Rosenfeld Review Podcast

What happens when you combine righteous anger with unwavering hope? You get George Aye—and the “Angry Hour.” In this lively episode, Lou Rosenfeld chats with George Aye, co-founder of Greater Good Studio, about his mission to create spaces for “pissed off optimists”—people who see the world’s injustices and refuse to give up on making things better. George shares the philosophy behind Angry Hour, a growing series of meetups uniting professionals from diverse fields around shared frustration and hope. He explains how these gatherings channel collective energy into meaningful connections, local nonprofit support, and even bigger plans like the upcoming Livid Conference—a national gathering for changemakers who are angry enough to care and optimistic enough to act. If you’re searching for solidarity in uncertain times—or simply wondering how to turn anger into action—this conversation offers insight, inspiration, and a glimpse into a movement fueled by equal parts rage and resolve.

What do you do when a successful tech career leaves you feeling like an empty shell? For Francois Burra, the answer was to look inward and transform his life—and help transform an industry. Lou Rosenfeld talks with Francois, a UX designer turned digital decarbonization consultant, about how a personal crisis led him to channel his “infinite energy” into tackling the tech industry’s overlooked climate impact. Francois shares how he co-founded Climate Product Leaders and co-authored Sustainable by Design: A Playbook for Product Managers—a free, practical guide brimming with best practices and real-world case studies for weaving sustainability into everyday product and design work. They explore how sustainability intersects with design, product management, and hot topics like AI, highlighting how even small steps can create meaningful change. Francois also offers candid reflections on career pivots, mental health, and finding purpose-driven work that feeds both your soul and the planet.

In this engaging conversation, designer and technologist Matt Webb shares his unique insights on emerging technologies and their implications. He discusses how generative AI represents a leap into capabilities that feel ahead of their time. Matt explores 'weak signals' and how personal experiments can hint at larger trends. He also highlights the evolving relationship between humans and design—where dialogue with AI tools replaces traditional search. Expect fascinating ideas about adaptive design and the potential for anyone to become a creator.

What happens when a cognitive psychologist turned UX researcher brings a critical eye to AI? Dr. Llewyn Paine shares her unique perspective at the intersection of emerging technology and user research. With experience spanning neuromarketing, 3D television, and mixed reality, Llewyn has seen the hype cycles come and go—and learned to spot the gap between promise and practical value. Llewyn and Lou explore the parallels between now-defunct technologies and today’s AI surge, noting how often new tools are overmarketed before their implications are truly understood. Llewyn urges researchers to engage with AI not as passive users but as experimenters: to test, retest, document, and analyze like scientists. Her recent workshop revealed how even identical prompts to the same model can yield wildly different results—an important reminder that AI is non-deterministic and context-sensitive. Llewyn also shares a behind-the-scenes look at curating the Designing with AI 2025 conference, built around both the realities of today and the creative possibilities of tomorrow. She reminds us that critical thinking, experimentation, and thoughtful documentation are the UX research community’s superpowers in this unpredictable AI era.

Guest Joshua Graves, an author and artist known for his spooky aesthetic, shares insights from his book, 'We Need to Talk: A Survival Guide for Tough Conversations.' He explores how to navigate tough discussions with clear tools from neuroscience and psychology. Key topics include addressing workplace power dynamics and emotional triggers, emphasizing the power of slowing down and asking the right questions. Joshua encourages listeners to embrace self-awareness and authenticity, asserting that conflict can be managed with flexibility and personal agency.

Jake Burghardt, author of Stop Wasting Research and an advocate for effective use of customer insights, dives into how organizations often fail to leverage valuable research. He reveals that the solution isn't just building repositories but treating research as a renewable asset. The discussion covers the three main causes of research waste: poor preparation, lack of motivation, and weak decision-making integration. Burghardt also introduces innovative frameworks like the 'Insight Summary Hub' to enhance knowledge-sharing and drive impactful actions.

Harry Max, co-host of Traction Heroes, brings a practical leadership focus, while Jorge Arango offers a deep theoretical perspective as a Rosenfeld Media author. Together, they explore a unique podcast format that sparks impromptu conversations from insightful book passages. Their goal is to decode complex ideas into actionable advice for leaders. They discuss the importance of aligning design with business objectives and highlight personal growth through continuous learning, using gardening as a metaphor for change.

Robin Beers, an organizational psychologist and founder of Ubuntu Culture Company, delves into the pitfalls of organizational learning and knowledge curation. She emphasizes the need for businesses to shift from a transactional mindset to view knowledge as a dynamic social process. Discussing the importance of aligning with customer perspectives, she advocates for researchers to become knowledge curators. Robin also highlights the significance of sense-making and the evolving role of researchers in driving meaningful changes beyond just user experience.

What happens when an academic researcher trades a university lab for the fast-paced world of tech? Katie Hansen, Senior UX Research Manager at Thumbtack, shares her journey from studying unconscious bias at Princeton to leading research at companies like Etsy, Instagram, and Facebook. She breaks down the challenges of transitioning from academia—where studies take years—to industry, where research needs to drive business decisions quickly. Katie dives into the power of survey experiments, explaining how they can uncover deep psychological insights and help teams prioritize what to A/B test. She also discusses the value of meta-analysis and literature reviews, showing how researchers can tap into existing knowledge to save time and uncover patterns. With two talks lined up at Advancing Research 2025, Katie will explore experimental research techniques and the impact of meta-analysis in UX. She also shares her favorite research tools, the importance of repositories, and why Hidden Brain is a must-listen for anyone fascinated by human behavior. If you’re looking to level up your research game and future-proof your career, don’t miss this conversation!

Failure is often seen as something to avoid, but Dan Ward sees it as a gateway to innovation. Dan is a military technologist, author, USAF veteran, and innovation catalyst at MITRE Corporation, and he and Lou talk about the profound lessons failure can teach. Drawing from his book LIFT: Innovation Lessons From Flying Machines That ALMOST Worked and The People Who NEARLY Flew Them, Ward shares stories of pre-Wright brothers (more accurately pre-Wright siblings) aviation experiments that, despite ending in failure, laid the groundwork for modern flight. He explains how studying and learning from setbacks can drive innovation and problem-solving in any field. Dan shares his innovation team's unique approach to failure: celebrating it with “failure cake.” This ritual helps his team process setbacks, learn from them, and destigmatize failure in a supportive environment. He also emphasizes the importance of storytelling, arguing that even the best ideas are meaningless if they can’t be communicated clearly. The conversation highlights how embracing failure and sharing its lessons are essential for growth, whether in aviation, design, or technology. Mark your calendars! Lou announces that Dan will headline Rosenfeld Media’s first Failure Friday on February 7, 2025, where he’ll further discuss the failure cake practice.