A76 | a design pod

Who really benefits from our current AI assistants? In this final episode of the NoelAI mini-series on A76, I go on a deeply personal and sharply critical journey of the current state of AI assistants. And ask why—after years of hype—we still don't have an assistant that truly serves us.Blending design thinking, cultural critique, and speculative hardware, I posit a radically user-centric vision for an AI assistant built around human needs and not tech company agendas. What would it look like to ditch your iPhone and have something smaller, smarter, and more human by your side? And more importantly, what's standing in the way?This is a call to reimagine. To push past uncanny interfaces and shallow convenience into something more meaningful and ultimately demand more from our digital tech.Keep designing. Keep growing. And keep making a positive impact.~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

Welcome back from our mid-season break! In today's pod, I chat with Jennifer Andrews, who leads the Experience Design team in Digitas' New York office. We chat about web1, her personal origin story, Japanese culture, her work in the Accessibility Center of Excellence and AI's impact on design.And afterwards I highlight recent episodes and share how you can support A76.Recent free episodes:030: The path to a carbon neutral A76 with Matt Saip029: Personalized micro-interaction fails with Noel ChildsRecent Patreon episodes:NoelAI Series  One / Two / ThreeKeep designing. Keep growing. And keep making a positive impact.~NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

My goal is to make A76 sustainable in as many facets as I can. And for my 30th episode, I'm sharing my introductory conversation with Matt Saip, Head of Technology at Digitas Chicago, where we discuss the tech side of achieving this goal. We have an open discussion about calculating the exact carbon footprint of my production, the potential for green web hosting and sustainable tech. Shedding light on an area we so often taken for granted, the energy it takes to power our digital lives is both instructional and inspiring. And this marks the beginning of my shared journey toward achieving carbon neutrality for A76. Thanks for joining me on this path.~ NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

Welcome to a new episode of A76. Today, we're taking a detour from our usual in-depth interviews with designers and makers to explore something a little different—micro-interactions and moments of personalization that could be vastly improved.If you're curious about what's happening over on our Patreon or if you simply want to support the A76 Design Pod, head over to patreon.com/A76designpod. By joining, you'll gain access to exclusive episodes and my original series on hyper-personalized AI assistants, dubbed NoelAI. In that series, I dive into topics of working for tech, personal risk concerns, the uncanny ID, conversational UI, behavioral habit mapping and debating the pros and cons of an AI assistant.Looking ahead this season, Matt Saip and I will discuss our journey in making the A76 Design Pod a carbon-neutral production including our insights, research, and plans for achieving this goal.Also, exciting news—I'll be announcing an in-person A76 event in Chicago, featuring an open debate panel, salon-style, towards the end of the season. Stay tuned for topics and details.A big thank you to all our Patreon members—your support makes this all possible.Now, let's dive into the world of personalization—specifically, the micro-interactions and moments that absolutely drive me bonkers. I can't turn off my designer brain when engaging with these frequently failing experiences, even in my daily life. And while it may sound harsh, my aim is to help us learn as designers by examining these small, fixable interactions. And all the examples we'll discuss are drawn from well-resourced brands, that should do better. While I'm not personally connected to these brands or their teams, these are interactions I've personally experienced. And while I have hundreds I could pull from, I've pulled five for example.I'm fully aware of the challenges involved in launching amazing digital experiences, from platform and database limitations to the inevitable concessions designers must make. If you've worked on any of the examples I discuss today, I'd love to hear from you. Reach out via email or on BlueSky. Enjoy!Example referencesEA Sports FCNordiTrack TreadmillsChipotle AppApple Ultra Watch & Suunto Race WatchMy Northwestern AppA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

This is an A76 Patreon preview Icebreak episode coming off my interview with Tracy Kramer, President of BuzzCo. If you haven't listened to that interview you can find it here.If you're new to A76's Patreon, Icebreak episodes are exclusive for members, where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the discussions coming out of my free interviews. I bring new ideas here, things I'm kicking around and I share additional interview content.You can sign up for the A76 Design Pod Patreon here.Today's full Icebreak episode, is part 3 of a theoretical series—what if there was an AI Assistant trained on all my personal data and was so well crafted that it essentially was a digital version of me—a NoelAI. And with a rough voice from a tough week I ideate around counter points to parts 1 and 2. Because we love dualistic thinking here at A76. And it makes for a stronger and deeper exploration. Plus Tracy and I play the ThinkFast game.Keep designing. Keep Growing. And keep making a positive impact.~NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

In today's episode I chat with Tracy Kramer. Tracy is the president of Buzz Company, a talent and recruitment agency based out of Chicago. I originally met Tracy while at design school, and she's lead BuzzCo from a place of empathy and empowerment for decades. With roots in design, she just gets designers. And she loves not only helping designers find jobs but taking care of her people.We touch upon the state of the industry, the necessary changes BuzzCo has made over the years, a bit around AI and promoting yourself in a genuine way. Plus Tracy talks about how she went from designer to business owner.I've partnered with her in the past and would recommend BuzzCo to anyone and everyone. Woman owned and family operated, BuzzCo truly are the guardians of creativity and Chicago pride, as they say on their website. You can also hear the ThinkFast game I do with Tracy as part of a new A76 Patreon episode dropping next week. If you're interested in supporting A76, check out patreon.com/A76designpod. You'll get exclusive episodes, all the ThinkFast games from my interviews this season and you can hear my series NoelAI—where I conceptualize what it would be like to have a hyper personalized AI assistant trained on my data.Hope enjoy my chat with Tracy KramerA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

Welcome to a new Icebreak episode coming off my conversation with friend of the pod Mick Champayne about design and play. If you haven't listened to that interview, hit pause on this one, and go check it out here first. It was a lot of fun.If you're new to A76's Patreon or are listening to a preview for the first time, Icebreaks are where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the discussions coming out of my free interviews. I bring new ideas here, including things I'm kicking around; plus I share additional interview content.For today's Icebreak, I've got part 2 of my theoretical series, NoelAI. What if there was an AI Assistant trained on all my personal data (and I mean all) and was so well crafted that it essentially was a digital version of me? How useful and how bonkers would that experience be? If you're a patreon subscriber, you'll hear this episode in its entirety and you'll hear Mick and I playing the ThinkFast game at the end. You can sign up for the A76 Design Pod Patreon here.Keep designing. Keep Growing. And keep making a positive impact.~NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

I've often found, that the best designers have a lightness about how they go about their craft. They regularly joke, don't take themselves too seriously, and connect with others through humor. One minute they're clowning, dropping memes and the next delivering a mind-blowing design perspective —and that's definitely true of Mick. She's a talented designer at Google working in the Doodles & Delight Team, a beloved Illustrator recently being named one of the Noun Project and Dribble's top illustrators of 2024 and a sought-after global speaker, most recently taking the stage at awwwards.conf in NYC; all the while being a self-described class clown. Please enjoy my interview with friend of the pod, Mick Champayne.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

This is an A76 Patreon preview of an Icebreak episode coming off my interview with Matt Saip; he's the SVP Tech Lead in the Digitas Chicago office. If you haven't listened to that interview you should listen to it first here.If you're new to A76's Patreon, Icebreak episodes are exclusive for members, where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the discussions coming out of my free interviews. I bring new ideas here, things I'm kicking around and I share additional interview content.You can sign up for the A76 Design Pod Patreon hereFor today's full Icebreak episode, I question how useful digital technology is in its current state and who it's serving. And I introduce part 1 of a theoretical series—what if there was an AI Assistant trained on all your personal data (and I mean all) and was so well crafted that it essentially was a digital version of you—in my case a NoelAI. Would it be helpful, would it lead to deeper insights, would it help you with more then just booking your travel? And if it completed all of your tasks, what then?I also call for a revolutionary rethink on how we leverage technology and Matt and I play the ThinkFast game.Keep designing. Keep Growing. And keep making a positive impact.~NoelA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

In this A76 episode, I talk with Matt Saip the SVP Technology Lead at Digitas' Chicago office.Matt spends his days translating complex technical topics and rejecting technical jargon others use as a crutch, while seamlessly delivering innovative tech platforms and projects at a global scale. He scales through keeping it simple. I call him a working class tech leader, there's no one better and I appreciate his partnership on my experience design projects. A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

Introducing Season 3 of A76How do we design for the future, for new users, for niche cultures and our greater global society? How do we take amazing ideas and make them real and when is scale a negative? Growing teams. Enterprise design systems. Personalization. From macro ecosystems to micro interactions, the Art and Science of Scale.Support the showA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 3 on Scale is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change was produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOur outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.comand connect with us on Bluesky

In this bonus episode of the A76 design pod, I talk with the creator of our intro theme music, the talented artist and musician, Stella Solveig. She illuminates her writing and recording process, discusses what informed her decisions, including defining what design sounds like, and shares insights into her own personal music and career.Check out more of Stella's music at  Her website stellasolveig.comIG stella_solveigTikTok stella_solveigYoutube stella_solveigSpotify Stella SolveigSoundcloud Stella SolveigComing soon—season 2's wrap episode and the announcement of season 3's theme—dropped first on A76's PatreonSupport the showA76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

Bringing you part 2 of my conversation with mentor and creative juggernaut, Frank Grubich. If you haven't listened to Part 1, definitely go check that out first. In this lively conversation, we chat about how walking your dog leads to deeper insights, the challenges designers face in being valued and how we all need to continue to push boundaries by taking risks and continuously asking questions.We get into managing change throughout the conversation, including showing clients options and we discuss Frank's approach to nurturing the design team that I worked on years ago. I'm grateful for the time Frank has given to the podcast and I hope you find our conversation both entertaining and meaningful.If you'd like to join A76's Patreon, check out the two levels of support. I appreciate you taking the time to consider it. Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

For today's pod - I'm thrilled to bring you part 1 of my interview with Frank Grubich. He's had a 35 year career that's still going. He's a creative juggernaut who owned a successful design agency for years called Laughing Dog—years before I designed with him. And he's worked on everything you can think of in the creative and design industry. Yet, the qualities I appreciate most about Frank are his insane curiosity and his passion to differentiate, all balanced with a surprising humor and down to earth ease. Plus he's got this intense focus on striving for the why of everything, while exploring the future always asking "What if..." which we discuss in detail.I've never met another person like Frank. He's one of a kind. I cherish the years designing on his team—they were like taking multiple design master classes. I learned so much from him both as a designer and a person and I'm grateful that he is a mentor of mine. ~ NoelFrom FrankI BelieveEverybody wants change, but nobody wants to change.Without trust, nothing is possible.All jokes lead to the truth.Parameters make creative better.If we aren't making our clients nervous, we aren't doing our job.Clients succeed when we connect people to people — not to stuff.Design is a process, not a thing.The problem with customer experience is never with the customer.An agency should be more passionate about the client's business than the client.You can't truly think outside the box until you respect the box.Successful brands are not born in boardrooms (or in Zoom meetings).If you're billing creativity by the hour, you're doing it wrong. (a.k.a. the path to efficiency leads to obsolescence.)Ideas are a dime a dozen. Real value is in the artful execution and implementation of ideas.True innovation is a messy, ugly, exhausting process. If someone is telling you it's easy— they're lying.It's more important to have a sense of purpose than it is to have a sense of place.Creativity is an agency's leading point of difference. Treat is like your business depends on it (because it does).My team should be better than me.There are no boring clients, only lazy agencies.Nobody—and I mean NOBODY—wakes up and thinks, “oh goodie, more data!”I believe there is nothing more wasteful than doing nothing.If a client thinks their nephew can do that, don't waste another minute on that client.I believe I have the second coolest job in the world.House was right — everybody lies.Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

In today's episode, I talk with friend of the pod Casey Hudetz. He's a Senior Product Design Manager at Docusign, an AI enthusiast and international speaker on all things AI, tech and UX Design. We chat about many things including reconnecting with the greater design community and building sails to catch the future winds of change.Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

In today's pod, I interview the talented Christin Norris, an Experience Design Manager at Accenture on the Design and Digital Products team. We talk about what we do when we're not working, how making sourdough is a metaphor for managing change, and how to craft a successful design career via critical choices.I've also launched an A76 Patreon. Please consider becoming a member and supporting the podcast. Check out the details at patreon.com/A76designpodSupport the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

In today's pod I break down my Adam Buhler interview from season 2's episode 5—The new electricity—plus I experiment with interviewing Pi, an AI chatbot and have an uncanny, a little glitchy, yet ultimately intriguing discussion.Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

Continuing with our season of change, I talk with the incomparable Adam Buhler. Adam's the SVP Head of Creative Technology at Digitas, ferociously curious and strikingly prophetic around the direction of tech trends. We discuss everything from 30 minute meeting flow to the new electricity. Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

After some time off, A76 design pod is back. I discuss episode 3's February interview with Dolly Vu, talk Brad Stulberg's Order, Disorder, Reorder cycle and preview an upcoming episode. Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

In the third episode of our season of change, I talk with  Dolly Vu an Associate Creative Director at Huge focusing on user experience and user interfaces. We have an open conversation around mitigating risk by providing design options; how storytelling design is so critical; and we discuss the challenges around a designer shifting to managing people. I hope you enjoy our conversation.Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

I'm Icebreaking my interviews as part of season 2's discussion of change. Specifically in this episode I discuss the behind the scenes context of chatting with Paul Grachan, what it takes to produce an episode of A76 and what happened when I challenged a co-worker to a footrace. Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

Welcome to A76. We kick off our season of change, chatting with Paul Grachan. Paul is a long time friend, designer, creative spark, and driver of change. When I thought about who I wanted to chat with for this first episode I only had one person in mind. You might have heard his story of the dollar bill with his wife's name on it on This American Life and if you know him, it's so Paul. He's one of the most creative people I've ever worked with but he's also smartly grounded in the realities of people, their behaviors, and quirks. One note, we had challenges with audio. It gets better half way through. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Paul.Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

Change. It's so ubiquitous that it seems ridiculous to even talk about.  Yet our relationship to change is challenging. We have poor reactions to it, we ignore it hoping it will go away. We're even surprised when it happens; which we should never be. The only thing in life that is constant and will never stop, is change.Obviously this is a big topic with many facets to it, but why do we have to approach it this way? Why does change have to be so painful? Are there other ways to get ahead of it? To manage it better? And could a designer's mindset completely change how we approach, change?My name is Noel Childs and in season 1 of A76 we discussed AI's impact on the design industry and a potential shift in our methodology. And throughout our conversations I was reminded of the incredible flexibility of thinking from the designers I talked to. And I've been lucky to have worked with some of the most creative people in the world over the course of my career. Their ability to not only deal with change but to drive it for their projects, their clients and people around them is heroic and inspiring.This is something I've been thinking about for awhile. I often say that I should have a PhD in Change Management simply by working in the design industry. If I'm touching a project, or my team is, there's a reason for it; something needs to change, or be solved, or be enhanced. We need to move people's perspectives from one area to another. And the reality is, I spend a comparatively short amount of time coming up with the solution and most of the time convincing my clients and the people around me it's the right approach. So in season 2 of A76 I'll go deep on the designer's mindset. Get into how we approach change, talk about the tactics we use to shift the thinking around our projects and hear stories from people who grapple with this everyday. My goal is to not only share it with all of you so we can get a little better, but also bring it to as wide an audience as possible. This is a strength designers have that everyone can benefit from, and our world needs it.We have too many issues to solve that can only be done through transformation. We need to continue to build those mental muscles to get better at managing change. Find the right balance between a fixed mindset and a growth one. And recognize change for what it truly is, an opportunity.A76's Season of Change. Coming soon.Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

Noel and Casey wrap the season chatting on how their understanding of AI has changed over the course of the season. They discuss the highlights of the various guests they interviewed, how they've integrated AI into their design craft and implemented it in their design teams. They talk about how AI came to the design industry right at the perfect time, how it's critical that UX designers immerse themselves and how they're more aligned with Reid Hoffman then Geoffrey Hinton. Noel discusses the wisdom he's gleaned and the 3 big AI categories; and gives an update for season 2 of A76.Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

Gavin Lew has decades of experience in both corporate and academic environments, as well as founding and selling one of the largest UX firms in the US. He's a faculty member of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and adjunct professor at DePaul. A frequent presenter at national and international conferences and the inventor of several patents, Gavin is also the author of the fascinating book – AI and UX; Why Artificial Intelligence Needs User Experience.As UX designers and researchers, we discuss how we all ended up here, what unique role UX can play in AI, crack open Gavin's book and discuss where this is all headed. He's a visionary thinker, an expert in his field, and a true advocate for the potential of AI infused with brilliant UX thinking. Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

In this pod we talk to Andreas Refsgaard an artist and creative coder based in Copenhagen. Working in the field between art and interaction design he uses coding and machine learning to explore the creative potentials of emerging digital technologies. By connecting inputs and outputs in unconventional ways, Andreas allows people to experiment, interact and have fun with algorithms.We discuss his origin story, leveraging machine learning for accessibility, the randomness and humor of AI, and asking big societal questions while focusing on personal strengths. Andreas talks about asking ChatGPT to come up with new creative ideas, tickling yourself, the poetry of chest hair and the quirkiness of his meme generator projects. Finally,  we wrap-up the discussion talking about a crowd-sourced AI game idea and reworking old projects with new tech.Reference:Andreas Refsgaard's ProjectsSupport the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

In today's pod we talk to Mick Champayne, a senior visual designer at Google by day who moonlights as an illustrator. She loves navel-gazing about the future, especially how designers can support people's values and intentions. With AI coming at us at warp speed, the implications for both design and illustration are far-reaching, but she's actively working on shifting her mindset from, in her own words, “it's all over” to “hey, things could be pretty cool."Our discussion covers Mick's views on generative AI, content creation and whether or not it will make the illustration industry obsolete. We cover what happened when Casey feed Mick's illustration style into an AI model. Mick proposes how a positive optimization mindset has huge ramifications. We discuss the homogenous sci-fi plasticity of existing text to image creations. We get into the critical discussion of ethics, IP and critical copyright legal issues. And discuss the end of the “move fast and break things” era. Finally we discuss how Mick embraced her own unique pov to unlock more opportunity.We end the discussion with how AI is bringing forward a critical discussion around humanity and necessary changes in our society. And the critical responsibility designers have to spearhead and embrace that change. Mick discusses her design practice at Google, getting better at prompting, and the power of collective ideation empowered by AI.Reference:Mick Champayne site and illustrationsAI generated illustrations in style of MickSupport the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

The British Design Council codified the Double Diamond model in 2005. If you're not familiar with the Double Diamond Model, it's a visual model that interprets the design process represented by 2 diamonds. First one is all about Discovery and Research. Second one is all about design and testing.There are many articles written about it and many takes. We'll break down the details and unpack it here. Chances are even if you've never heard of it and you're a designer, this is your approach already. Google it and you can see the many visualizations.Back to that British Design Council; their intention was to research how designers, well design. And they took a look at all kinds of designers with different backgrounds and mediums and this is what they came up with. But the fact of the matter is, designers have been approaching problem solving and creativity this way for arguably hundreds of years; and in some ways humanity as a whole, going all the way back to those iterations of hand tools thousands of years ago, that have been discovered. We create. We progress. Test. Iterate. The fact is, we all live this model.But recently, I've been feeling an industry shift. You could say it started with the recent pandemic forcing changes in the way we live and work, but I think it was shifting way before that. I've created A76 to discuss this shift and speculate on the future of design. And talk about complicated topics that need to be unpacked.Why did I feel compelled to create A76? To be fair, I prefer doing over talking. I love designing, managing design teams and solving problems with my clients. But this has all brought me forward and my criteria for this podcast; take a thorny subject that has threads to this shift, find a co-host that's brave enough to get into it with me and have discussions with experts that will help unravel, clarify and find a road forward.And this first season is all about a technology that feels like its playing by different rules and very much in the design zeitgeist right now, and that's AI. And for this season, we'll bounce the  double diamond model up against AI and explore its continued relevance in this changing era.And with me to co-host the first season of AI, is Casey Hudetz. Casey has been interested in how AI can enhance and impact the field of design for the better half of a decade. He has given talks around the world on the topic, created a docuseries and is currently a product design manager at DocuSign where he oversees a team of designers focused on the company's AI efforts. Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com

In May of 2021, the iceberg that would become A76 calved off an ice shelf in Antarctica. Spotted by Keith Makinson, a polar oceanographer, he estimated it to be over 100 miles long and 16 miles wide, one of the largest icebergs in history, more square mileage then Rhode Island. Eventually it broke into 3 separate icebergs that are still floating out there in a vast sea of ice. My guess is you've never heard of A76 and maybe you're even thinking to yourself why should I care?My name is Noel Childs and I'm curious about the surprising connections to hidden aspects of our world. And although I've been designing for nearly 30 years, I've recently felt the proverbial earth under the design industry shift. A subtle, but unprecedented movement of hyperobjects. Much more then trend. End of a golden age of smart usability. A nascent era beginning.I created A76 to synthesize these connections and speculate on the future of design. And get into important topics like ethics, diversity, technology in design and climate crisis.And this first season is all about an established design process that seems at odds with a tech very much in the zeitgeist right now – the Double Diamond design model and AI. Hosted by myself and friend and colleague Casey Hudetz.A76 and a season of AI. Coming Soon.Support the Show.A76 was created by Noel ChildsSeason 2 on Change is produced by Noel ChildsSeason 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel ChildsOur theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey NettletonOutro voice over by Pi AI If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpodHave a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com