deVilla describes himself as an experienced, engaging, accordion-playing, golden-voiced developer advocate looking for a new role. He’s had a long career in the technology space and writes about his experiences in two long-running blogs, The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the Twenty-First Century and Global Nerdy. Recently, Joey became one of the many people in tech who’s lost their job in the last couple of years. That is the subject of our conversation today. | |||
| Elizabeth McGuane on Design by Definition | 11 Feb 2024 | 00:34:14 | |
Elizabeth McGuane is a UX director at Shopify and the author of Design by Definition, a book about the impact of language in user experience. As you might imagine, that’s a subject I’m keenly interested in, so I was excited to speak with Elizabeth about it. | |||
| Pierluigi Dalla Rosa on Interactive Environments | 28 Jan 2024 | 00:43:11 | |
Pierluigi Dalla Rosa is an interaction designer at Humane, the makers of the AI Pin. But that isn’t the focus of our conversation today. Instead, we discuss novel computer interfaces in general, and interactive environments in particular. This is a subject that’s near to my heart, as it points to exciting possibilities for future digital experiences. See full show notes: | |||
| Nathan Shedroff on Strategy | 14 Jan 2024 | 00:43:19 | |
Nathan Shedroff is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and educator. Like me, he teaches at the graduate interaction design program of the California College of the Arts. This conversation focuses on his new book, A Whole New Strategy, which teaches strategic thinking. | |||
| 2023 Year in Review | 31 Dec 2023 | 01:10:04 | |
This episode is a compilation of conversations from 2023. It’s not meant as a best-of collection, but an opportunity to highlight some themes that emerged during our conversations throughout the year. The episode is also an experiment, with the themes being curated partly by an AI. Cover photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Steve Portigal on Writing, part 2 | 17 Dec 2023 | 00:37:07 | |
Steve Portigal is an independent user research consultant. He is the author of Interviewing Users and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries. Steve and I both have new books, so we thought it’d be fun to compare notes on writing non-fiction. In this, the second of two episodes on the subject, we focus on the process of writing. If you haven’t done so already, listen to our previous conversation, which focused on our motivations.
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Steve Portigal on Writing, part 1 | 03 Dec 2023 | 00:39:03 | |
Steve Portigal is an independent user research consultant. He is the author of Interviewing Users and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries. Steve was previously on the show last year, talking about research skills. This conversation is a bit different: both of us have written new books, and we thought it’d be fun to compare notes about the process. We decided to split our conversation into two parts. This episode focuses on the motivations for writing, and the second part will focus on processes.
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Audrey Crane on Shadow Design | 19 Nov 2023 | 00:36:29 | |
Audrey Crane is the Head of Growth at DesignMap, a product and strategy design firm. She’s also the author of What CEOs Need to Know About Design, a book that helps leaders understand and tap into the power of design in their organizations. In this, Audrey’s second appearance on the show, we focused on how organizations can ensure they’re getting the best design work for their money.
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Nate Davis on IA Sub-disciplines | 05 Nov 2023 | 00:35:41 | |
Nate Davis is an independent information architecture consultant and a longtime contributor to the global IA community. In this conversation, we discuss his ideas about IA sub-disciplines that influence the construction of digital user interfaces.
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Karl Voit on Org Mode | 22 Oct 2023 | 00:41:36 | |
Karl Voit describes himself as “a life hacker trying to make deliberate decisions on every aspect of life.” Among these are the tools he uses to manage his personal information. In particular, Karl is an avid user of Org Mode in Emacs, which is the focus of this conversation. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Karl Fast on Reading | 08 Oct 2023 | 00:43:21 | |
Karl Fast is an independent scholar, information architect, and futurist. He’s the co-author with Stephen Anderson of Figure It Out: Getting From Information to Understanding. Karl is one of the most avid readers I know, and in this conversation, we compare our reading practices. We discussed this subject in preparation for a personal knowledge management workshop we will teach later this year. Show notes
If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200 | |||
| Jenae Cohn on Design for Learning | 24 Sep 2023 | 00:37:00 | |
Jenae Cohn is the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley. Along with Michael Greer, Jenae recently published Design for Learning, a book about how to teach better using technology, and what online teachers and instructors can learn from UX designers. Show notes
Disclosure: Rosenfeld Media provided a copy of Jenae’s book for review. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Sönke Ahrens on Smart Notes | 10 Sep 2023 | 00:44:33 | |
Sönke Ahrens is an independent researcher and coach. He is best known as the author of How to Take Smart Notes, a popular book on the zettelkasten method of note-taking. In this conversation, we discuss the role of notes in thinking and learning, with a focus on zettelkasten-inspired note-taking.
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Chiara Ogan on Personal Libraries | 27 Aug 2023 | 00:42:15 | |
Chiara Ogan is a former UX designer and information architect. She recently left that career to become a mental health therapist. Chiara’s background is in library science, and in this conversation, we discuss how she organizes her personal book collection — which she just did in preparation for this major life change. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Alex Wright on Informatica | 13 Aug 2023 | 00:40:41 | |
Alex Wright is the Head of User Experience at Google News. He’s also an author, and his most recent book, Informatica, is the second edition of Glut, his deep history of the information age. In this conversation, we discuss the history of information technologies and why learning about it matters to people who work in tech. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Aidan Helfant on PKM for Learning | 30 Jul 2023 | 00:35:21 | |
Aidan Helfant is a college student who’s using personal knowledge management (PKM) to improve his learning. He’s also sharing his methods and tools to help other college students succeed. In this conversation, we unpack Aidan’s approach to note-taking for learning. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Maggie Appleton on Digital Gardening | 16 Jul 2023 | 00:37:59 | |
Maggie Appleton is a product designer at Ought, an AI research lab that’s working on ways to scale open-ended thinking with machine learning. She’s also an advocate of sharing personal knowledge online. She publishes one of the best digital gardens I’ve seen, located at maggieappleton.com. In this conversation, we discuss the what, why, and how of digital gardening. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 2 | 02 Jul 2023 | 00:48:56 | |
Bob Kasenchak is a taxonomist and information architect at Factor. This is the second of two episodes with Bob that focus on what information architects can learn from music. The first conversation, which you can find in episode 116, focused on the structure of music itself. Today’s conversation focuses on how we can make music more findable — but there are insights here for anyone working with any type of information, not just music.
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 1 | 18 Jun 2023 | 00:41:56 | |
Bob Kasenchak is a taxonomist and information architect at Factor. Bob’s background is in music, and this conversation delves into what information architects can learn from studying music. We recorded two conversations on the subject: this one focuses on the structure of music itself, and the second covers how we can make music more findable. Look for that one in an upcoming episode.
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Are Halland on the Core Model | 04 Jun 2023 | 00:32:42 | |
Are Halland has worked in digital product development, strategy, design, and communication for over a quarter of a century. During that time, he created the core model, a tool for designing websites and products that align business goals and user needs. He has now written a book about the core model, which is due to be published later this year. In this conversation, he explains what the core model is and how it can help us create more effective digital products. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Dan Russell on The Joy of Search | 21 May 2023 | 00:35:47 | |
Dan Russell spent 17 years working at Google, with a significant part of that tenure as a Search Anthropologist: “someone who tries to understand how people search, what kinds of things they seek, and how their tools influence their search process.” Dan is the author of The Joy of Search, which is the focus of our conversation today. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Sheryl Cababa on Systems Thinking for Social Change | 07 May 2023 | 00:39:33 | |
Sheryl Cababa is the Chief Strategy Officer of Substantial, an experience design consultancy based in Seattle. She’s the author of Closing the Loop, a new book about systems thinking in design. The book emphasizes the role designers can play as catalysts for social change, and that is the focus of our conversation. Show notes
Rosenfeld Media provided a review copy of Sheryl’s book. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Jerry Michalski on Jerry's Brain | 23 Apr 2023 | 00:39:38 | |
Jerry Michalski helps organizations become more trustworthy by exploring their language, processes, and intentions. That’s fascinating in itself — but I wanted to talk with him primarily because he curates an online resource called Jerry’s Brain, a deep repository of interconnected thoughts. He’s worked on Jerry’s Brain for a quarter of a century, longer than any other such experiment I’m aware of. So, I wanted to find out why and how he does this. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Andy Fitzgerald on Structured Content | 09 Apr 2023 | 00:41:55 | |
Andy Fitzgerald is an information architecture and content strategy consultant. He works with mission-driven organizations to produce systems that communicate clearly, align business and user goals, and scale effectively. Our conversation today focuses on moving beyond the page as a metaphor for how information is delivered toward more flexible content structures. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Nicole van der Hoeven on Obsidian | 26 Mar 2023 | 00:33:25 | |
Nicole van der Hoeven is a Developer Advocate at Grafana Labs. She is also a communicator, sharing what she learns through her writing, conference presentations, and YouTube videos. The latter are what brought Nicole’s work to my attention: she runs a YouTube channel focused on one of my favorite tools for thought, Obsidian. In this conversation, we focus on how Nicole uses Obsidian to “learn in public.” Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Hugh Dubberly on Design Models | 12 Mar 2023 | 00:49:31 | |
Hugh Dubberly is the founder of Dubberly Design Office, an interaction design studio based in San Francisco. Hugh has a long trajectory in the design world. Before opening his studio, he did pioneering work at leading tech companies like Apple and Netscape. He is also a thinker and teacher of uncommon depth and breadth. He’s my colleague at the California College of the Arts, and I’m also lucky to call him a friend and mentor. I met with Hugh in his office to discuss his recent paper arguing against framing design as problem-solving, and that is the focus of this conversation. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. | |||
| Carrie Hane on Content Models | 26 Feb 2023 | 00:30:23 | |
Carrie Hane is an evangelist at Sanity, a cloud-based content platform provider. Carrie is co-author of Designing Connected Content, which advocates for content modeling as part of the digital design process. This is also the subject of our conversation. A side note: Carrie is one of the keynote speakers at this year’s information architecture conference, which takes place in New Orleans from March 28 - April 1. I’ll be teaching an introductory IA workshop at the conference, so if you want to learn about IA and can get to the southern U.S. in late March, come see Carrie and me at the Conference. There’s a link below. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review us in Apple's podcast directory: | |||
| Michael Becker on Knowledge Work | 12 Feb 2023 | 00:42:01 | |
Michael Becker is the founder and CEO of Identity Praxis, a strategic advisory firm. He’s also a prolific communicator, having produced dozens of YouTube videos explaining how to use advanced knowledge management tools. In this conversation, we discuss Michael’s approach to knowledge work and how tools such as Tinderbox can help you think and work more effectively. Show notes
Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links. | |||