Podcasts are personal. Whether you’re a frequent listener or are just dipping your toes in the water, the fact is that the “perfect UX research podcast” doesn’t exist. Your colleague’s favorite, never-miss podcast could be like nails on a chalkboard to your own ears.
Lucky for you, we spent hours listening to dozens of user research and UX design podcasts to put together this guide to 33 of the best—including noteworthy and representative episodes to help you evaluate if a certain podcast is the right fit for you.
This list includes:
- UX and user research podcasts.
- Podcasts about the big picture: Design, business, and society.
- Oldies but goodies—inactive podcasts with archives worth exploring.
And to make things easier for you, we've put together a 70+ episode Spotify playlist of most of the episodes mentioned in this article—plus quite a few bonus episodes as well.
We hope this helps you find your perfect podcast. Happy listening!
🎧 UX and user research podcasts
These podcasts each take a slightly different approach to UX and user research. All of them will help you level up your research skills.
1. Awkward Silences
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or pretty much anywhere podcasts are available
Shamelessly, proudly kicking off the list with our very own Awkward Silences, the podcast where we interview the people who interview people. Hosted by User Interviews’s Erin May and JH Forster, guests include user researchers and thought leaders at companies like NN/g, Adobe, Atlassian, Google, Shopify, and more.
- What it’s about: All things UX research
- Frequency: Ongoing, every other week
- Typical episode length: 30 to 45 minutes
5-star review:
“Really great mixture of in-depth advice, concrete lessons to apply IRL, and personal touches that make you feel like you’re joining a real conversation. Must-listen for anyone interested in user research and UX.”
Noteworthy episodes
All of them! 😏 But here are a few editor picks:
#72 - How to Ask Great UX Research Questions with Amy Chess of Amazon
Amy Chess, UX Researcher at Amazon (at the time of recording—currently, she’s a research leader at Walmart), explains why you can’t do great user research without asking the right research questions. She also talked about the difference between interview and research questions, building trust with stakeholders, and why you definitely can’t choose a methodology before you establish a research question.
How accessible is your accessibility research? In this episode, Samuel Proulx, Accessibility Evangelist at Fable, joined us to talk to us about accessibility and why it (really, really) matters. He taught us about the tech many people with disabilities use to navigate the digital world, why accessibility is more important now than ever, and how designing for accessibility makes everyone’s user experience better.
#87 - User Interviews 201: Leveling Up Your Interviews with Therese Fessenden of NN/g
Therese Fessenden, Senior User Experience Specialist at NN/g, joins the Awkward Silences podcast to chat about how to get even better at interviewing. She talked about how to master the basics, hone your skills, and become an A+ interviewer.
🏆 Looking for more ways to learn and connect? Follow these Top UX Research Leaders on Linkedin.
2. NN/g UX Podcast
A welcome addition to the UX pod space, this monthly podcast from the UX experts at Nielsen Norman Group is hosted by User Experience Specialist (and Awkward Silences alum) Therese Fessenden. Therese frequently interviews fellow experts from NN/g, as well as researchers, designers, and other professionals in the UX industry (including User Interviews’s very own podcast hosts, Erin May and JH Forster, in this episode on User Research trends).
- What it’s about: Research-based UX
- Frequency: Ongoing, monthly (every first Friday)
- Typical episode length: 30 minutes
5-star review:
“Excellent podcast. More episodes please. Can’t get enough of it.”
Noteworthy episode
#19 - Designing a UX Career (feat. Sarah Doody, Founder of the Career Strategy Lab)
In this episode, Sarah Doody, UX Researcher, Experience Designer, and Founder of the Career Strategy Lab, shares her thoughts on how UX professionals can design their ideal careers, whether they’re in the market for a new role or not.
3. The Optimal Path
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or The Optimal Path’s website
Hosted by Ash Oliver, UX Designer and the first Design Advocate at Maze, The Optimal Path is brand new on the podcast scene this year. It features experts from all areas of product development, uncovering the stories, ideas, and approaches that lead you down ‘the optimal path’ for product decisions.
- What it’s about: Product decision-making, including the role of user research
- Frequency: Ongoing, twice monthly
- Typical episode length: 30 to 40 minutes
5-star review:
“Tbh I'm usually a bit bored with podcasts but this one is lit! 🔥 It's short and no BS.” — Enzo Avigo on Product Hunt
Noteworthy episode
A framework for decision-driven research with Roberta Dombrowski | User Interviews
This episode features our very own VP of User Research, Roberta Dombrowski! She talks about her framework for decision-driven research and how to enable your organization to make confident, informed decisions.
4. Learners
Developed by Learners (whose founder, Alec Levin is… you guessed it… an Awkward alum), the UX professional development platform, this podcast features individuals at all stages of their tech careers to discuss how they build a team, how corporate culture impacts their work, how they evangelize their work, and their opinions on pressing topics in their area of expertise.
- What it’s about: UX in general, with a focus on UX research
- Frequency: Sporadic—last episode in April 2022
- Typical episode length: 30 to 40 minutes
5-star review:
“Best UX Podcast yet! I’m addicted to podcasts and I really appreciate structured content and this has been one of the most informative podcasts on process and how the individuals have made a difference in their own companies. Highly recommend!”
Noteworthy episode
E016: Systems Research with Jessica Thomas, Sr. Business PM at Xbox
Jessica Thomas is the Senior Business Product Manager of Culture Programs at Xbox. In this episode, she talks through her career journey, with a focus on systems research—dealing with complex design systems, teams, and more.
5. The Yzzi Research Podcast
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or the The Yzzi Research Podcast website
Hosted by UX Researcher Imani Nichols (another Awkward Alum!), The Yzzi Research Podcast is relatively new to the podcast scene, with only two seasons released so far. In it, Imani interviews a variety of UX researchers about navigating their careers, building teams, using specific research methods, and more.
- What it’s about: UX research careers
- Frequency: Seasonal, most recent episode February 2022
- Typical episode length: 30 minutes
Listener review:
“[The Yzzi Research Podcast is] packed with useful information for those getting started in UX research, and is also interesting to seasoned pros.” — Berenice DeGusti, Senior UX Researcher at Evans Hunt
Noteworthy episode
In this episode, Imani speaks with Babz Jewell Hall. Babz talks about ethnographic sociology in the context of conducting UX research. She also gives practical and creative advice for navigating the UX researcher job market.
6. Aurelius
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Aurelius website
Aurelius CEO and Co-Founder Zach Naylor (Awkward alum!) invites UX industry experts to discuss all things design and product strategy, including leadership strategies, working with stakeholders, ResearchOps, diversity and inclusion, and more.
- What it’s about: UX design, product strategy, and user research
- Frequency: Sporadic, most recent episode Oct 2021
- Typical episode length: 40 to 50 minutes
5-star review:
“Great line up and great conversations—Zack has curated a great line up of a-list designers and researchers. Looking forward to hearing more from him and future guests.”
Noteworthy episode
Episode 57 with Phil Hesketh on UX Research & Consent
Phil Hesketh, Founder of Consent Kit, joins the Aurelius podcast to talk about managing consent in UX research, including how to gain proper consent with participants, what participant rights are, and the ethics of informed consent.
7. Roy Olende’s Scaling Research
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Scaling Research website
Hosted by Roy Olende, Head of UX Research at Zapier (and Awkward alum!), Scaling Research features Research Ops and UX research practitioners in every episode, unpacking their tips and strategies for making UX research happen at scale.
- What it’s about: Research Ops and scaling UX research practices
- Frequency: Ongoing, once a week
- Typical episode length: 30 to 40 minutes
5-star review:
“Honest and informative! Luckily, I found this podcast on my journey to research the ResearchOps field. With every episode, I get more and more excited about breaking into this particular field in tech. Thank you for a great podcast and some super fun intro questions.”
Noteworthy episode
S2 E2 - Maturing a Research Ops Practice w/ Kate Towsey
In this episode, Roy chats with Kate Towsey, Research Ops Manager at Atlassian and the catalyst behind the Research Ops community. She talks about the differences between research ops and research admin, the importance of learning how to manage a team, and the difference between creating research systems and individual research resources.
8. UXPodcast
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the UXPodcast website
One of the longest running podcasts in the space, hosts James Royal-Lawson and Per Axbom have been chatting with guests about digital design, technology, and people since 2011.
- What it’s about: UX in general, including user research
- Frequency: Ongoing, twice monthly
- Typical episode length: 30 to 40 minutes
5-star review:
“James and Per highlight all aspects of business, tech and more in this can’t miss podcast! The hosts and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!”
Noteworthy episode
#280 - Ethical experimentation with Craig Sullivan
Craig Sullivan, Optimizer in Chief at Optimal Visit, discusses the ethical implications of mass experimentation, the problems of North-star metrics, the need for ethical training, and the processes both organizations (and individuals need) to adopt to reduce the ethical gap.
9. UX Cake
Hosted by UX design and research leader Leigh Allen-Arredondo, this podcast leans toward practical, actionable career advice for folks in user experience design and research.
- What it’s about: UX in general, including user research
- Frequency: Seasonal, most recent episode in April 2022
- Typical episode length: 30 to 40 minutes
5-star review:
“UX Cake is my favorite design podcast. Leigh has a knack [for] taking complex topics and making them easy to digest (pun intended). I find the rhythm of this podcast soothing, as well, and it’s my go-to for a hectic commute when I need to decompress and learn something new while I’m at it.”
Noteworthy episode
UX Strategy Sprints with Craig Nishizaki
Craig Nishizaki, Head of Business for UpTop discusses UX Strategy and UX Strategy Springs — specifically, what the term ‘UX Strategy’ actually means and how to sell and drive the creation of UX Strategies at organizations that might not be familiar with the true value of UX.
10. UX Radio
Less well-known than many others on this list, this podcast covers plenty of important ground through interviews with UX industry leaders. Hosted by Laura Fedoroff of Philosophie and Chris Chandler of Schlesinger Group.
- What it’s about: UX in general, including user research
- Frequency: Sporadic, latest episode in October 2021
- Typical episode length: 35 minutes
5-star review:
“I like the pace, and the focus [on] UX challenges we are all facing.”
Noteworthy episode
Convincing Stakeholders why UX Research Matters with Krispian Emert
Krispian Emert, UX Researcher at Facebook, shares her experiences and advice for winning over research skeptics, affecting change, and getting stakeholders excited about UX research.
11. Mixed Methods
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Mixed Methods website
Another popular listen, the Mixed Methods podcast is hosted by Aryel Cianflone, the founder of the Mixed Methods Slack community and blog. Aryel interviews industry experts, with a focus on research methods, practical advice, and learning through good old fashioned experimentation.
- What it’s about: UX research
- Frequency: Sporadic, most recent episode in May 2020
- Typical episode length: 45 minutes
5-star review:
“As a UX Designer, I almost never listen to industry-focused podcasts because… I love a good podcast escape. What’s great about Mixed Methods is that it offers very interesting/practical advice and lacks all pretentious jargon and sentiment.”
Noteworthy episode
The Next Billion Users – Asif Baki, Google
Asif Baki, the Head of Research and Insights at Google’s Next Billion Users Initiative, joins Aryel to talk about the project, the importance of understanding the technological needs of rapidly growing global communities in places like Jakarta or Mexico City, and the day-to-day challenges that come with trying to bridge differences in UX needs.
12. Honest UX Talks
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or Anchor
Honest weekly conversations about UX design career, challenges, portfolios, mental health, and all things UX. Hosts Ioana Teleanu and Anfisa Bogomolova together have 20 years of experience in the UX field and are trying to share their lessons learned to help anyone transitioning to design.
- What it’s about: UX in general, including research, careers, and design
- Frequency: Ongoing, weekly
- Typical episode length: 30 to 40 minutes
5-star review:
“Honest UX Talks is the perfect name for this show because Anfisa and Ioana actually really do speak honestly about their experiences in their career, sharing valuable knowledge that can help anyone who is getting into or already into their UX career. I really appreciate that they are so honest and in tune with themselves, they keep it really real. They share personal experiences and also ‘failures’ with us that are not often simple, polished, or straight-forward, and that’s actually really brave. I am so glad that two of my favorite women in UX teamed up to do this podcast.”
Noteworthy episode
#42 - Selling UX research to stakeholders
In this episode, Ioana and Anfisa discuss one of the timeless challenges for UX researchers: getting buy-in from stakeholders. They talk about the importance of good research and dangers of sloppy research, as well as the most common reasons why clients push back doing research and how to convince them not to do so.
13. UI Breakfast
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the UI Breakfast website
Hosted by Jane Portman, Co-Founder of Userlist, UI Breakfast is a long-running podcast featuring industry experts for exciting conversations about UI/UX design, SaaS products, marketing, and more.
- What it’s about: UX in general
- Frequency: Ongoing, weekly
- Typical episode length: 30 to 45 minutes
5-star review:
“UI Breakfast is like my morning coffee—warm, stimulating, and a can’t miss part of my content diet! Jane has crafted the preeminent space for discussions of all things product + UX... it's become such a valuable resource for me! Highly recommend.”
Noteworthy episode
Episode 235: UX Hiring with Sarah Doody
How can UX designers position themselves to land the best suitable roles? This episode features Sarah Doody, UX researcher, designer and founder of Career Strategy Lab. She discusses what companies look for when they are hiring designers, tips for crafting your portfolio, creative ways to scope projects before starting, and more.
14. The Object-Oriented UX (OOUX) Podcast
OOUX is a design methodology that focuses on breaking down complex systems into the objects it includes instead of the actions it’s meant to take—with the goal of making designers’ work easier and user experiences more intuitive. In the OOUX podcast, Sophia V. Prater, Founder of Rewired UX, OOUX discusses this approach, covering UX systems, information architecture, human psychology, and more.
- What it’s about: UX in general
- Frequency: Sporadic—latest episode in April 2022
- Typical episode length: 50 minutes to 1.5 hours
Noteworthy episode
Episode 020 - How to Sell UX Research with OOUX
In this episode, Sophia shows you how to sell more UX research using Object-Oriented UX—more specifically, the first two steps of the ORCA process. She talks about how to make your stakeholders and biz folks aware of gaps in the team’s understanding and become more invested in important questions that need to be brought to users.
15. Technically Speaking with Harrison Wheeler
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Technically Speaking website
Technically Speaking with Harrison Wheeler (Awkward alum!), Senior Design Manager at Linkedin, is a podcast centered around all-things UX. The episodes feature guests from diverse backgrounds including designers, writers, technologists, founders and creatives.
- What it’s about: UX in general
- Frequency: Seasonal—last episode in December 2021
- Typical episode length: 20 to 45 mins
Noteworthy episode
User Experience Research Corner and Clubhouse
In this episode, Harrison talks to the UX Research Corner crew, a 30k+ follower Clubhouse room where they talk about the nuances and intricacies of the UX research field. Tune in to learn more about the women of color leading the UX Research Corner, how they organize the conversation for every room, the impact of the UX Research Corner, and more.
16. 97 UX Things
In this podcast, the authors of the book 97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know, edited by Dan Berlin, discuss their chapters, career trajectories, and advice for anyone working in user experience.
- What it’s about: UX in general
- Frequency: Ongoing, weekly
- Typical episode length: 25 to 30 mins
Noteworthy episode
Megan Campos - Diverse Participant Recruiting is Essential to Authentic User Research
Megan Campos is the Experience Research Director at Mad*Pow and an advocate for inclusive research practices. In this episode, she discusses her career path into UX and provides practical tips for ensuring a diverse recruit during user research.
17. The Rosenfeld Review Podcast
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, Soundcloud, or the Rosenfeld Website
This podcast, hosted by Lou Rosenfeld, Publisher and Founder of Rosenfeld Media, features interesting changemakers in the UX world and beyond. Guests chat with Lou to provide a bird's eye view into the ever-evolving field of UX and how individuals and teams can respond in ways that drive success.
- What it’s about: UX in general
- Frequency: Sporadic—last episode in April 2022
- Typical episode length: 25 to 40 mins
Noteworthy episode
How Creativity Can Help Remote Teams Collaborate with Denise Jacobs
In this episode, Creativity Evangelist and CEO of The Creative Dose Denise Jacobs chats with Lou about how the current era of “doom-scrolling” means it’s more important than ever to unlock our creative minds and make meaningful connections—and why having tools that allow you to collaborate in a virtual environment and overcome isolation is a way to expand the collective creativity of the whole team.
🗺 Podcasts about the big picture: Design, business, and society
User research doesn’t happen in a vacuum. These next podcasts are great sources of thought leadership and help place UX research in context.
1. 99% Invisible
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the 99% Invisible website
One of our personal favorites, 99% Invisible is a narrative podcast that explores the ideas, processes, and unknown stories behind the design of everything from beekeeping to braille to ballparks. Hosted by Roman Mars, the “Ira Glass of design.”
- What it’s about: Design everything
- Frequency: Ongoing, weekly
- Typical episode length: 30 to 45 minutes
Glowing review:
“We think what he’s doing is inspiring. It has a kind of rhythm and musicality that you don’t normally find in radio or podcast storytelling.”— Jad Abumrad, Radiolab
Noteworthy episode
#476 - Reaction Offices and the Future of Work
People have been going back and forth about what makes a healthy and productive office since there have been offices. The 20th century was full of misbegotten fads and productivity innovations that continue to this day, even when the whole notion of what it means to be in an office has shifted during the pandemic.
2. Wireframe
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Wireframe website
A design podcast from Adobe, hosted by Khoi Vinh, one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. Topics are wide-ranging, but ultimately come back to how user experience design fits into and shapes our lives.
- What it’s about: UX/UI design
- Frequency: Seasonal, most recent episode in June 2021
- Typical episode length: 30 minutes
5-star review:
“My ONLY complaint is that the episodes aren’t longer and more frequent. I love this show.”
Noteworthy episode
How do designers use data visualization to take the numb out of numbers?
Our society is now more data driven than ever, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by numbers. Data visualization designers work to sort through the numbers using both science and creativity to find the stories they have to tell, and help us understand the world a little better. In this episode, Khoi explores what goes into designing an effective data visualization.
3. Design Better Podcast
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Design Better website
Another podcast from a giant of the design world, this one comes from the team at InVision. Hosts Aarron Walter and Elijah Woolery interview renowned design leaders. Conversations often lean to the intersection of business and design, with plenty of practical takeaways.
- What it’s about: Digital design
- Frequency: Seasonal, most recent episode 2021
- Typical episode length: 45 minutes
5-star review:
“There hasn’t been a single episode of this podcast that hasn’t provided me with some interesting new questions or thoughts to chew on. The guests are just [the] crème de la crème of [the] design industry today, and they absolutely live up to expectations. The overarching theme of the podcast is institutionalizing design so I’d say that it probably brings a bit more value to those working in a company or running one compared to those pursuing [a] freelance career.”
Noteworthy episode
Airbnb’s Benjamin Evans on the power of inclusive design
Benjamin Evans, formerly the Inclusive Design Lead for Airbnb and now the Director of Product Inclusion at PayPal, joins Elijah and Aarron to talk about how his team tackles bias in digital design. He shares his advice on using design thinking, research, and careful storytelling to work toward a more inclusive user experience.
4. The Design of Business | The Business of Design
🔊 Listen on Apple or the DB | BD website
DB | BD is a popular podcast hosted by respected design leaders Michael Bierut and Jessica Helfand of Design Observer, who interview interesting folks from a broad range of industries to unpack their creative practices and ways of solving problems.
- What it’s about: Design in a business context
- Frequency: Seasonal, most recent episode in October 2021
- Typical episode length: 30 minutes
Listener review:
“Michael and Jessica elevate the conversation of design beyond what something looks like… Thanks for your deep, broad (and fun) conversations that both tie together and unravel my preconceptions!”
Noteworthy episode
Kat Vellos, UX designer, facilitator, and connection coach, explores the connection between designing products or page layouts and facilitating meaningful conversations that lead to more durable friendships.
“As a facilitator, it's about designing for the real-life, designing for experiences that human beings will have in a space, or at a certain space and time… Whether it's print, web, whatever, product, apps, you're designing for an intention, which is what you want the person experiencing it to get to at the end. And so to me, it's one and the same, and I describe it really as the art of intentionality — and that's the practice.”
5. Design Matters
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Design Matters website
Hosted by Debbie Millman—“one of the most influential designers working today” by Graphic Design USA, and “one of the most creative people working in business” by Fast Company—this award-winning podcast explores design and the broader world of creative culture through wide-ranging conversations with designers, writers, artists, curators, musicians, and more.
- What it’s about: Design and creativity in general
- Frequency: Ongoing, weekly
- Typical episode length: 1 hour
5-star review:
“I listen to *lots* of podcasts; most of them are light and funny listens that liven up chores and other mundane moments. Design Matters is different. Although it’s a fun, engaging listen, I always learn something new, or come away inspired, or both. Debbie is a gifted interviewer and creative talent in her own right, and she draws insightful conversations from her equally talented subjects. Magical!”
Noteworthy episode
Best of Design Matters: Dr. Dori Tunstall
Dr. Dori Tunstall, Dean of Design at OCAD University, is a design anthropologist and advocate who works at the intersections of critical theory, culture, and design. In this episode, she discusses branding through the lens of Design Anthropology, which considers how design helps define what it means to be human.
6. The Futur
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or The Futur website
Hosted by Chris Do, Founder and CEO of creative education platform The Futur, this podcast explores the worlds of design, technology, marketing, business, philosophy, and personal development.
- What it’s about: Design, marketing, and business
- Frequency: Ongoing, weekly
- Typical episode length: Just over an hour
5-star review:
“Chris Do and The Futur have changed my life. This podcast offers a no B.S. approach to talking design thinking as well as the more subtle way of running a creative business. If you’re a professional or aspiring creative who needs thoughts and direction on this industry, come along for the journey!”
Noteworthy episode
Episode 159 — Done is Better Than Perfect with Martha, Jule, and Lola
In this episode, Chris is joined by The Futur Pro Group members Martha Cristina Garza, Jule Kim, and Lola Bakare, each of whom share their experience with perfection getting the best of them. They talk about where perfectionism comes from, why it hinders your growth, and how to fight that intrinsic need to make something perfect before you share it.
7. The Futures Archive
The Futures Archive is a podcast from Design Observer that looks at the history of human-centered design with a critical eye to its future. In each episode, we begin with an object, interrogating the motives and methods that put people—and their complex needs and desires—at the center of the design process. From research to iteration to manufacturing and distribution, we’ll look at design as more than the sum of its countless parts—learning from the “what” and searching for the “why”—as we explore, together, the possibilities for our collective future.
- What it’s about: Human-centered design
- Frequency: Sporadic—last episode April 2022
- Typical episode length: 30 to 45 minutes
Noteworthy episode
What are the relationships between design and pleasure? How can we design the most pleasurable experiences? On this episode of The Futures Archive, Lee Moreau, President of design consultancy Other Tomorrows, and Rachel Lehrer, Associate Director of Design and Innovation at International Rescue Committee, discuss the disco ball and the importance of embodied design.
“We have a firehose of information and experiences every day. We disconnect, right? We close our windows, we turn music on to cover up sounds. And so I think if that is designed well, it can serve us and give us new experiences. If it is designed poorly, it just floods us so that we are overstimulated.” — Rachel Lehrer
8. Design Details
Hosted by Marshall Bock, Design Systems Lead at YouTube, and Brian Lovin, Product Designer at Github, Design Details is a popular, long-in-running podcast covering ideas and stories related to design process and culture. They discuss everything from managing teams as a design leader to specific tips and frameworks for designing better products.
- What it’s about: Design in general
- Frequency: Ongoing, weekly
- Typical episode length: 20 to 30 minutes
5-star review:
“Whether you’re well established as someone who can translate creative energy into the impact you want to have on the world, or just getting started as a catalyst for change—this is a must-listen podcast for you! Brian and Marshall do an incredible job leading conversations that cover a huge breadth of topics related to the ins and outs of building a thriving career and life you can be proud of as a designer—from leaders who’ve actually walked the path. Highly recommend listening and subscribing!”
Noteworthy episode
430: Design File Sanity and Breaking Navigation Patterns
In this episode, Marshall and Brian talk about design file sources of truth, Snapchat's evolution, and the qualities of great managers. They also talk about building a YouTube channel from scratch, the opportunity for designers on YouTube, and ways to de-risk a new creative exploration.
9. Human Insight
Human Insight is co-hosted by Andy MacMillan, CEO, and Janelle Estes, Chief Insights Officer of UserTesting. Each episode features engaging conversations with experts in conversion optimization, UX research, design, product, and more.
- What it’s about: UX, design, product, and more
- Frequency: Seasonal, last episode in April 2022
- Typical episode length: 20 to 30 minutes
5-star review:
“Love the focus on human empathy. This is a great podcast for marketers, designers, and any professional looking for tips on getting feedback on your work.”
Noteworthy episode
Powering your experience ecosystem to the next level
In this episode, Tom Lorusso, Principal User Research Lead for Xbox, talks about how he and his team identify shifting behaviors and expectations in the gaming space, plan and prepare for the future, and partner with other teams to ensure an exceptional user experience.
10. This is Product Management
This is Product Management, hosted by Roddy Knowles and produced by Feedback Loop, interviews the brightest minds across the numerous disciplines that fuel modern product teams. Topics include user experience, statistics, innovation, differentiation, design, development, metrics, and more.
- What it’s about: All things product
- Frequency: Ongoing, weekly
- Typical episode length: 20 to 30 minutes
5-star review:
“Great show! Mike, host of the This is Product Management podcast, highlights all aspects of business, innovation and more in this can’t miss podcast! The host and expert guests offer insightful advice and information that is helpful to anyone that listens!”
Noteworthy episode
281 Qualitative Research is Product Management
Nikki Lavoie is the founder and CEO of MindSpark Research International in Paris, as well as the VP of ESOMAR Council and a member of the board of the Association of Qualitative Research. In this episode, you’ll learn more about Nikki’s worldly thoughts on research, as well as her 3 things you need to ask yourself before you start a project.
👵 Oldies but goodies
Although these podcasts are on hiatus (either temporarily or indefinitely), we loved them so much that we think they’re worth exploring the old episodes.
1. What is Wrong with UX?
A casual, straight-talking, irreverent take on the UX podcast, hosted by Laura Klein (another Awkward alum!), author of Build Better Products and UX for Lean Startups, and seasoned UX generalist Kate Rutter.
In their own words: “Kate and Laura drink and fight about what is wrong with user experience design.”
- What it’s about: UX in general, with a design focus
- Frequency: N/A; final episode was in March of 2022
- Typical episode length: 30 minutes
5-star review:
“This show gets better and better. You’ll be enamored with their casual style and straight-talk approach. I encourage everyone on my team to listen. The topics range from beginner to advanced, but all are beginner-friendly in how they’re presented.”
Noteworthy episode
Kate and Laura challenge listeners to ask themselves: Where do your (and your users’) preconceptions come from? What are you basing your assumptions off of?
“It's shocking how little we believe or remember about reality after it's passed. I mean, it's truly stunning.” — Kate Rutter
2. User Defenders Podcast
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the User Defenders Website
For listeners who prefer their content with a superhero theme. Interaction and UX design expert Jason Ogle combines his passion for superheroes and UX in this popular podcast, which places an emphasis on personal growth.
- What it’s about: UX design and personal growth
- Frequency: On pause until 2023
- Typical episode length: 1 hour
5-star review:
“The perfect blend of practical advice and inspiration—Hands down one of the best UX/design podcasts there is. I've learned something from every episode and always leave with some valuable insight or takeaway that I can apply to my own process and ux journey. Jason is super inspiring and an excellent interviewer. I've honestly learned more in 6 months listening than I have in the previous 2 years figuring it out on my own as a self-taught designer. So glad I found the show. Keep up the great work!”
Noteworthy episode
Conflict Resolution for People Who Hate Conflict with Josh Mauldin
Josh Mauldin shows us how resolving conflict not only makes us better humans, but better designers. He challenges us to approach conflict with a growth mindset and the question, "What can I learn from this?" to help us become less anti-conflict and more pro-resolution. He also reveals how embracing conflict is the catalyst for building the best teams, the best products, and the best you.
3. The Boagworld UX Show
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or the Boagworld Website
One of the longest-running podcasts about web design, digital strategy, service design, and UX. With hundreds of episodes and guests, hosts Paul Boag and Marcus Lillington cover a lot of ground in this wide-ranging podcast. Filled with practical, seasoned advice and quite a lot of banter.
Our listening notes on this podcast include “extremely British.” 🇬🇧
- What it’s about: Digital strategy, UX, and service design
- Frequency: N/A; last episode March of 2021
- Typical episode length: 1 hour
5-star review:
“I’ve been listening to the show for years, and it’s still one of my favorites. Always top-notch guests, and Paul & Marcus [do] a great job of refreshing the format and keeping it relevant, educational and interesting… I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years and still learn something new and useful every episode!”
Noteworthy episode
Work Smarter: Managing UX Projects - 18 Tips for Success
Being a project manager is challenging enough—add on top of that user experience and design debates, and it can be a nightmare. This episode of The Boagworld UX Show provides 18 tips for managing UX projects effectively.
4. Dollars to Donuts
🔊 Listen on Apple, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or the Portigal website
This popular UX research podcast is hosted by experienced user researcher and expert interviewer Steve Portigal. Episodes are generally an hour, during which Steve talks with user research leaders.
- What it’s about: UX research
- Frequency: Sporadic, most recent episode in May 2020
- Typical episode length: 1 hour
Glowing review:
“A must listen for any UX researcher. Steve really knows how to interview people – he always has the right follow-up question. The podcast is great for the content and for observing interviewing style. As an agency person it’s great to hear what’s going on in enterprise UX research.” — Dan Berlin, SVP, Experience Research, Mad*Pow
Noteworthy episode
#34 - Amber Lindholm of Duo Security
In this episode, Amber Lindholm, now Head of Design at Duo Security, Cisco, talks about the relationship between research and design, making an impact, building a research team, and more.
“That’s the sign of a really good researcher – it can never be just about research for research’s sake, like this is a cool project, this is a neat thing, I really wanna go in-depth and understand perceptions of XYZ with these people, if you don’t have that ability to understand the organizational and business contexts and the types of decisions that are having to be made every day by the rest of the folks in your organization, your research isn’t going to have an impact.” – Amber Lindholm
5. Presentable
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or Relay.FM
Presentable digs into the trends, tools, and methods used by the design and product teams that are shaping our digital future. Host Jeff Veen brings over two decades of design leadership and entrepreneurial knowledge to the table.
- What it’s about: Digital design
- Frequency: N/A; last episode was December of 2021
- Typical episode length: 45 minutes
5-star review:
“This is a truly fantastic podcast. I’m often out walking when I listen and find myself having to stop and take notes so I won’t forget a brilliant idea or insight that is shared… I learn so much from each episode, and that is a true gift.”
Noteworthy episode
Designing for Life and Death Situations
Special guest and design strategist Katie Swindler joins Jeff to discuss her book, “Life & Death Design.” They explore how the products we design can more effectively empower people during acutely stressful situations.
6. Cells and Pixels
🔊 Listen on Apple, Spotify, or Anchor
Hosted by Koji Pereira, now Chief Design Officer at Neon, the Cells and Pixels was extracted from a weekly talk show on Instagram Live. It features a range of professionals, scholars and authors who talk about product, UX, UX research, product design, inclusion and diversity.
- What it’s about: UX in general
- Frequency: N/A; last episode was June of 2021
- Typical episode length: 30 to 45 minutes
5-star review:
“Amazing guests. Amazing host. Officially part of my breakfast podcasts list 💛”
Noteworthy episode
Democratizing UXR, Varun Murugesan – Head of Research, Apple & Banana (BestBuy, ex-Facebook)
This episode features Varun Murugesan, Co-Founder and Head of Research at Apple and Banana. He talks about his journey from healthcare to UX research, how research can be included in your product development from small to large organizations, and his plans for the upcoming research approach book.
.jpg)
