The following is a guest post by Cherryl Pereira, Head of Content at Chisel Labs
Podcasts are a great way to learn about UX design or any topic for that matter.
You can listen to them at your convenience and learn new things whenever you want.
Podcasts are also much more accessible than reading blogs because you can hear them anytime and anywhere on the go.
However, it can be challenging to curate the absolute essentials. Therefore, we present this article.
Users Defender Podcast
UX and Growth Podcast
UX Podcast
The Product Podcast
UXpod
Arrticulate
Intercome
The Big Web Show
Conclusion
Users Defenders Podcast
The first one is the User Defenders podcast. This is a podcast by researchers. The hosts are all well-accomplished in their fields and have won several awards for their work.
They come together to talk about user experience, design, business, but also broader topics that affect the field as a whole such as diversity or ethics.
Jason is the curator and editor of this podcast. The way he engages with the community is to call out for help and get people from this field on board. He also takes up controversial topics which makes it a very interesting podcast to listen to.
It can be called an informal talk between friends; yet you will learn so much about UX. There was one podcast wherein he interviewed the design director of Google, Jennifer Daniel. They talked about her work and how it impacted people. That was a very interesting episode to listen to.
Jason Lengstorf is an award-winning author who has authored several books on UX – some for beginners and some for advanced users alike. He also designs custom WordPress themes under his company name that is called Lengstorf Design.
UX and Growth Podcast
The next one is the UX and Growth Podcast. This was started by a team of growth marketers, with several years’ experience in Digital Marketing: Andrew Ofstad (ex-Google), Max Lytvyn (ex-LinkedIn), and Nolan Darilek (currently Twitter). The show’s goal is to provide advice to the upcoming leaders in the designing space.
There is a lot of practical insight and knowledge for the listeners to gain from this podcast, such as the future of design, prototyping tools, etc. It is extremely popular and is downloaded over 500,000 times per month. Other than that, it is an extremely helpful podcast for newbie designers.
UX Podcast
The next one on our list of best UX podcasts is Nielsen Norman Group’s “UX Podcast.” This show covers topics related to design research and user experience with a lot more focus on digital aspects of product designing than any other topic covered by its competitors.
The host Mike Kunia wraps up in a perfect package of design, strategy, and research making it an excellent podcast for designers. It also intends to bring in a lot of practice-related knowledge and experience, which makes it all the more efficient for UX designers.
If you are looking for an easy-to-digest format, this is the one for you. It covers topics like growth, UX design, and how they work hand-in-hand to improve the business process of a company.
The host has previously worked with companies such as GitHub and Dropbox brings in this perspective from his experience as a former Product Manager. If this is not enough, he also brings in his observations as an entrepreneur.
The Product Podcast
A podcast that focuses on the practical aspects of UX design and how it can be used to create a better user experience is The Product Podcast. This show takes you through various case studies by well-known industry experts like Jake Knapp (Gmail), Rich Miron, and likewise other biggies in the industry. They discuss how a good user experience can help in improving the revenue of a company and otherwise too.
A podcast, which takes you through the journeys of various designers across different parts of the world. This show focuses on helping individuals who have been laid off find opportunities for their next career move or even if they did not but want to pursue a career change.
How can UX help in increasing conversions is the show’s main agenda. The team consists of various experts from all parts of the world and they discuss their knowledge on various topics like interviewing, resumes, portfolios, and so on, which are essential for any designer looking out for his next job or an individual who wants to switch into another space with as much ease as possible.
This is another podcast that will be helpful for UX designers, this one focusing on marketing and web analytics topics. The host of the show has an excellent track record in the marketing space which makes it all the more interesting to follow his journey into what he calls “online marketing”.
The best part of this podcast is the interviews with well-known industry experts. To say the least, it is a complete package for anyone looking to learn more about the online marketing world.
This podcast does not talk specifically about UX but has an important role in a designer’s path, as they will eventually have to work with marketers.
Understanding user behavior and designing accordingly can be difficult if you don’t understand what makes them tick. Some of the conversations are quite intense and can be difficult to gauge. However, it is an important tool to understand the user psyche.
Besides talking about UX, this podcast also touches upon designing for mobiles and tablets in a broad sense with quite a few episodes discussing Apple products specifically.
There is no doubt that mobile technology has taken over our lives and we can’t escape them. Hence knowing how they work will help you design better.
UXpod
Next on the list is UXpod which is hosted by Steve Portigal who has had more than 30 years of experience in user experience. This show covers aspects like product management, business model canvas, lean startup, and so on. The host also conducts interviews with professionals from all walks of life to get their insights.
He provides a unique perspective because he too started as an intern during college days before rising through the ranks quickly. His podcast is not just a must-hear for UX designers but will be useful to all – whatever your profession may be.
Arrticulate
The next on the list is called Arrticulate which has been around since 2010. Hosted by Dan Brown, this podcast talks about storytelling and also gives tips and tricks to improve one’s skills in public speaking.
This is a podcast that features thought leaders and product managers from leading tech companies like Facebook, Google, or Spotify. This show centers around how to build products people love by understanding what your customers are saying about them.
This may sound like a very simple insight but it isn’t. It is interesting to see the intersection of behavior and consumer psychology with the world of tech.
One of my personal favorites is the Product People Podcast by Ryan Singer. This is a relatively small podcast with only about 20 episodes in total, but they pack an informative punch on everything related to product design and management – be it hiring or prioritizing features, and so on. Not only this, but it manages to be very fun to listen to.
Intercom
Another classic is the Intercom on Jobs-to-be-Done Podcast by Sean Ellis. This podcast goes into how you can get customers’ attention and convert them to a specific product or service.
What makes it unique is that, unlike other podcasts which are mostly aimed at entrepreneurs, this one aims for managers to be engaged with the work culture.
The Big Web Show
The final one in this list must be The Big Web Show. It’s hosted by Jeffrey Zeldman who talks all about web development from A-Z.
The show has great interviews each week with industry leaders. What is distinct about this podcast is that it also talks about topics related to web design, content strategy, and event marketing. Not too many people would know of this podcast.
However, this show is a must-listen for any aspiring or practicing user experience designers out there. The host makes sure to critically point out the new topics that are being talked about in the industry.
Conclusion
The entire process of designing and developing a product is not an easy task – the biggest challenge being how to make it very useful for your audience while also making sure that you can sell it at a certain rate.
These podcasts aim to provide exactly what this needs to be by having someone who is experienced in sales talk about the needs of the audience while also having an experienced product designer talk about the range of issues that need to be considered.
While talking about design, it is important to consider how your designs are working for you and what changes can they bring about to make them more effective.
A good UX designer takes up the responsibility of user satisfaction and ensures that their products are meeting all expectations – no matter if they do not like it or love it, they remain loyal as long as there is something about these designs which keeps them engaged.
We hope you find these podcasts just as useful and enjoyable as we did!
Tim Rotolo
Shruti Goli