
AIGA Design Podcast
The official podcast feed of AIGA, the professional association for design. We explore various facets of the design discipline, profession, and industry to help our listeners learn about the past and present and prepare for the future. The theme of our 2024-2025 season is "Design and Performance."
Latest episodes

Feb 20, 2024 • 47min
Why design research is stuck with Danny Spitzberg and Humphrey Obuobi
Has design research hit a plateau?
In this episode, Danny Spitzberg and Humphrey Obuobi, two design researchers in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Lee-Sean Huang, senior director of learning and programs at AIGA delve into the challenges and explore the gap between personal and professional learning in design research.
Topics include:
the value of co-design catchphrases and why they keep resurfacing
the challenges and rewards of collaborating with marginalized communities on designing solutions that address their needs
how design and policy can intersect more effectively to address social challenges and promote equity
🔍 Danny Spitzberg, a user research expert in the cooperative economy, co-founded the Workers’ Algorithm Observatory. He sheds light on auditing algorithms for workers and allies, advocating for concrete improvements in digital technology standards.
🔍 Humphrey Obuobi, founder of LETS Studio, focuses on building infrastructure for a healthier democracy. A student-researcher with UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab, Humphrey is dedicated to local, community-powered social innovation.
📖 Read Danny and Humphrey's Q&A article published on AIGA.org
🙋 LETS Studio, Humphrey's professional practice, invites collaborations and volunteers at letsstudio.org.
🔬 The Workers’ Algorithm Observatory advocates for algorithmic accountability; explore their studies at wao.cs.princeton.edu.
📫 Subscribe to AIGA newsletters for the latest podcast and content news.

Feb 14, 2024 • 59sec
Clip: Why Design Research is Stuck
Preview clip of our upcoming episode with Danny Spitzberg and Humphrey Obuobi on Why Design Research is Stuck. Full episode release on February 20, 2024.

Feb 5, 2024 • 7min
Welcome to the 2024 Season of AIGA Design Podcast: MARGINS
Designing success outside the lines – AIGA's 2024 journey begins at the margins.
Welcome to the first episode of the 2024 season of the AIGA Design Podcast! Join Lee-Sean Huang, senior director of learning and programs at AIGA, as he explores the theme "MARGINS" and sets the stage for an exciting year of AIGA Design programming.
🎟️ Register for the Yale BPCL Open House webinar.
📚 Learn more about the AIGA Professional Design Certification.
🏆 Learn more and enter AIGA Design Competitions.
📫 Subscribe to AIGA newsletters for the latest podcast and content news.
Want to join us as a guest on a future show? Fill out this form here.

Dec 12, 2023 • 5min
Clip: Colton Schweitzer on UX bootcamps and gaps in design curricula
Listen to the full interview with Colton Schweitzer, co-founder of Kickass UX here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aigadesign/episodes/Colton-Schweitzer-on-Kickass-UX-e2ci2ke
Use code AIGA75 for $75 off your first month of Kickass UX's UX/UI Expert course

Dec 4, 2023 • 48min
Colton Schweitzer on Kickass UX
In this episode Colton Schweitzer, co-founder of Kickass UX and Lee-Sean Huang, senior director of learning and programs at AIGA talk about:
How Banksy inspired Colton to get into graphic design
How creating a board game introduced Colton to UX and landed him a job
The differences between a design bootcamp and a college degree program
How to identify and address common gaps in UX design education
How recent design graduates can make their portfolios stand out and some hope for current UX job seekers
What makes the Kickass UX program different and how graduates of the program have found success
Why graphic designers should learn UX even if they aren’t planning a career pivot
How can designers overcome subjectivity when dealing with stakeholders
What are the “Treasure Map” and “Kung Fu Master” metaphors for the UX process and how do they make you a more powerful designer with a “why skillset”
How Colton applies UX principles to designing the pedagogy and business model for his venture, Kickass UX
And more!
Use code AIGA75 for $75 off your first month of Kickass UX's UX/UI Expert course
AIGA's Design Futures research referenced in the episode
Colton's cartoon alter ego, Kitty AF recently released a holiday book How the Cat Ruined Christmas
Irish Bouzouki clip by PhotoCapeBreton via Pixabay
This is the final episode of 2023. Happy holidays! See you next year.

Nov 9, 2023 • 46min
Maigen Thomas on career changes and starting a new design job
Maigen Thomas, a senior UX designer and career switcher, talks about leveraging life experiences into design and gives tips for starting a new job. They discuss the importance of personal experience and user perspectives in design, the lack of diversity in the industry, and the lessons learned from a career change. They also touch on creating site maps, the effectiveness of boot camps, learning styles, gamification in HR tech, the 'Alfred effect,' and the impact of design in enterprise software.

Oct 28, 2023 • 51min
Pentagram 50 at the 2023 AIGA Design Conference
Debbie Millman interviews Pentagram partners Emily Oberman, Giorgia Lupi, Marina Willer, Natasha Jen, and Paula Scher. Recorded LIVE at the 2023 AIGA Design Conference in New York City!

Sep 27, 2023 • 4min
Clip: Steven Steiner on Designer Archetypes
What is your designer archetype? Are you a generalist, strategist, researcher, architect, artist, author, or design operations person? How does knowing your archetype help you progress in your career? We discuss these archetypes and more in the full episode of the AIGA Design Podcast with Steven Steiner: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aigadesign/episodes/Steven-Steiner-on-designer-archetypes--career-coaching--and-communicating-your-value-e29h0h4
Steven Steiner is a Career Coach for Designers who helps them get what they want next with the right levels of industry knowledge, rigor, and moral support.

Sep 20, 2023 • 39min
Steven Steiner on designer archetypes, career coaching, and communicating your value
What is your designer archetype? Are you a generalist, strategist, researcher, architect, artist, author, or design operations person? How does knowing your archetype help you progress in your career? We discuss these archetypes and more in this episode of the AIGA Design Podcast with our guest Steven Steiner.
Steven Steiner is a Career Coach for Designers who helps them get what they want next with the right levels of industry knowledge, rigor, and moral support.
Steven’s career achievements include 15+ years as an award-winning designer, manager, and educator. He’s held roles in-house, start-up, and agency teams for international and regional brands where he delivered results for TV, kiosk, responsive web, and mobile experiences.
Now, he wants to help YOU reach YOUR career goals.
Visit careercoachfordesigners.com to learn more about how Steven can help you right now and join the Career Community for Designers that he hosts on Slack.
Connect with Steven on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensteiner/

Aug 22, 2023 • 1h 4min
FEED SWAP: Yellow Glitter, Collective Change and Community-Centered Design with Lee-Sean Huang
FEED SWAP: Lee-Sean Huang, AIGA's director of design content and learning, recently appeared on Steven Wakabayashi's Yellow Glitter Podcast to talk about collective change, community-centered design, his midlife career crisis, and more.
Listen/subscribe to the Yellow Glitter Podcast: https://yellowglitterpodcast.com/podcast/42-collective-change-and-community-centered-design-with-lee-sean-huang/
Stay tuned for new original episodes of the AIGA Design Podcast in September 2023.
Join us for the AIGA Design Conference in New York City, October 12-14. Get your tickets before the price increase on September 7. We will sell out. Online streaming tickets are also available. https://www.aiga.org/design/aiga-design-conference
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