Design Better Live AMA at The New York Times

11 snips

Jul 9, 2025

The hosts recount their unique experience of being interviewed by the New York Times design team. They share insights on the evolution of their podcast and the significance of creativity and collaboration. Discover how neurodivergence can enhance creative processes, and learn about innovative strategies for community engagement. The discussion delves into fostering creativity through diverse experiences and emphasizes the importance of balancing work with personal rejuvenation, peppered with humorous anecdotes and listener engagement tips.

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INSIGHT

Universal Creativity Patterns

Creativity shares similar processes across disciplines like writing, music, and design.
Notions like ideation and iteration appear universally, revealing interconnected creative patterns.

ADVICE

Use Multi-Format Content

Remix content into multiple formats to reach people where they are.
Use podcasts, blogs, social clips, and live events to address different learning styles.

ADVICE

Leverage AI Smartly

Use AI tools to sift large transcript data for theme extraction but verify results manually.
Apply AI to business tasks like proposal writing and forecasting to boost efficiency.

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We were recently invited to the The New York Times where we spoke with Matt Raw, the interim head of design at the Times. Eli and I are accustomed to interviewing, but this was a different experience for us as this time we were the ones telling our story.

Matt and the Times design team were curious about the origin story of Design Better, what we’ve learned about creativity and design after more than 200 interviews, and how we approach building a business.

If you’ve ever wanted to peek behind the curtains of the Design Better studio, here’s your chance.

Books and links mentioned:

Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide by John Cleese (and watch the Design Better interview here).
Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter
The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir by Sara Seager (listen to her interview here).

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