Design Downtime

Here comes the literary trope of the “interview podcast”, when Steve Portigal joins us to talk about his journey into creative writing. Known for his non-fiction books on user research, he shares how he discovered a passion for writing fiction during the pandemic when he hit a personal wall, and enrolled in a creative writing course. Steve talks about balancing clarity with ambiguity, learning that not every reader needs to understand every reference, and his exploration of different writing styles and formats, from short stories about eccentric small-town characters to linked short stories about alien invasions.Guest BioSteve Portigal (he/him) is an experienced user researcher who helps organizations to build mature user research practices. He is the author of Interviewing Users: How To Uncover Compelling Insights (now in a second edition, including an audiobook version) and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories. He’s also the host of the Dollars to Donuts podcast.Steve is also generously offering a discount on his book. Use discount code DOWNTIME for 10% off of Interviewing Users when purchased from Rosenfeld Media. The discount code is good for the next 30 days, and you can also find this information in the show notes. LinksSteve’s book, Interviewing Users (2nd Edition): https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/interviewing-users-second-edition/.Use promo code DOWNTIME for 10% off when purchased from Rosenfeld Media. The discount code is good for the next 30 days.Steve’s website: https://portigal.com/Steve’s books: https://portigal.com/books/Steve’s podcast, Dollars to Donuts: https://portigal.com/podcast/Steve on LinkededIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveportigal/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

You have 30 minutes to find the code to the exit, as Shelby Corbella joins us to talk about her love of escape rooms. Shelby, who has completed over 220 escape rooms worldwide, tells us how her first immersive experience of a well-designed escape room helped her "escape" everyday life. She explains that escape rooms fulfill a unique need for her, as they engage multiple aspects of her brain simultaneously, and outlines the key elements that make an escape room memorable. As an experienced escape room player, Shelby describes her role as an "escape room sherpa," helping to identify team members' strengths and ensuring everyone has a positive experience. She also shares stories about her most memorable escape rooms, as well as those that are on her "bucket list".Guest BioShelby Corbella (she/her) is a Senior Product Designer specializing in design systems and diving into the emerging field of designing for AI. Her work balances functionality with innovation, aiming to elevate digital experiences while setting high standards for design consistency. Currently based in Colorado, Shelby spends her free time exploring scenic hiking trails before the chill of winter arrives. When not immersed in the great outdoors, she’s dedicated to achieving a perfect score on Astro Bot and is in the early stages of launching an escape room-themed blog and podcast, merging her love for puzzles with storytelling.LinksShelby’s escape rooms website: https://www.gtfoescapes.com/Shelby’s podcast, GTFO Escapes: https://rss.com/podcasts/gtfo-escapes/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

We’re reaching new heights, as Katie Langerman joins us to talk about her adventures in indoor rock climbing. She introduces the different types of climbing (bouldering, top rope, and lead climbing), and talks about how climbing has become a way for her to confront her fear of heights. Katie discusses a serious ankle injury she sustained in 2023 while bouldering, and explains how returning to climbing after the injury was challenging yet therapeutic. She explores the problem-solving nature of climbing, and how that helps her achieve a near-meditative state. Katie also shares advice for people afraid of heights (like the host of this podcast), who are interested in giving rock climbing a try.Guest BioKatie Langerman (she/her) is an interface designer specializing in design systems, currently contributing to GitHub’s Primer. She focuses on creating flexible, scalable systems that help bridge the gap between design and code. Katie is also passionate about fostering collaboration across teams, sharing insights on leadership as an individual contributor, and tackling challenges like design tokens and asynchronous teamwork.LinksKatie’s podcast, Complementary: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/complementaryKatie’s website: https://www.langermank.com/Katie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/langermankKatie on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katielangerman.bsky.socialKatie on Twitter/X: https://x.com/KatieLangermanCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Get your brush and easel ready as Amy Hupe joins us to share her newfound passion for watercolour painting. She talks about reconnecting with the hobby as an adult when a friend suggested painting together as a distraction, and how she discovered watercolour painting uniquely silenced her normally busy mind. Despite not considering herself naturally artistic or visually creative, Amy appreciates watercolour's forgiving nature - it allows for mistakes and corrections in a way that complements her otherwise perfectionist tendencies, and has become a rare exception where she embraces imperfection and enjoys the process over the result.Guest BioAmy Hupe (she/her) is a UK based design systems and content design consultant. Over the past 8 years, she's worked on design systems for some of the biggest names around, including GOV.UK, BT, Springer Nature, the BBC and the Wellcome Trust. Whether she’s leading systems work or designing content, Amy works to champion simplicity and inclusion in the face of increasing complexity.LinksAmy’s website: https://amyhupe.co.uk/Amy on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/amyhupe.bsky.socialAmy on Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@Amy_Hupe@social.design.systemsCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Grab your controller and get ready to double jump, as Asia Hoe joins us to talk about her love of video games, starting with memories of playing Mario and Donkey Kong between her parents as a child. She discusses how her relationship with gaming evolved from pure childhood immersion to a more analytical adult perspective, and explains how her love for collection-based games matches her perfectionism. Asia highlights her appreciation for indie games, explores her experience developing games at game jams, and touches on the artistic value of video games, arguing that indie games tend to be more artful due to their personal, specific nature.Guest BioAsia Hoe (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary, award-winning product design leader with over 15 years of expertise in user experience design and strategy, front-end development, and design systems. She has worked with startups, agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and small business owners to develop user-centric experiences in education, healthcare, and finance. She recently joined the team at Jasper to explore the intersection of marketing and AI.LinksAsia on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/asia.bsky.socialAsia’s gaming account on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gynesys.bsky.socialCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

In the first episode of season 3, Karen VanHouten joins us to share her love of ’80s new wave music, a love that began in high school in the mid-1980s. She talks about discovering the music through friends, noting how it was "accessible enough, but different enough to make you feel a little special”. That juxtaposition of the dark and the beautiful in new wave music resonated with her, and made her a fan for life. Karen talks about music sharing in a pre-internet era, her time as a college radio DJ, and how the music scene fostered a sense of community. She ends with a list of essential new wave albums, recommended for new and curious listeners.Guest BioKaren VanHouten (she/her) is an expert generalist and a curious skeptic who is committed to designing better ways for teams to work together. She loves messes of both the digital and human kind. She’s been working as a UX leader, a researcher, and a strategist in both the private and public sector, both in-house and as a consultant, for over 25 years. She uses the foundations of human-centered design (with a dash of scrappiness) to create healthy digital strategies and help teams safely operate in the space between opportunity and risk. LinksKaren’s website: https://www.designinginward.com/Karen on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/designinginward.bsky.socialCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

It’s the season two finale and this week’s episode goes to eleven, as Joe Natoli joins us to talk about his lifelong passion for heavy metal music. From his earliest exposure to Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality at age ten, Joe reflects on the profound emotional connection and sense of identity metal gave him. He shares stories of scouring record stores, trading mixtapes with friends, and devouring music magazines to explore the growing metal scene in the pre-internet era. Joe also discusses the genre's theatrical aesthetics, the thrill of live performances, and the deeper messages in metal lyrics that often get misunderstood. The conversation goes into the diversity of metal’s sub-genres, Joe's favorite bands, and his own personal standards for what makes great metal.Guest BioJoe Natoli (he/him) is a UX consultant, author and speaker. For three decades, he’s advised, trained and empowered the UX, design and product development teams of some of the world’s largest organizations, from Fortune 100 companies to U.S. Government agencies and startups. He has published ten books and is a regular keynote speaker and lecturer at industry conferences and corporate events across the globe. Joe has also taught more than 350,000 students through his online courses and his own UX 365 Academy, in addition to a private coaching practice. Joe’s approach to improving product UX and design focuses on addressing systemic and personal dynamics issues across individuals, teams and organizations: fighting impostor syndrome and increasing self-confidence, improving communication and collaboration, addressing fear and dysfunction driving poor management practices and redesigning inappropriate, counterproductive processes. Joe lives in Washington DC with his wife Eli and three kids, and he strives to be the person his dog Rosie thinks he is.LinksThe Hard Volume Experience Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNuc2kcwGbd_iJvc9-4YUKAThe UX 365 Academy: https://www.ux365academy.comJoe Natoli's Give Good UX: https://givegoodux.comJoe on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/joenatoli.bsky.socialJoe on Twitter: https://x.com/joenatoliJoe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joenatoli/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Grab your fabric and pick your favourite stitch, as Elyse Holladay joins us to talk about her adventures with sewing. She recounts being inspired by her mother sewing and her own experiences running a personal style program, and how frustrations with ill-fitting off-the-rack clothing got her to take up the hobby. Elyse reflects on the highs and lows of learning the craft, from her initial overconfidence after sewing a tote bag to grappling with failed projects, and her breakthrough with a simple yet satisfying project, which became a stylish staple and a symbol of her progress. Along the way, she gained a new appreciation for the craftsmanship behind fashion and the ethics of sustainable clothing.Guest BioElyse Holladay (she/her) is a long-time Design Systems practitioner and speaker, currently the solo Design Systems engineer at Color Health. She was tapped to start the first Design System team for Indeed, has taught hundreds of hours of technical training content, and has been invited to speak at well-known industry events such as Clarity Conference, CSSConf Berlin, and Frontend Design Conference. She's a technical generalist who can flex between design, code, glue work, and OKRs, once quit tech to build a personal style program, is an off-the-charts extrovert, avid reader, and expat Texan with an armadillo tattoo.LinksElyse’s website: https://www.elyseholladay.com/Elyse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elyseholladay/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Things get muddy, as Cristina Lutcan joins us to talk about her love for obstacle course racing. She recounts how a military camp gifted by her parents introduced her to crawling in the mud and climbing ropes. Over the years, Cristina embraced both the Tough Mudder’s community-focused, non-competitive nature, where fun and teamwork are central, and Spartan races that push her limits and emphasize upper body strength, intense terrain, and individual endurance. She describes obstacles such as cold water plunges and mild electric shocks, and reflects on the inner resilience needed to push through moments of doubt. Plus, she adds tips and words of motivation for those considering their first race.Guest BioCristina Lutcan (she/her) is a seasoned UX Designer and community builder with a passion for design, community, and entrepreneurship. Her diverse experience includes projects with startups and large corporations, including recent roles at Slack and TELUS Digital. As the founder of UX Design Talk, one of the largest design communities in Toronto, she has empowered hundreds of designers to gain practical skills in a collaborative environment. Cristina also hosts the UX Curious Podcast, where she dives into the applications of UX across various industries.LinksCristina’s website: https://cristinaux.framer.website/Cristina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinalutcan/CreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.

You won’t need a starter for this conversation, as Pavel Samsonov joins us to share his passion for baking sourdough bread. Like many others, he started experimenting with sourdough during the pandemic, but has continued baking since then, diving deep into the science. Pavel recounts some humorous missteps, including an overheated sourdough starter that caused a minor fire in his workspace. He also discusses the satisfaction of giving homemade bread as gifts, and how the tactile, hands-on nature of baking offers a refreshing change from his work at a computer. Finally, he reflects on how baking connects him to a community of artisans, even if he's "just messing around in his kitchen”.Guest BioPavel Samsonov (he/him) is a New York-based designer exploring the applications of design as a decision-making framework. Pavel has been a product manager, UXer, design strategist, and user researcher across various industries, and currently builds a design practice at AWS. Off the clock, Pavel uses articles and speaking engagements as an opportunity to explore new ideas and help designers envision better ways of working. Pavel likes to frame design as a job that works on calendar time, not clock time - so the necessity of downtime is a topic near and dear to his heart.LinksThree-Stage 80% Sourdough Rye Bread recipe: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/keyword/3stage-detmolder-ryeBeginner Sourdough Starter recipe: https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2019/03/beginner-sourdough-starter-recipe/Pavel’s Medium page: spavel.medium.comPavel’s website: pavelsamsonov.comPavel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavel-samsonov-44ba2833/Pavel on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/spavel.bsky.socialCreditsCover design by Raquel Breternitz.