Episodes
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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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/09/08/episode-148-luc-beaudoin/ -
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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/08/25/episode-147-chris-risdon/ -
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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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/08/11/episode-146-jodi-forlizzi/ -
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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/07/28/episode-145-greg-petroff/ -
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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/07/14/episode-144-colin-eagan-jeffrey-macintyre/ -
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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/06/30/episode-143-harry-max/ -
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 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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/06/02/episode-141-rachel-price/ -
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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/05/19/episode-140-emily-campbell/ -
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.
See full show notes at:
https://theinformed.life/2024/05/05/episode-139-chris-aldrich/ -
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.
Show notes
Dave GrayDave Gray - LinkedInThe Connected Company by Dave Gray and Thomas Vander WalGamestorming by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James MacanufoLiminal Thinking by Dave GrayRed Herring (magazine) - WikipediaXPLANATIONSXPLANEGreg Petroff - LinkedInDouglas Engelbart - WikipediaAndy MatuschakSchool of the PossibleSchool of the Possible Campfire CallsShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.
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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.
Show notes
Nikki AndersonImpact: A complete guide to creating a user research practice at your organization by Nikki AndersonUser Research AcademyUser Research Academy SubstackHow To Run a Qualitative Usability Test by Nikki AndersonWrite Kick@ss User Research Goals by Nikki AndersonShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.
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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
Michael Anton DilaMichael Anton Dila - LinkedInOslo for AIU.S. Department of DefenseSystem 3OpenAIStone Soup - WikipediaStuart CandyOslo (film) - WikipediaOslo (play) - WikipediaThe Oslo Accords, 1993Inside OpenAI’s Crisis Over the Future of Artificial Intelligence - NY TimesComputing Machinery and Intelligence by Alan Turing (1950) - PDFProjects by IFSarah GoldNew Design Patterns for AI by Sarah GoldShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200
This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch. -
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.
Show notes
Dave Elfving - LinkedInaught.ioGray AreaRafael Lozano-HemmerProjection mapping - WikipediaArduinoTouchDesignerMadMapperRaspberry PiShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.
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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.
Show notes
🪗 Joey (Accordion Guy) deVilla - LinkedInThe Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century - Joey deVilla’s Personal BlogGlobal Nerdy : Tampa Bay techie Joey deVilla on software, hardware, and everything in between.Laid off in 2024, part 1: The 15 worst minutes of 2024, followed by 15 more : Global NerdyWorld IA DayCory Doctorow - WikipediaUp in the Air (2009) - IMDbShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200
This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch. -
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.
Show notes
Elizabeth McGuane - LinkedInElizabeth McGuane – MediumDesign by Definition by Elizabeth McGuaneShopifyIntercomEames chairsShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch.
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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.
Show notes
pierdr - Pier’s websitePierluigi Dalla Rosa - LinkedInpier dr (@pierdr) - InstagramIxD Research (@ixdresearch) - InstagramHumaneCalifornia College of the ArtsJoshua Walton — Sensory.ccTramontanaEnrico Gueli (@ris8_allo_zen0) • Instagram photos and videosAn exploration in collective interfaces by Pierluigi Dalla Rosa et alDouglas EngelbartLoren and Rachel CarpenterMark WeiserMarshall McLuhanHot and cool media (McLuhan)DynamiclandWIRED 1.02: Gossip is Philosophy (Interview with Brian Eno)Apple Vision ProThe VoidMeow WolfShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200
This episode's transcript was produced by an AI. If you notice any errors, please get in touch. -
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.
Nathan ShedroffDesign Strategy MBA - CCAA Whole New Strategy by Nathan ShedroffHenry MintzbergCharles EamesPorter’s five forces analysisSWOT analysisDouble Diamond (design process model) Regis McKennaAdobe DirectorStephen Covey
Show notesShow 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:
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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
Episode 107: Michael Becker on Knowledge WorkEpisode 108: Carrie Hane on Content ModelsEpisode 110: Nicole van der Hoeven on ObsidianEpisode 111: Andy Fitzgerald on Structured ContentEpisode 112: Jerry Michalski on Jerry’s BrainEpisode 114: Dan Russell on The Joy of SearchEpisode 115: Are Halland on The Core ModelEpisode 116: Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 1Episode 117: Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 2Episode 118: Maggie Appleton on Digital GardeningEpisode 119: Aidan Helfant on PKM for LearningEpisode 120: Alex Wright on InformaticaEpisode 121: Chiara Ogan on Personal LibrariesEpisode 122: Sönke Ahrens on Smart NotesEpisode 125: Karl Voit on Org ModeEpisode 126: Nate Davis on IA Sub-disciplinesShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200 -
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.
Steve PortigalSteve Portigal - LinkedInPortigal ConsultingInterviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights (2nd edition) by Steve PortigalDoorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories by Steve PortigalDuly Noted: Extend Your Mind Through Connected Notes by Jorge ArangoLiving in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge ArangoInformation Architecture for the Web and Beyond by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge ArangoScrivenerTinderboxThe Informed Life episode 99: Mark Bernstein on TinderboxFreeform on the App StoreShitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott (PDF)Jack Kerouac - WikipediaThe Informed Life episode 2: Gretchen Anderson on Writing
Show notesShow 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:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200 - Show more
