The Informed Life
An interview-based show that explores how people organize and design information to get things done.
Sun, December 29, 2024
Epilogue
In this final episode, I reflect on things I learned by producing the show. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/12/29/episode-156-epilogue/ Photo by Diego Jimenez on Unsplash .
Sun, December 15, 2024
Peter Morville on Exit Interview, part 2
Peter Morville is a pioneer of information architecture. He co-authored Information Architecture for the World-Wide Web , the classic O’Reilly “polar bear” book on the subject. In our previous conversation, I interviewed Peter about a big change in his life. In this interview, we turn the tables: he interviews me about a big change to this show. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/12/15/episode-155-peter-morville/
Sun, December 01, 2024
Peter Morville on Exit Interview, part 1
Peter Morville is a pioneer of information architecture. He co-authored Information Architecture for the World-Wide Web , the classic O’Reilly “polar bear” book on the subject. This is Peter’s third appearance on the show. I asked him back because I wanted to learn about his decision to retire from IA consulting. This is the first of two conversations with Peter about navigating big changes. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/12/01/episode-154-peter-morville/
Sun, November 17, 2024
Joe Natoli on The UX Team of One
Joe Natoli is a renowned UX design consultant, advisor, and educator. Now, he’s collaborated with Leah Buley on a new edition of her classic book, The User Experience Team of One . That is the subject of our conversation. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/11/17/episode-153-joe-natoli/
Sun, November 03, 2024
Andy Budd on The Growth Equation
Andy Budd co-founded pioneering UX design agency Clearleft. After leading and growing that company, he became an advisor, VC, and coach. He’s now written a book on how early stage startups can benefit from good design. That is the focus of our conversation. See full show notes: https://theinformed.life/2024/11/03/episode-152-andy-budd/
Sun, October 20, 2024
Karen McGrane on Content Management
Karen McGrane describes herself as a “UX multi-hyphenate”: information architect, content strategist, technical communicator, accessibility advocate, and more. She’s co-founder of Autogram, a content management and design system consultancy, and author of two classic books on content strategy. In this conversation, we focus on how AI might affect content management on the web. See full show notes: https://theinformed.life/2024/10/20/episode-151-karen-mcgrane/
Sun, October 06, 2024
Scott Berkun on Why Design is Hard
Scott Berkun is the bestselling author of nine books on design, innovation, remote work, and more. His most recent book, Why Design Is Hard , is the second of a pair on why design makes a difference and how designers can best go about it. That is the focus of today’s conversation. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/10/06/episode-150-scott-berkun/
Sun, September 22, 2024
Tamsen Webster on Communicating Change
Tamsen Webster describes herself as “part message designer, part English-to-English translator, and part magpie.” She is also a consultant and author who helps leaders enact large-scale change. Her latest book, Say What They Can’t Unhear, explains how to drive lasting change through effective communication. That is the focus of our conversation. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/09/22/episode-149-tamsen-webster/
Sun, September 08, 2024
Luc Beaudoin on Hookmark
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/
Sun, August 25, 2024
Chris Risdon on Service Design
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/
Sun, August 11, 2024
Jodi Forlizzi on Designing With AI
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/
Sun, July 28, 2024
Greg Petroff on the State of Design
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/
Sun, July 14, 2024
Colin Eagan and Jeffrey MacIntyre on Personalization
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/
Sun, June 30, 2024
Harry Max on Prioritization
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/
Sun, June 16, 2024
Stéphanie Walter on Neurospicy
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/
Sun, June 02, 2024
Rachel Price on Responsible AI
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/
Sun, May 19, 2024
Emily Campbell on The Shape of AI
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/
Sun, May 05, 2024
Chris Aldrich on Cybernetic Communications
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/
Sun, April 21, 2024
Dave Gray on Possibilities
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. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/04/21/episode-138-dave-gray/
Sun, April 07, 2024
Nikki Anderson on Research Impact
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. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/04/07/episode-137-nikki-anderson/
Sun, March 24, 2024
Michael Anton Dila on Oslo for AI
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 See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/03/24/episode-136-michael-anton-dila/
Sun, March 10, 2024
Dave Elfving on Gray Area
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. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/03/10/episode-135-dave-elfving/
Sun, February 25, 2024
Joey deVilla on Layoffs
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. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/02/25/episode-134-joey-devilla/
Sun, February 11, 2024
Elizabeth McGuane on Design by Definition
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. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/02/11/episode-133-elizabeth-mcguane/
Sun, January 28, 2024
Pierluigi Dalla Rosa on Interactive Environments
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. See full show notes: https://theinformed.life/2024/01/28/episode-132-pierluigi-dalla-rosa/
Sun, January 14, 2024
Nathan Shedroff on Strategy
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. See full show notes at: https://theinformed.life/2024/01/14/episode-131-nathan-shedroff/
Sun, December 31, 2023
2023 Year in Review
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 Work Episode 108: Carrie Hane on Content Models Episode 110: Nicole van der Hoeven on Obsidian Episode 111: Andy Fitzgerald on Structured Content Episode 112: Jerry Michalski on Jerry’s Brain Episode 114: Dan Russell on The Joy of Search Episode 115: Are Halland on The Core Model Episode 116: Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 1 Episode 117: Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 2 Episode 118: Maggie Appleton on Digital Gardening Episode 119: Aidan Helfant on PKM for Learning Episode 120: Alex Wright on Informatica Episode 121: Chiara Ogan on Personal Libraries Episode 122: Sönke Ahrens on Smart Notes Episode 125: Karl Voit on Org Mode Episode 126: Nate Davis on IA Sub-disciplines Show 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: <a href='https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&it
Sun, December 17, 2023
Steve Portigal on Writing, part 2
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. Show notes Steve Portigal Steve Portigal - LinkedIn Portigal Consulting Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights (2nd edition) by Steve Portigal Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories by Steve Portigal Duly Noted: Extend Your Mind Through Connected Notes by Jorge Arango Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge Arango Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango Scrivener Tinderbox The Informed Life episode 99: Mark Bernstein on Tinderbox Freeform on the App Store Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott (PDF) Jack Kerouac - Wikipedia The Informed Life episode 2: Gretchen Anderson on Writing Show 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
Sun, December 03, 2023
Steve Portigal on Writing, part 1
Steve Portigal is an independent user research consultant. He is the author of Interviewing Users and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries . Steve was previously on the show last year, talking about research skills. This conversation is a bit different: both of us have written new books, and we thought it’d be fun to compare notes about the process. We decided to split our conversation into two parts. This episode focuses on the motivations for writing, and the second part will focus on processes. Show Notes Steve Portigal Steve Portigal - LinkedIn Portigal Consulting Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights (2nd edition) by Steve Portigal Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories by Steve Portigal The Informed Life ep. 92 - Steve Portigal on Research Skills Louis Rosenfeld Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango Blogger The Informed Life ep. 118 — Maggie Appleton on Digital Gardening Maggie Appleton About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design (4th edition) by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, and Christopher Noessel Write Useful Books by Rob Fitzpatrick Obsidian Building a Personal Knowledge Garden (Information Architecture Conference 2022 workshop) Show 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
Sun, November 19, 2023
Audrey Crane on Shadow Design
Audrey Crane is the Head of Growth at DesignMap, a product and strategy design firm. She’s also the author of What CEOs Need to Know About Design , a book that helps leaders understand and tap into the power of design in their organizations. In this, Audrey’s second appearance on the show, we focused on how organizations can ensure they’re getting the best design work for their money. Show notes Audrey Crane - LinkedIn DesignMap What CEOs Need to Know About Design by Audrey Crane Banish Shadow Design with These Proven Techniques – DesignMap The Cost of Shadow Design Teams – DesignMap Levels of Organizational Design Readiness – DesignMap The Informed Life episode 37: Audrey Crane on Design in Organizations Dubberly Design Office Hugh Dubberly - AIGA San Francisco Marty Cagan - Silicon Valley Product Group Ben Horowitz - Wikipedia Dunning–Kruger effect - Wikipedia Peter Merholz Design maturity: Yesterday vs. today - Inside Design Blog Leah Buley Hey designers, they’re gaslighting you. By Sara Wachter-Boettcher - Nice Work Jared Spool - Wikipedia Salesforce Marketing Cloud Show 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
Sun, November 05, 2023
Nate Davis on IA Sub-disciplines
Nate Davis is an independent information architecture consultant and a longtime contributor to the global IA community. In this conversation, we discuss his ideas about IA sub-disciplines that influence the construction of digital user interfaces. Show notes Nathaniel Davis - LinkedIn Methodbrain Four Information Architecture Disciplines Every Team Should Consider When Building Digital User Interfaces by Nate Davis GPT-4 - Wikipedia Show 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
Sun, October 22, 2023
Karl Voit on Org Mode
Karl Voit describes himself as “a life hacker trying to make deliberate decisions on every aspect of life.” Among these are the tools he uses to manage his personal information. In particular, Karl is an avid user of Org Mode in Emacs, which is the focus of this conversation. Show notes public voit - Homepage of Karl Voit Karl Voit on Mastodon (@publicvoit@graz.social) Filofax - Wikipedia Franklin Planner - Wikipedia LaTeX - A document preparation system Emacs - Wikipedia Emacs Lisp - Wikipedia Org-mode - Wikipedia Daring Fireball: Markdown GitHub Orgzly - Notes & To-Do Lists Syncthing abo-abo/hydra: make Emacs bindings that stick around public voit — How to Use This Blog Efficiently novoid/lazyblorg: Blogging with Org-mode for very lazy people Show 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
Sun, October 08, 2023
Karl Fast on Reading
Karl Fast is an independent scholar, information architect, and futurist. He’s the co-author with Stephen Anderson of Figure It Out: Getting From Information to Understanding . Karl is one of the most avid readers I know, and in this conversation, we compare our reading practices. We discussed this subject in preparation for a personal knowledge management workshop we will teach later this year. Show notes Karl Fast - LinkedIn The Informed Life episode 69 - Karl Fast on Interactionism, part 1 The Informed Life episode 70 — Karl Fast on Interactionism, part 2 Be Useful — Arnold Schwarzenegger on 7 Tools for Life, Thinking Big, Building Resilience, Processing Grief, and More (#696) - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss War and Peace - Wikipedia Obsidian God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning by Meghan O’Gieblyn Our Own Devices: How Technology Remakes Humanity by Edward Tenner To Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of DeathTo Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of DeathTo Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death by Mark O’Connell The Bodybuilders: Inside the Science of the Engineered Human by Adam Piore No-dig gardening - Wikipedia Mise en place - Wikipedia Everything in Its Place: The Power of Mise-En-Place to Organize Your Life, Work, and Mind by Dan Charnas Readwise Slow Reading in a Hurried Age by David Mikics Fight Club (1999) - IMDb Build a Personal Knowledge Garden (Karl and Jorge's workshop) – use discount code TILPKG before October 30, 2023 for 20% off the regular price Show notes inc
Sun, September 24, 2023
Jenae Cohn on Design for Learning
Jenae Cohn is the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UC Berkeley. Along with Michael Greer, Jenae recently published Design for Learning , a book about how to teach better using technology, and what online teachers and instructors can learn from UX designers. Show notes Jenae Cohn Jenae Cohn, PhD - LinkedIn Design for Learning: User Experience in Online Teaching and Learning by Jenae Cohn and Michael Greer Center for Teaching & Learning - UC Berkeley California College of the Arts Learning management system - Wikipedia Richard Saul Wurman - Wikipedia Disclosure: Rosenfeld Media provided a copy of Jenae’s book for review. Show 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
Sun, September 10, 2023
Sönke Ahrens on Smart Notes
Sönke Ahrens is an independent researcher and coach. He is best known as the author of How to Take Smart Notes , a popular book on the zettelkasten method of note-taking. In this conversation, we discuss the role of notes in thinking and learning, with a focus on zettelkasten-inspired note-taking. Show notes Sönke Ahrens How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens Niklas Luhmann - Wikipedia Bielefeld University Zettelkasten - Wikipedia Luhmann’s digitized zettelkasten Personal wiki - Wikipedia The Informed Life episode 74: Annie Murphy Paul on The Extended Mind Show 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
Sun, August 27, 2023
Chiara Ogan on Personal Libraries
Chiara Ogan is a former UX designer and information architect. She recently left that career to become a mental health therapist. Chiara’s background is in library science, and in this conversation, we discuss how she organizes her personal book collection — which she just did in preparation for this major life change. Show notes Chiara Ogan Chiara (Berlingo Fox) Ogan - LinkedIn Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-scale Web Sites by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville Billy bookcases Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become by Peter Morville Dewey Decimal Classification - Wikipedia S. R. Ranganathan - Wikipedia Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough Show 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
Sun, August 13, 2023
Alex Wright on Informatica
Alex Wright is the Head of User Experience at Google News. He’s also an author, and his most recent book, Informatica , is the second edition of Glut , his deep history of the information age. In this conversation, we discuss the history of information technologies and why learning about it matters to people who work in tech. Show notes Alex Wright Alex Wright (@alexgrantwright) / X Alex Wright - LinkedIn Informatica: Mastering Information through the Ages by Alex Wright Cataloging the World: Paul Otlet and the Birth of the Information Age by Alex Wright Paul Otlet - Wikipedia S. R. Ranganathan - Wikipedia Charles Ammi Cutter - Wikipedia Melvil Dewey - Wikipedia Anthony Panizzi - Wikipedia Universal Decimal Classification - Wikipedia Vannevar Bush - Wikipedia The Printing Press as an Agent of Change by Elizabeth Eisenstein book The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook by Niall Ferguson Carl Linnaeus - Wikipedia Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon - Wikipedia Betamax - Wikipedia Walkman - Wikipedia Apple II - Wikipedia The Futures Cone, use and history – The Voroscope Institute for the Future Claude Shannon - Wikipedia Show 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
Sun, July 30, 2023
Aidan Helfant on PKM for Learning
Aidan Helfant is a college student who’s using personal knowledge management (PKM) to improve his learning. He’s also sharing his methods and tools to help other college students succeed. In this conversation, we unpack Aidan’s approach to note-taking for learning. Show notes Aidan Helfant Aidan Helfant - YouTube Aidan’s newsletter Aidan’s blog Aidan Helfant (@AidanHelfant) / Twitter Ali Abdaal Building a Second Brain The PARA Method: The Simple System for Organizing Your Digital Life in Seconds Linking Your Thinking League of Legends Stardew Valley - Wikipedia Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse Cornell University Obsidian How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Google Workspace Notion Tinderbox: The Tool For Notes Show 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
Sun, July 16, 2023
Maggie Appleton on Digital Gardening
Maggie Appleton is a product designer at Ought , an AI research lab that’s working on ways to scale open-ended thinking with machine learning. She’s also an advocate of sharing personal knowledge online. She publishes one of the best digital gardens I’ve seen, located at maggieappleton.com . In this conversation, we discuss the what, why, and how of digital gardening. Show notes Maggie Appleton Maggie Appleton on Twitter Ought [ Metaphors We Live](https://amzn.to/43q0eEj) By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson The Expanding Dark Forest and Generative AI by Maggie Appleton Goffman’s Theory of Performance of the Self Erving Goffman: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Adam D. Barnhart Clifford Geertz - Britannica Substack Work with the garage door up by Andy Matuschak Niklas Luhmann - Wikipedia ChatGPT Nicole van der Hoeven on Obsidian – The Informed Life Obsidian Hacker News Show 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
Sun, July 02, 2023
Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 2
Bob Kasenchak is a taxonomist and information architect at Factor. This is the second of two episodes with Bob that focus on what information architects can learn from music. The first conversation, which you can find in episode 116, focused on the structure of music itself. Today’s conversation focuses on how we can make music more findable — but there are insights here for anyone working with any type of information, not just music. Show notes Bob Kasenchak - LinkedIn Bob Kasenchak (@taxobob) - Twitter Factor Google Images Shazam - Music Discovery, Charts & Song Lyrics Salt-N-Pepa - Wikipedia Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock album) - Wikipedia Prince (musician) - Wikipedia Peter Gabriel - Wikipedia Music Classical - Apple IDAGIO Apple acquires classical music streaming service Primephonic - Apple Grammarly Show 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
Sun, June 18, 2023
Bob Kasenchak on Music, part 1
Bob Kasenchak is a taxonomist and information architect at Factor. Bob’s background is in music, and this conversation delves into what information architects can learn from studying music. We recorded two conversations on the subject: this one focuses on the structure of music itself, and the second covers how we can make music more findable. Look for that one in an upcoming episode. Show notes Bob Kasenchak - LinkedIn Bob Kasenchak (@taxobob) - Twitter Factor Synaptica Access Innovations IAC: Information Architecture conference Duane Degler Gilles Deleuze - Wikipedia Félix Guattari - Wikipedia New England Conservatory Sonic Design: The Nature of Sound and Music by Robert Cogan and Pozzi Escot 1/1 by Brian Eno (YouTube) Rick Beato - YouTube What Makes This Song Great? Ep.61 VAN HALEN (#2) - YouTube Ludomusicology - Wikipedia Abby Covert N7 JSTOR Apple Music Classical app Show 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
Sun, June 04, 2023
Are Halland on the Core Model
Are Halland has worked in digital product development, strategy, design, and communication for over a quarter of a century. During that time, he created the core model, a tool for designing websites and products that align business goals and user needs. He has now written a book about the core model, which is due to be published later this year. In this conversation, he explains what the core model is and how it can help us create more effective digital products. Show notes Are Halland - Twitter Are Halland - LinkedIn The Core Model Gerry McGovern Pareto principle - Wikipedia Conceptual Models: Begin by Designing What to Design by Jeff Johnson and Austin Henderson Designing Connected Content: Plan and Model Digital Products for Today and Tomorrow by Carrie Hane and Mike Atherton Telenor Group Esperanto - Wikipedia Show 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
Sun, May 21, 2023
Dan Russell on The Joy of Search
Dan Russell spent 17 years working at Google, with a significant part of that tenure as a Search Anthropologist: “someone who tries to understand how people search, what kinds of things they seek, and how their tools influence their search process.” Dan is the author of The Joy of Search , which is the focus of our conversation today. Show notes Dan Russell The Joy of Search: A Google Insider’s Guide to Going Beyond the Basics by Dan Russell The Library of Congress Felis silvestris catus - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre (Spanish) Sagrada Família - Wikipedia (Catalan) Howard Rheingold on Tools for Thought – The Informed Life ChatGPT Google Bard Bing scite: see how research has been cited Show 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
Sun, May 07, 2023
Sheryl Cababa on Systems Thinking for Social Change
Sheryl Cababa is the Chief Strategy Officer of Substantial, an experience design consultancy based in Seattle. She’s the author of Closing the Loop , a new book about systems thinking in design. The book emphasizes the role designers can play as catalysts for social change, and that is the focus of our conversation. Show notes Sheryl Cababa - LinkedIn Sheryl Cababa (@SherylCababa) Substantial University of Washington - Human Centered Design & Engineering Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers by Sheryl Cababa Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization by Peter Senge Peter Checkland Systems Thinking for Social Change: A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results , by David Peter Stroh Iceberg Model - Ecochallenge.org What is the STEEP analysis? - FourWeekMBA Revolution 1 by The Beatles UXLx - User Experience Lisbon Enterprise UX 2023 Rosenfeld Media provided a review copy of Sheryl’s book. Show 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
Sun, April 23, 2023
Jerry Michalski on Jerry's Brain
Jerry Michalski helps organizations become more trustworthy by exploring their language, processes, and intentions. That’s fascinating in itself — but I wanted to talk with him primarily because he curates an online resource called Jerry’s Brain, a deep repository of interconnected thoughts. He’s worked on Jerry’s Brain for a quarter of a century, longer than any other such experiment I’m aware of. So, I wanted to find out why and how he does this. Show notes Jerry Michalski Jerry’s Brain TheBrain REX: The Relationship Economy Expedition Open Global Mind The Big Fungus Roam Research Graphviz Kumu Markdown - Wikipedia Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman DEVONthink Tinderbox Linking Your Thinking by Nick Milo Mem Obsidian GitHub Obsidian Git plugin Google Docs You need a wiki JSON - Wikipedia Prezi Show 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
Sun, April 09, 2023
Andy Fitzgerald on Structured Content
Andy Fitzgerald is an information architecture and content strategy consultant. He works with mission-driven organizations to produce systems that communicate clearly, align business and user goals, and scale effectively. Our conversation today focuses on moving beyond the page as a metaphor for how information is delivered toward more flexible content structures. Show notes Andy Fitzgerald Consulting Andy Fitzgerald, PhD - LinkedIn Language + Meaning + User Experience Architecture Dan Klyn Richard Saul Wurman - Wikipedia Headless content management system - Wikipedia Taxonomy Boot Camp The Intellectual Foundation of Information Organization by Elaine Svenonius Mozilla Developer Network Web Docs Schema.org SKOS Simple Knowledge Organization System Groucho Marx End of Web Design by Jakob Nielsen (Jakob’s Law) Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal Show 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
Sun, March 26, 2023
Nicole van der Hoeven on Obsidian
Nicole van der Hoeven is a Developer Advocate at Grafana Labs. She is also a communicator, sharing what she learns through her writing, conference presentations, and YouTube videos. The latter are what brought Nicole’s work to my attention: she runs a YouTube channel focused on one of my favorite tools for thought, Obsidian. In this conversation, we focus on how Nicole uses Obsidian to “learn in public.” Show notes Nicole van der Hoeven Nicole on Mastodon Nicole on YouTube pkm.social Grafana labs Obsidian Personal knowledge management - Wikipedia Work with the garage door up Continuous integration - Wikipedia Continuous delivery - Wikipedia Scrintal Roam Research Markdown GitHub Tabletop role-playing game - Wikipedia Andy Polaine Andy Polaine on Service Design – The Informed Life Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson The Martian by Andy Weir Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Show 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
Sun, March 12, 2023
Hugh Dubberly on Design Models
Hugh Dubberly is the founder of Dubberly Design Office, an interaction design studio based in San Francisco. Hugh has a long trajectory in the design world. Before opening his studio, he did pioneering work at leading tech companies like Apple and Netscape. He is also a thinker and teacher of uncommon depth and breadth. He’s my colleague at the California College of the Arts, and I’m also lucky to call him a friend and mentor. I met with Hugh in his office to discuss his recent paper arguing against framing design as problem-solving, and that is the focus of this conversation. Show notes Hugh Dubberly - AIGA Dubberly Design Office Conceptual Models: Core to Good Design by Jeff Johnson and Austin Henderson Bill Verplank - Interaction Design (YouTube) How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition by Michael Porter The product service ecology: Using a systems approach in design by Jodi Forlizzi (PDF) MDes in Interaction Design - CCA After the Bauhaus, Before the Internet: A History of Graphic Design Pedagogy edited by Geoff Kaplan Why we should stop describing design as “problem solving” by Hugh Dubberly Patrick Whitney - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Double Diamond (design process model) - Wikipedia Horst Rittel - Wikipedia C. West Churchman - Wikipedia Wicked problem - Wikipedia Design Thinking by Peter G. Rowe Russell L. Ackoff - Wikipedia Herbert A. Simon - Wikipedia The Sciences of the Artificial - Wikipedia <a href='https://www.servinglibrary.org/journal/6/axi
Sun, February 26, 2023
Carrie Hane on Content Models
Carrie Hane is an evangelist at Sanity, a cloud-based content platform provider. Carrie is co-author of Designing Connected Content , which advocates for content modeling as part of the digital design process. This is also the subject of our conversation. A side note: Carrie is one of the keynote speakers at this year’s information architecture conference, which takes place in New Orleans from March 28 - April 1. I’ll be teaching an introductory IA workshop at the conference, so if you want to learn about IA and can get to the southern U.S. in late March, come see Carrie and me at the Conference. There’s a link below. Show notes Carrie Hane - LinkedIn Carrie Hane - Twitter Designing Connected Content: Plan and Model Digital Products for Today and Tomorrow by Carrie Hane and Mike Atherton Sanity Information Architecture Conference Tanzen Consulting blog Content Modeling: What It Is and How to Get Started – Content Modeling Guide Sanity newsletter What is Lotus Notes? - Definition from Techopedia Gartner What does it mean for a database to be schemaless? - Quora Andy Fitzgerald Show 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
Sun, February 12, 2023
Michael Becker on Knowledge Work
Michael Becker is the founder and CEO of Identity Praxis, a strategic advisory firm. He’s also a prolific communicator, having produced dozens of YouTube videos explaining how to use advanced knowledge management tools. In this conversation, we discuss Michael’s approach to knowledge work and how tools such as Tinderbox can help you think and work more effectively. Show notes Michael Becker - LinkedIn Michael’s Patreon Michael’s YouTube channel @privacyshaman Tinderbox Tinderbox forum Identity Praxis Cal Poly Pomona National University Association of National Advertisers Mobile Ecosystem Forum The Informed Life episode 99 - Mark Bernstein on Tinderbox DEVONthink Zotero Obsidian Roam Research Jekyll Scrivener Markdown Conrad Gessner Vincent Placcius Niklas Luhmann Zettelkasten Andy Matuschak Steven Johnson TheBrain Tiago Forte’s Second Brain Pandoc Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, January 29, 2023
Léonie Watson on Accessibility
Léonie Watson is an accessibility engineer, W3C director, technology writer, and speaker. She’s director at TetraLogical, a consultancy focused on accessibility for emerging and existing technologies. In this conversation, we focus on the role of accessibility in producing experiences that work better for everybody. Show notes Léonie Watson Léonie Watson - LinkedIn Léonie @tink@front-end.social (@LeonieWatson) / Twitter Léonie Watson (@tink@front-end.social) - Front-End Social TetraLogical Blog - TetraLogical Screen reader - Wikipedia Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, January 15, 2023
David Rose on SuperSight
David Rose is an entrepreneur, MIT lecturer, author, and pioneer in ambient computing. Among other institutions, his work has been featured in MoMA, The New York Times, WIRED, The Economist, and The Daily Show. He’s the author of two books: Enchanted Objects and his latest, SuperSight , which is the subject of our conversation. Show notes David Rose - Enchanted Objects David L. Rose - Wikipedia David Rose - LinkedIn supersight.world SuperSight: What Augmented Reality Means for Our Lives, Our Work, and the Way We Imagine the Future by David Rose Enchanted Objects: Innovation, Design, and the Future of Technology by David Rose Home Outside Clearwater Ambient Orb Google Glass - Wikipedia ) Meta Quest Pro ) IKEA Place on the App Store ARtillery Intelligence lululemon Studio and the MIRROR CityScope Lumen World Handheld projector - Wikipedia (pico projectors) Find a National Park Service Map - GIS, Cartography & Mapping (U.S. National Park Service) Nreal Freedom Boat Club Candela per square metre - Wikipedia (nit) Audi introduces headlights that can project images with its electric SUVs - Electrek Fireflies.ai inCitu Figma Miro Reality Composer on the App Store Adobe Aero Sketchfab <a href='https
Sun, January 01, 2023
Marcia Bates on Search Systems
Marcia Bates is Professor Emerita in UCLA’s Department of Information Studies. Over the course of a long career in both consulting and academia, Dr. Bates produced seminal work in user-centered information system design. Her paper on “berrypicking” as a user search strategy has been widely cited and is considered a foundational text in the field. In this conversation, we discuss search systems. Transcript https://theinformed.life/2023/01/01/episode-104-marcia-bates-on-search-systems/ Show notes Marcia J. Bates Home Page Marcia J. Bates - Wikipedia UCLA Department of Information Studies The Design of Browsing and Berrypicking Techniques Selected Works Of Marcia J. Bates, Volume I Selected Works Of Marcia J. Bates, Volume II Selected Works Of Marcia J. Bates, Volume III The Contemporary Thesaurus of Search Terms and Synonyms: A Guide for Natural Language Computer Searching, Second Edition , by Sarah Knapp Boolean algebra - Wikipedia Carol Kuhlthau - Wikipedia U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, December 18, 2022
Scott Jenson on Open Source UX
Scott Jenson has done strategic UX design work for some of tech’s most important companies, including Apple and Google. Now he’s semi-retired and focused on improving the experience of using open source software. In this conversation, we talk about what’s different about open source, how design can make it better, and how designers can benefit from participating in open source projects. Transcript https://theinformed.life/2022/12/18/episode-103-scott-jenson-on-open-source/ Show notes Scott Jenson Scott Jenson (@scottjenson@social.coop) - Mastodon Apple Newton - Wikipedia Symbian - Wikipedia Google Chrome Android Frog Design GitHub UX Showcase - GitLab 1984 by George Orwell AAA (video game industry) - Wikipedia Blender LAMP (software bundle) - Wikipedia Emacs - Wikipedia The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary by Eric S. Raymond Externality - Wikipedia HCI Remixed: Reflections on Works That Have Influenced the HCI Community edited by Thomas Erickson and David W. McDonald Edward Tufte The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz Interaction Design Association – IxDA Eternal September - Wikipedia Jeff Jarvis - Wikipedia Nextdoor Elestio Penpot Red Hat Home Assistant Ghost Show note
Sun, December 04, 2022
Amy Jiménez Márquez on Leading Information Architecture
Amy Jiménez Márquez is Vice President of Experience Design at Zillow. Previously, she led design teams at Amazon and Compass. In this conversation, we focus on the role of information architecture in managing digital experiences at scale, with a particular focus on research and modeling. Transcript https://theinformed.life/2022/12/03/episode-102-amy-jimenez-marquez/ Show notes Amy Jiménez Márquez - LinkedIn Amy Jiménez Márquez (@amymarquez) / Twitter Zillow Amazon Alexa Myers–Briggs Type Indicator - Wikipedia Sophia Prater Object Oriented UX Sophia Prater on Object Oriented UX – The Informed Life Designing Connected Content: Plan and Model Digital Products for Today and Tomorrow by Carrie Hane and Mike Atherton Conceptual Models: Core to Good Design by Jeff Johnson and Austin Henderson Mural Content management system (CMS) - Wikipedia Boxes and Arrows Christina Wodtke - Wikipedia Alesha Arp - LinkedIn Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, November 20, 2022
Bram Wessel and Gary Carlson on The Information Layer
Bram Wessel and Gary Carlson are the founders of Factor, an information architecture and experience design consultancy. In this conversation, we discuss their practice of helping organizations gain alignment by defining the information layer that underpins their digital systems. Transcript https://theinformed.life/2022/11/20/episode-101-bram-wessel-gary-carlson/ Show notes Bram Wessel - LinkedIn Gary Carlson - LinkedIn Factor Factor (@factorfirm) - Twitter Mobile virtual network operator - Wikipedia REI Backcountry Customer relationship management - Wikipedia Enterprise resource planning - Wikipedia Content management system - Wikipedia Product information management - Wikipedia Digital asset management - Wikipedia Rosenfeld Media KMWorld 2022 Taxonomy Boot Camp 2022 IAC: Information Architecture conference Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. We get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, November 06, 2022
Listener Questions
This is episode 100 of The Informed Life podcast. To celebrate, I decided to dedicate it to you, the show’s listeners. So today, I don’t have a guest. Instead, I will answer questions sent by listeners of the show. Transcript https://theinformed.life/2022/11/06/episode-100-listener-questions/ Show notes IA: WTF? workshop Vinish Garg’s question on LinkedIn Nigel Rawlins’s question on Twitter Digoamaje Refiloe Digoamaye’s question on Twitter Ruben Stegbauer’s question on LinkedIn Gall’s Law Roam Research Obsidian Technology adoption lifecycle DALL-E Stable Diffusion Elicit Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links. Listener questions have been lightly edited for clarity. See links to the original questions in the show notes.
Sun, October 23, 2022
Mark Bernstein on Tinderbox
Mark Bernstein is chief scientist of Eastgate Systems, Inc. He’s been writing hypertexts and developing hypertext authoring software since the late 1980s. Mark is the creator of Tinderbox and other tools for thinking that “harness the power of the link.” In this conversation, we discuss thinking through connected notes. Show notes Mark Bernstein Eastgate Systems Tinderbox The Tinderbox Way, Third Edition by Mark Bernstein Tinderbox Forum NAKAKOJI, Kumiyo Roger Ebert Cathy Marshall Xerox PARC The Digital Nature of Gothic by Lars Spuybroek Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, October 09, 2022
Alice Albrecht on re:collect
Alice Albrecht is the founder and CEO of re:collect, a software tool that helps knowledge creators focus and connect. Alice’s background is in cognitive neuroscience and machine learning. In this conversation, we explore how tools for thought such as re:collect can help augment our thinking. Show notes Alice Albrecht (LinkedIn) re:collect @recollect_ai (Twitter) RENDER(); Tools for Thinking conference Alice’s re:collect demo at the RENDER() conference (Vimeo) Instapaper Pocket Obsidian Roam Research Every Readwise Substack GPT-3 Stable Diffusion Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, September 25, 2022
Rob Ashton on the Science of Writing
Rob Ashton is a writer who focuses on the science of how the things we read and write influence what we think and do. Rob founded the global learning company Emphasis, and over the last six years, he’s focused on researching the science of reading and writing, ranging from cognitive and social neuroscience to behavioral and neuroeconomics. In this conversation, we discuss how science can make us more effective readers and writers. Show notes Rob Ashton Emphasis Rob’s Silent Influence course Tali Sharot The span of the effective stimulus during a fixation in reading by George W. McConkie & Keith Rayner Saccade Predictive coding Dunning-Kruger effect Familiarity heuristic Affect heuristic Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, September 11, 2022
Erin Malone on Pattern Libraries
Erin Malone is the Chair of the Interaction Design BFA Program at the California College of the Arts . In this conversation, we focus on Erin’s long trajectory with design pattern libraries, including her recent work with the Anti-Defamation League developing tools and best practices to fight online hate. Show notes Erin Malone (LinkedIn) @emalone (Twitter) Interaction Design Program at the California College of the Arts Anti-Defamation League (ADL) ADL’s Social Pattern Library Designing Social Interfaces: Principles, Patterns, and Practices for Improving the User Experience, Second Edition by Christian Crumlish and Erin Malone IA Conference Yahoo! Design Pattern Library (archive.org) Irene Au Christina Wodtke Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design, Third Edition by Jennifer Tidwell A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction by Christopher Alexander An Event Apart Nathan Curtis EightShapes Brad Frost Atomic Design by Brad Frost Material Design Dave Sifry Creative Commons Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, August 28, 2022
Natalie Marie Dunbar on Scaling Content Strategy
Natalie Marie Dunbar is a senior manager of content design at Walmart. She’s the author of From Solo to Scaled: Building a Sustainable Content Strategy Practice . In this conversation, we discuss content strategy, how it might differ from information architecture, and how to stand up a content strategy practice. Natalie has asked me to let you know that rosenfeldmedia.com has a promo code for The Informed Life listeners. The code is INFORMEDLIFESTS , and it’s good for 20% off the purchase of any Rosenfeld Media book until December 31, 2022. Show notes Natalie Marie Dunbar (LinkedIn) theliterati (Twitter) theliterati (Instagram) From Solo to Scaled: Building a Sustainable Content Strategy Practice by Natalie Marie Dunbar Walmart Information Architecture: An Emerging 21st Century Profession , by Earl Morrogh Louis Rosenfeld Kristina Halvorson Content Strategy for the Web, 2nd Edition by Kristina Halvorson World IA Day Why You Need Two Types of Content Strategist by Ann Rockley Marie Kondo OKR Why Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture by Mario Salvadori Barnali Banerji (LinkedIn) The Web Content Strategist’s Bible: The Complete Guide To A New And Lucrative Career For Writers Of All Kinds by Richard Sheffield Enterprise Content Strategy: A Project Guide by Kevin Nichols Disclosure: I received Natalie’s book for free as a previous Rosenfeld Media/Two Waves author. Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, August 14, 2022
Howard Rheingold on Tools for Thought
Howard Rheingold is an eminent author, maker, and educator. His work has explored and defined key aspects of digital culture, including the use of computers as tools for mind augmentation, virtual communities, and social media literacy. In this conversation, we discuss computers as extensions for our minds, Douglas Engelbart’s unfinished revolution, basic literacies for interacting in information environments, and the resurgence of Tools for Thought. Photo by Joi Ito (CC BY 2.0) Show notes Howard Rheingold (rheingold.com) Howard’s Patreon Tools for Thought: The History and Future of Mind-Expanding Technology by Howard Rheingold The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier by Howard Rheingold Net Smart: How to Thrive Online by Howard Rheingold HotWired Whole Earth Catalog Institute for the Future Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) Steve Jobs Bill Gates Douglas Engelbart John von Neumann Alan Turing George Boole Charles Babbage Alan Kay Mother of All Demos (Wikipedia) Stanford Research Institute Sam Wineburg Roam Research Obsidian DEVONthink <a href='https
Sun, July 31, 2022
Lorenzo Bernaschina on Gems Notes
Lorenzo Bernaschina is the developer of Gems Notes , a note-taking tool that uses artificial intelligence to find relationships between ideas. In this conversation, we talk about smart note-taking and how technology might be used to extend rather than replace human intelligence. Update 2022-08-14: This episode was edited at the guest’s request. Show notes Lorenzo’s personal website Lorenzo Bernaschina (LinkedIn) @ittaboba on Twitter Gems Notes Roam Research Obsidian my mind Zettelkasten Niklas Luhmann Alan Kay Douglas Engelbart Steve Jobs Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, July 17, 2022
Steve Portigal on Research Skills
Steve Portigal is a consultant who helps organizations build more mature user research practices. He’s the author of Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights and Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories . He’s also the host of the Dollar to Donuts podcast about research leadership. In this conversation, we discuss the skills required for conducting successful interviews with users. Show notes Steve Portigal (portigal.com) Steve Portigal (linkedin.com) Portigal Consulting Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights by Steve Portigal Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories by Steve Portigal Dollars to Donuts podcast Dale Carnegie Dunning-Kruger effect Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, July 03, 2022
Daniel Stillman on Conversation Design
Daniel Stillman is a conversation designer and coach. He’s the host of The Conversation Factory podcast and author of Good Talk: How to Design Conversations That Matter . This is a special episode of The Informed Life : it’s the first recorded in person, while Daniel and I attended and taught at UX Lisbon in May of 2022. Fittingly, it’s an experiment: a freeform, less produced conversation about how we converse. In some cases, this results in less context than you may expect. In particular, you’ll hear references to the names of other speakers at the conference. I’ve included links to their profiles in the show notes. Show notes Daniel Stillman The Conversation Factory podcast Good Talk: How to Design Conversations That Matter by Daniel Stillman The Nine Elements of Transformative Facilitation by Daniel Stillman (includes a diagram of Daniel’s conversation operating system) UX Lisbon conference Bernadette Irizarry (UX Lisbon) Matt LeMay (UX Lisbon) Natalie Nixon (UX Lisbon) Katie Swindler (UX Lisbon) Scott Kubie (UX Lisbon) One Page/One Hour Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich Abby Covert Dave Gray Philip McKenzie Leland Maschmeyer What is the Negotiation Institute? (harvard.edu) Ladies Get Paid Brave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization? by Aaron Dignan Carl Collins Swissmiss (Tina Roth Eisenberg) Daniel Mezick Richard Saul Wurman <
Sun, June 19, 2022
Mike Rohde on Sketchnote Thinking
Mike Rohde is a designer, teacher, and illustrator — but you’re more likely familiar with his work in sketchnoting. Mike is the author of The Sketchnote Handbook , which popularized the practice, and the founder of the Sketchnote Army, a showcase of sketchnoters and their work. He’s been described as “one of the leaders of the visual thinking revolution.” In this conversation, we discuss how Mike’s approach to visual note-taking has influenced his work. Show notes Mike Rohde rohdesign.com The Rohdesign Dispatch (Mike’s newsletter) Mike Rohde on LinkedIn @rohdesign on Instagram @rohdesign on Twitter The Sketchnote Handbook: The Illustrated Guide to Visual Note Taking by Mike Rohde The Sketchnote Workbook: Advanced Techniques for Taking Visual Notes You Can Use Anywhere by Mike Rohde The Sketchnote Army The Sketchnote Army podcast Adobe PageMill Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think by Dave Gray Bullet Journal Ryder Carroll Ulysses Markdown Zettelkasten The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking by Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer (PDF) Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, June 05, 2022
Kat King on Notes for Learning
Kat King is an information architect who’s “interested in information and how we figure things out.” She replied to one of my Twitter threads about note-taking, and I was intrigued by her approach. I recently saw Kat give a thoughtful presentation at the IA Conference and wanted to find out how she uses notes to learn and teach. So, this conversation focuses on note-taking as a means of learning. Show notes Kat King @katalogofchaos on Twitter University of Michigan The Information Architecture Conference Cornell Notes Moleskine LEUCHTTURM1917 The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain by Annie Murphy Paul The Informed Life episode 74: Annie Murphy Paul on The Extended Mind The Informed Life episode 69: Karl Fast on Interactionism, part 1 The Informed Life episode 70: Karl Fast on Interactionism, part 2 Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, May 22, 2022
Sam Ladner on Managing Research Knowledge
Sam Ladner is a sociologist, UX researcher, and student of productivity and the nature of work. She’s been a researcher at Amazon and Microsoft, and is currently Senior Principal Researcher at Workday. Sam is the author of two books on research, Practical Ethnography and Mixed Methods . In this conversation, we discuss sociology and ethnography in the context of organizations and how to manage the knowledge generated by research. Show notes Sam Ladner Sam Ladner on LinkedIn Workday The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner City Neighborhood by David Simon and Edward Burns Mixed Methods: A short guide to applied mixed methods research by Sam Ladner Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in the Private Sector by Sam Ladner Ethnographic Practice and Industry Conference (EPIC) Pierre Bourdieu Clifford Geertz Mise en place Amazon Kindle Overdrive Libby Notion Mendeley Pocket Readwise Satisficing Herbert Simon Thick description Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, May 08, 2022
Austin Govella on the IA of Note-taking
Austin Govella is a user experience design lead at Avanade , a global professional services company. He’s the author of Collaborative Product Design and co-author of the second edition of Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web . In this conversation, we focus on Austin’s note-taking system and its relation to his work in UX design and information architecture. Show notes Austin Govella Avanade Collaborative Product Design by Austin Govella Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web by Christina Wodtke and Austin Govella Microsoft SharePoint Adobe Experience Manager Salesforce Philip Johnson Obsidian Zettelkasten Medium Personal knowledge management (PKM) Work and Meta-work by Jorge Arango Roam Research Notion Visual Studio Code Macromedia HomeSite Logseq Reflect app Subconscious DEVONthink OneNote Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, April 24, 2022
Veronica Erb on Annotating Books
Veronica Erb is the author of Finding Out , an email newsletter for people who do and use UX research. Previously, she led UX research at NPR and consulted with a variety of companies. In this conversation, we discuss Veronica’s reading and note-taking practices. Since we recorded this, Veronica published a post with photos and screenshots of her notes. The link is in the show notes, in case you want to see what she's talking about. Show notes Veronica Erb Screenshots and photos of Veronica’s notes Veronica Erb on LinkedIn @verbistheword on Twitter @verbistheword on Instagram Finding Out , Veronica’s newsletter @howwefindout on Instagram Finding Out on Twitter NPR The Boxcar Children Grinnell College danah boyd Bad Feminist: Essays by Roxanne Gay The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process by Michael Crotty Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper Method of loci (Memory palace) Microsoft OneNote Substack Jane Austen Readwise Goodreads DEVONthink Google Surveys Google Sheets The Informed Life episode 8: Trip O’Dell on Dyslexia Advanced chess (Centaur chess) Show notes include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, April 10, 2022
Dorian Taylor on Christopher Alexander
Dorian Taylor is a consulting designer. He’s been influenced by the work of the architect and design theorist Christopher Alexander , who died in March. In this conversation, we discuss Alexander’s influence on the design of built environments and software. Show notes Dorian Taylor @doriantaylor on Twitter The Making of Making Sense (Dorian’s newsletter) At Any Given Moment in a Process (Dorian’s post about Christopher Alexander) Fifteen Properties Through an Information-Theoretic Lens by Dorian Taylor Christopher Alexander The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Fred Brooks A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction by Christopher Alexander Notes on the Synthesis of Form by Christopher Alexander The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe by Christopher Alexander The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander The Oregon Experiment by Christopher Alexander A City Is Not a Tree by Christopher Alexander (PDF) Patterns in Architecture OOPSLA 1996 keynote lecture by Christopher Alexander (YouTube) Cognition in the Wild by Edwin Hutchins Gall’s Law (jarango.com) Guggenheim Museum Bilbao , designed by Frank Gehry Walt Disney Concert Hall , designed by Frank Gehry Eishin School , designed by Christopher Alexander et al Stata Center at MIT, designed by Franky Gehry The West Dean Visitor Centre , designed by C
Sun, March 27, 2022
Laura Yarrow on Trusted Agitators
Laura Yarrow is Head of Design for HM Land Registry in the UK. She’s also a public speaker and educator. In this conversation, we talk about how designers can increase their effectiveness in organizations by becoming trusted agitators. Show notes Laura Yarrow @laura_yarrow on Twitter The people, place and space newsletter HM Land Registry Laura’s Twitter thread about trusted agitators Pace Layering: How Complex Systems Learn and Keep Learning by Stewart Brand Stephen Covey Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, March 13, 2022
Oliver Caviglioli on Graphic Organizers
Oliver Caviglioli is a former headteacher of a special needs school. Now, he’s an information designer and author of several books about education. His latest book, Organise Ideas, which he co-authored with David Goodwin, explains the practice and science behind using graphic organizers to teach and learn. Show notes Oliver Caviglioli @olicav on Twitter Organise Ideas: Thinking by Hand, Extending the Mind by Oliver Caviglioli and David Goodwin Dual Coding With Teachers by Oliver Caviglioli Teaching WalkThrus: Visual Step-by-Step Guides to Essential Teaching Techniques by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli Teaching WalkThrus 2: Five-step Guides to Instructional Coaching by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli Teaching WalkThrus 3: Five-step Guides to Instructional Coaching by Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli Dave Gray XPLANE Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson Mind in Motion: How Action Shapes Thought by Barbara Tversky Cognitive load theory Generation effect Richard Saul Wurman Goldilocks principle Working memory Show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, February 27, 2022
Indi Young on Time to Listen
Indi Young is a researcher who coaches, writes, and teaches about inclusive product strategy. She was one of the founders of the pioneering UX agency Adaptive Path. Indi wrote two influential books: Mental Models and Practical Empathy . Now she has a new book, called Time to Listen , which is the focus of our conversation today. Show notes Indi Young @indiyoung on Twitter Indi Young on LinkedIn Time to Listen by Indi Young Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior by Indi Young Practical Empathy: For Collaboration and Creativity in Your Work by Indi Young Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think by Dave Gray Gobstopper Daniel Burka Erika Hall on LinkedIn Show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, February 13, 2022
Peter Bogaards on a UX Canon
Peter Bogaards is an evangelist, educator, and coach at Informaat experience design. Peter has shared design knowledge via his InfoDesign blog since 1997. In this conversation, we discuss his recently proposed canon on UX. Show notes Peter Bogaards (about.me) Informaat InfoDesign – Sharing knowledge is better than having it A canon of user experience: Seminal works of a discipline (A work in progress) by Peter Bogaards Man-computer symbiosis (pdf) by J.R. Licklider DARPA (formerly ARPA) As We May Think (pdf) by Vannevar Bush Vannevar Bush Douglas Engelbart Ted Nelson Cybernetic serendipity: The computer and the arts (pdf), Reichardt, J. ed. The anatomy of a large-scale hypertextual search engine (pdf) by Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte Information Anxiety by Richard Saul Wurman Show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, January 30, 2022
Madonnalisa Chan on Notes for Living
Madonnalisa Chan is director of product management, taxonomy, and content services at Salesforce. I’ve known Lisa for a long time and admire her work as a taxonomist. But this conversation doesn’t focus on her work; instead, we discuss how she uses physical notes to manage her personal life. Show notes Madonnalisa Chan on LinkedIn Salesforce Pensieve (Harry Potter Wiki) Learning How to Learn course The Shoebox Method (YouTube) Evernote Google Docs Ryan Holiday The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul The Informed Life episode 74: Annie Murphy Paul on The Extended Mind Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential by Peg Dawson and Richard Guard Mind map Girl Scouts Show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, January 16, 2022
Boon Yew Chew on Roam
Boon Yew Chew is a strategic designer at Elsevier and a leader in IxDA, the Interaction Design Association. In this conversation, we delve into Roam Research, which Boon uses to take notes and tame “an ever-evolving multi-dimensional beast of knowledge.” If you’re enjoying the show, please rate or review it in Apple’s Podcasts directory: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200 Show notes Boon Yew Chew on LinkedIn Boon Yew Chew on Medium @BoonYCH on Twitter Elsevier IxDA IxDA London Meetup Interaction Conference 2022 Adding life back to my notes: Roam after 4 months by Boon Yew Chew Roam Research OmniOutliner The Informed Life episode 43: Rob Haisfield on Roam The Informed Life episode 54: Kourosh Dini on DEVONthink Evernote OneNote Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, January 02, 2022
Dan Klyn on the BASIC Framework
Dan Klyn is co-founder of The Understanding Group , an information architecture consultancy based in Michigan. Dan has also created useful and influential IA frameworks, and in this conversation, we focus on his latest: the BASIC framework. If you’re enjoying the show, please rate or review it in Apple’s Podcasts directory: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200 Show notes Dan Klyn The Understanding Group The BASIC framework Chris Farnum Peter Morville Louis Rosenfeld Andreas Resmini Richard Saul Wurman Bob Royce Edith Farnsworth House Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Kimbell Art Museum Louis Kahn Renzo Piano Brian Eno Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, December 19, 2021
Year in Review
In observance of the winter holidays, this episode doesn’t feature a guest interview. Instead, I reflect on five themes that emerged in the diverse conversations we hosted on the podcast during 2021. I wish you and yours happy holidays! Cover photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash . If you’re enjoying the show, please rate or review it in Apple’s Podcasts directory: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200 Show notes The Informed Life episode 53: Jason Ulaszek on Healing Social Rifts The Informed Life episode 54: Kourosh Dini on DEVONthink The Informed Life episode 55: Hà Phan on Product Leadership The Informed Life episode 56: Margot Bloomstein on Trust The Informed Life episode 57: Ben Mosior on Wardley Maps The Informed Life episode 58: Jesse James Garrett on Leadership and IA The Informed Life episode 59: Matt LeMay on One Page / One Hour The Informed Life episode 60: Kat Vellos on Friendship The Informed Life episode 61: Jeff Sussna on Customer Value Charting The Informed Life episode 63: Sophia Prater on Object Oriented UX The Informed Life episode 64: Sarah Barrett on Architectural Scale The Informed Life episode 66: Jim Kalbach on Jobs to Be Done The Informed Life episode 68: Mags Hanley on Career Architecture The Informed Life episode 69: Karl Fast on Interactionism, part 1
Sun, December 05, 2021
Dan Brown on IA Lenses
Dan Brown is the co-founder of UX design studio EightShapes . He’s also the author of Communicating Design , Designing Together , and Practical Design Discovery . In this conversation, we focus on Dan’s Information Architecture Lenses, a set of cards that help designers interrogate IA decisions. If you’re enjoying the show, please rate or review it in Apple’s Podcasts directory: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200 Show notes Dan Brown Dan Brown on LinkedIn @brownorama on Twitter @ialenses on Twitter EightShapes EightShapes’s YouTube channel Communicating Design: Developing Web Site Documentation for Design and Planning by Dan Brown Designing Together: The collaboration and conflict management handbook for creative professionals by Dan Brown Practical Design Discovery by Dan Brown Information Architecture Lenses: Perspectives on Structure by Dan Brown Information Architecture Lenses card deck A Lens A Day YouTube series A Lens A Day podcast Tree testing Card sorting Oblique Strategies I Ching Nathan Curtis James Melzer Karen McGrane The Information Architecture Conference Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, November 21, 2021
Hans Krueger on the Cycle of Emotions
Hans Krueger is co-founder of the international design consultancy MetaDesign. He also co-founded another design consultancy, FutureDraft, where we worked together for several years. In this conversation, we discuss Hans’s trajectory and how ancient teachings have helped him better understand his emotions. Show notes Hans Krueger (LinkedIn) Now Partners Erik Spiekermann Uli Mayer-Johanssen MetaDesign Arnaud Maitland Nyingma school of Buddhism FutureDraft Walter Link The Cycle of Emotions - A guide to influencing reality by Jessica Fan Longchenpa Kindly Bent to Ease Us – Part One: Mind by Longchenpa Kindly Bent to Ease Us - Part Two: Meditation by Longchenpa Kindly Bent to Ease Us - Part Three: Wonderment by Longchenpa Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, November 07, 2021
Annie Murphy Paul on The Extended Mind
Annie Murphy Paul is an acclaimed science writer. Her work has appeared in the New York Times , the Boston Globe , Scientific American , Slate , Time magazine, The Best American Science Writing , and other publications. Our conversation focuses on the subject of her latest book, The Extended Mind , which is about how human cognition relies on our bodies, other people, and the material world. I loved this book and was thrilled to ask Annie about how this line of thinking plays out in the context of our heavily digitized lives. Show notes Annie Murphy Paul @anniemurphypaul on Twitter The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain by Annie Murphy Paul The Cult of Personality Testing: How Personality Tests Are Leading Us to Miseducate Our Children, Mismanage Our Companies, and Misunderstand Ourselves by Annie Murphy Paul Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives by Annie Murphy Paul Book Notes: “The Extended Mind” by Jorge Arango Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Andy Clark David Chalmers Carol Dweck Apple Watch Interoception Robert Caro The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro Miro Mural Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, October 24, 2021
Patrick Tanguay on Newsletter Curation
Patrick Tanguay is a self-described "generalist, synthesist, and curator of eclectic ideas." His weekly newsletter, Sentiers , surfaces deep posts about highly relevant topics and provides insightful commentary and ideas. In this conversation, we discuss the tools and methods that enable his curation and sharing process. Show notes @inervenu on Twitter About Patrick The Alpine Review Sentiers RSS Instapaper INFORMA(C)TION newsletter MailChimp Pinboard Delicious WordPress Eleventy Readwise Obsidian Pocket What is a static site generator? (Cloudflare) DuckDuckGo rsync cron Bear Markdown The Informed Life episode 54: Kourosh Dini on DEVONthink DEVONthink Keep It EagleFiler Grant for the Web GitHub Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, October 10, 2021
Nathan Shedroff on Foodicons
Nathan Shedroff is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and a colleague at the California College of the Arts , where we both teach in the graduate interaction design program. Nathan has worked for a long time on driving innovation and sustainability through design. This conversation focuses on his latest project: Foodicons, which is creating a shared, open-source, and royalty-free iconographic language of food. Show notes Nathan Shedroff @nathanshedroff on Twitter California College of the Arts MDES Design is the Problem: The Future of Design Must be Sustainable by Nathan Shedroff Foodicons Green Brown Blue The Lexicon The Noun Project Foodicons collection Evapotranspiration Information Architects by Richard Saul Wurman Multimedia Demystified Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, September 26, 2021
Sunni Brown on Deep Self Design
Sunni Brown is a social entrepreneur who uses visual literacy, design thinking, and visual facilitation to solve complex problems. She's the author of The Doodle Revolution and co-author of Gamestorming . In this conversation, we discuss Sunni's current area of focus, which uses Zen Buddhism and design thinking to help individuals craft a more fulfilling and engaged life. Show notes Sunni Brown Deep Self Design Sunni on Twitter Sunni on LinkedIn Sunni on Instagram Sunni on Facebook The Doodle Revolution: Unlock the Power to Think Differently by Sunni Brown Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo Dave Mastronardi (LinkedIn) What is a multipotentialite? The Nexialist approach: Van Vogt and the idea that ‘specialisation is for insects’ Sōtō Zen Zendō Reality distortion field _ Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think_ by Dave Gray In defense of the visual alphabet by Dave Gray Design personas Kate Rutter (LinkedIn) Brené Brown Sesshin Double diamond diagram Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, September 12, 2021
Karl Fast on Interactionism, part 2
Karl Fast is an independent scholar, information architect, and futurist. He's the co-author of Figure It Out: Getting From Information to Understanding . This is the second half of a two-part conversation about interaction and embodiment. If you haven't done so already, please listen to part 1 before listening to this episode. Show notes @karlfast on Twitter Karl Fast on LinkedIn Figure It Out: Getting From Information to Understanding by Stephen P. Anderson and Karl Fast Bruce Alexander The Rat Park experiments Bill Verplank's diagram of interaction Epigenetics About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design, 4th Ed by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, avid Cronin, and Christopher Noessel Mind in Motion: How Action Shapes Thought by Barbara Tversky The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values by Brian Christian (Bonus: Jorge's book notes ) The paperclip maximizer problem Punctuated equilibrium Disclosure: I received Karl’s book for free as a previous Rosenfeld Media/Two Waves author. Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, August 29, 2021
Karl Fast on Interactionism, part 1
Karl Fast is an independent scholar, information architect, and futurist. He's the co-author of Figure It Out: Getting From Information to Understanding alongside Stephen Anderson, who was featured in episode 39 of the show . In this conversation, Karl tells us about what interaction designers can learn from cognitive science. We had a lot to discuss, so this episode is the first of two on the subject. Show notes @karlfast on Twitter Karl Fast on LinkedIn Figure It Out: Getting From Information to Understanding by Stephen P. Anderson and Karl Fast Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Stroop effect The Extended Mind by Andy Clark and David Chalmers Supersizing the Mind: Embodiment, Action, and Cognitive Extension by Andy Clark HCI Remixed: Essays on Works That Have Influenced the HCI Community , edited by Thomas Erickson and David W. McDonald On Distinguishing Epistemic From Pragmatic Action by David Kirsch and Paul Maglio (pdf) The Intelligent Use of Space by David Kirsch Hearing Gesture: How Our Hands Help Us Think by Susan Goldin-Meadow Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes In The Age Of The Machine by Don Norman The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition by Don Norman Hans Moravec Disclosure: I received Karl’s book for free as a previous Rosenfeld Media/Two Waves author. Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, August 15, 2021
Mags Hanley on Career Architecture
In this conversation, we discuss Career Architecture , the focus of her current coaching work and subject of her upcoming book. Listen to the show Download episode 68 Show notes MagsHanley.com Mags Hanley on LinkedIn Seth Godin BBC Career Architecture by Mags Hanley (preorder) Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, August 01, 2021
Listener questions
No guest in this episode. Instead, I answer listener questions. If you have a question you'd like me to address on the show, please email me at live@theinformed.life or tweet to @informed_life . Listen to the show Download episode 67 Show notes The Informed Life episode 17: Rachel Price on Improvisation The Informed Life episode 65: Sarah Barrett on Architectural Scale A brief history of information architecture (pdf) by Peter Morville Information Architects by Richard Saul Wurman David Macaulay Alexander Tsiaras Why Software is Eating the World by Marc Andreessen (WSJ paywall) Dave Gray The Information Architecture Institute How to Make Sense of Any Mess by Abby Covert Information Architecture: For the Web and Beyond by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango The Information Architecture Conference World IA Day Information Architects Facebook group UX Design Information Architecture LinkedIn group Mags Hanley's Information Architecture Masterclasses Jorge Arango's Information Architecture Essentials workshop Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, July 18, 2021
Jim Kalbach on Jobs to Be Done
Jim Kalbach is the chief evangelist at MURAL, a leading provider of online visual collaboration software. He's the author of Designing Web Navigation (O'Reilly, 2007), Mapping Experiences (O'Reilly, 2016), and his latest, The Jobs to Be Done Playbook (Rosenfeld, 2020). In this conversation, we dive into Jobs to Be Done, how it relates to design, and how jobs can create an “out of body experience” for organizations. Show notes @JimKalbach on Twitter Jim Kalbach on LinkedIn MURAL The Jobs to Be Done Playbook by Jim Kalbach Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams by Jim Kalbach Designing Web Navigation: Optimizing the User Experience by Jim Kalbach JTBD Toolkit Book Notes: “The Jobs To Be Done Playbook” by Jorge Arango Know Your Customers’ “Jobs to Be Done” by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan How We Align Product Development with Jobs To Be Done at MURAL by Agustin Soler The JTBD toolkit Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan Disclosure: I received Jim's book for free as a previous Rosenfeld Media/Two Waves author. Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, July 18, 2021
Jim Kalbach on Jobs to Be Done
Jim Kalbach is the chief evangelist at MURAL, a leading provider of online visual collaboration software. He's the author of Designing Web Navigation (O'Reilly, 2007), Mapping Experiences (O'Reilly, 2016), and his latest, The Jobs to Be Done Playbook (Rosenfeld, 2020). In this conversation, we dive into Jobs to Be Done, how it relates to design, and how jobs can create an “out of body experience” for organizations. Listen to the show Download episode 66 Show notes @JimKalbach on Twitter Jim Kalbach on LinkedIn MURAL The Jobs to Be Done Playbook by Jim Kalbach Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams by Jim Kalbach Designing Web Navigation: Optimizing the User Experience by Jim Kalbach JTBD Toolkit Book Notes: “The Jobs To Be Done Playbook” by Jorge Arango Know Your Customers’ “Jobs to Be Done” by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan How We Align Product Development with Jobs To Be Done at MURAL by Agustin Soler The JTBD toolkit Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links. Read the transcript Jorge: Jim, welcome to the show. Jim: Hey, great to be here. Thanks for having me, Jorge. Jorge: Well, I'm very excited to have you. Not only have you and I been friends for a long time, but you also wrote a book last year that I liked a lot, and I actually wrote about it in my blog. I'm excited to talk with you about the book and about what you're up to. So, for folks who might not know you, can you please introduce yourself? About Jim Jim: Yeah, sure! Hey everybody, Jim Kalbach here. Calling in from Jersey City, New Jersey, where I'm originally from, on the east coast. I moved to Germany for a l
Sun, July 04, 2021
Udhaya Kumar Padmanabhan on India
Udhaya Kumar Padmanabhan is a Global Strategic Design Director at Designit , an international strategic design consultancy. He is based in Bangalore, and in this conversation we talk about challenges and opportunities inherent in designing information systems for the Indian market. Listen to the show Download episode 65 Show notes Udhaya Kumar Padmanabhan (LinkedIn) Designit Languages of India (Wikipedia) IndEA (India Enterprise Architecture) Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Swiggy Zomato Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, June 20, 2021
Sarah Barrett on Architectural Scale
Sarah Barrett is a principal IA Manager at Microsoft. She's been writing compellingly about information architecture in Medium, and in this conversation, we focus on her most recent posts, which deal with how architectural scale affects our perception of information environments. Download episode 64 Show notes Sarah R. Barrett @documentalope (Sarah Barrett) on Twitter Known Item (Medium publication) Microsoft Learn MSDN docs.microsoft.com World IA Day Breadcrumb navigation Rachel Price Websites are not living rooms and other lessons for information architecture by Sarah Barrett Understanding Architectural Scale: Tabletops and landscapes by Sarah Barrett Microsoft Bob The Informed Life episode 17: Rachel Price on Improvisation Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, June 06, 2021
Sophia Prater on Object Oriented UX
Sophia Prater is a UX design consultant and chief evangelist of object oriented UX, a methodology that helps teams tackle complex design challenges. In this conversation, we discuss OOUX and how it differs from other methodologies. Download episode 63 Show notes @sophiaux on Twitter Rewired (Sophia's consultancy) Ooux.com The Object Oriented UX Podcast Object-Oriented UX , by Sophia Prater (A List Apart article) Double Diamond Object Oriented UX Podcast, episode 10: Information Archaeology with Ren Pope Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) The Elements of User Experience , by Jesse James Garrett (pdf) Conceptual Models: Core to Good Design , by Austin Henderson and Jeff Johnson Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, May 23, 2021
Alla Weinberg on Work Culture
Alla Weinberg helps teams and organizations improve the quality of relationships at work. She has a background in design, but now calls herself a ‘work relationship expert.’ In this conversation, we discuss her new book, A Culture of Safety , and how teams can create environments that allow people to do their best work together. Listen to the show Download episode 62 Show notes @IamAllaW on Twitter Alla Weinberg on LinkedIn Spoke & Wheel (Alla's consulting company) A Culture of Safety: Building a work environment where people can think, collaborate and innovate by Alla Weinberg Scientific Management (Taylorism) Frederick Winslow Taylor Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, May 09, 2021
Jeff Sussna on Customer Value Charting
Jeff Sussna is a consultant and author specialized in helping organizations deliver software more effectively. This is Jeff’s second appearance on the show. In this conversation, he tells us about Customer Value Charting, a visual tool that helps teams balance strategy and agility. Listen to the show Download episode 61 Show notes Sussna Associates Designing Delivery: Rethinking IT in the Digital Service Economy by Jeff Sussna The Informed Life episode 15: Jeff Sussna on Cybernetics Customer Value Charting: A Visual Tool for Customer-Centered Discovery & Delivery by Jeff Sussna Software as a service Salesforce Slack’s new DM feature can be used to send abuse and harassment with just an invite (The Verge) Promise theory Mark Burgess Wardley map Impact mapping User Story mapping ServiceNow JIRA
Sun, April 25, 2021
Kat Vellos on Friendship
Kat Vellos on Friendship Kat Vellos uses her background in experience design to empower people to learn, grow, and thrive. She’s written two books on adult friendship, We Should Get Together and Connected from Afar . In this conversation, we discuss the importance and challenges of making friends, especially during this time of ‘social distancing.’ Listen to the show Download episode 60 Show notes Kat Vellos We Should Get Together (website) We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships by Kat Vellos Connected from Afar: A Guide for Staying Close When You’re Far Away by Kat Vellos Hydroponics Connection Club
Sun, April 11, 2021
Matt LeMay on One Page / One Hour
Matt LeMay is a product management consultant and author. He’s a co-founder and partner at Sudden Compass , which helps companies reconnect with their customers and helps teams focus on addressing human needs. He’s the author of Agile for Everybody and Product Management in Practice . In this conversation, Matt shares with us One Page / One Hour, his pledge to make project collaboration more agile. Listen to the show Download episode 59 Show notes Matt LeMay Sudden Compass One Page / One Hour Tricia Wang The Anatomy of an Amazon 6-pager Designstaq Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, March 28, 2021
Jesse James Garrett on Leadership and Information Architecture
Jesse James Garret is a renowned leader in the user experience design field. He’s a co-founder of the influential UX consultancy Adaptive Path and author of The Elements of User Experience . These days, Jesse coaches UX design leaders. In this conversation, we discuss the relationship between leadership and information architecture. Listen to the show Download episode 58 Show notes Jesse James Garrett’s website @jjg on Twitter Jesse James Garrett on LinkedIn The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web and Beyond, 2nd Edition by Jesse James Garrett Peter Merholz Finding Our Way podcast MacGuffin Concept map Mind maps Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sat, March 13, 2021
Ben Mosior on Wardley Maps
In his consulting practice, Ben Mosior teaches Wardley Mapping, a tool for visualizing strategic intent. In this conversation, we dive into Wardley Maps: what they are and how they can help us make better strategic decisions. Listen to the show Download episode 57 Show notes Learn Wardley Mapping @HiredThought on Twitter The Phoenix Project by Kevin Behr Leading Edge Forum Wardley maps: Topographical intelligence in business by Simon Wardley The Art of War by Sun Tzu How to Read a Wardley Map video Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, February 28, 2021
Margot Bloomstein on Trust
Margot Bloomstein is the principal of Appropriate, Inc. , a brand and content strategy consultancy. Over a twenty year career, she has consulted in a wide range of industries. Margot is the author of Content Strategy at Work and of a new book, Trustworthy: How the Smartest Brands Beat Cynicism and Bridge the Trust Gap , which is the subject of our conversation today. Show notes Appropriate, Inc. @mbloomstein on Twitter Timberland Publicis Sapient Trustworthy: How The Smartest Brands Beat Cynicism and Bridge The Trust Gap by Margot Bloomstein Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them by Ethan Zuckerman Gartner Edelman Crutchfield gov.uk Mailchimp Black Lives Matter Banana Republic Indiebound BookShop.org Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, February 14, 2021
Hà Phan on Product Leadership
Hà Phan is the Director of Discovery for Pluralsight, an e-learning platform. Before becoming a product leader, she was a principal UX designer at GoPro. In this conversation, we discuss Hà’s journey from UX design to product leadership. Show notes @hpdailyrant on Twitter Pluralsight GoPro The Double Diamond Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, January 31, 2021
Kourosh Dini on DEVONthink
Kourosh Dini is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and productivity expert. He is the author of an excellent book on how to take smart notes using DEVONthink, a personal information management tool. In this conversation, we discuss smart note-taking and how DEVONthink can help us work more effectively. Show notes Kourosh Dini Being Productive Taking Smart Notes with DEVONthink by Kourosh Dini How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens DEVONthink Zettelkasten Niklas Luhmann Evernote Notion Roam Research macOS Finder Craft Markdown BBEdit iA Writer Typora Scrivener Keynote Ulysses OmniFocus Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, January 17, 2021
Jason Ulaszek on Healing Social Rifts
Jason Ulaszek is an experience designer, activist, entrepreneur, and educator. He is the founder of Inzovu , a design collective, and UX for Good , a nonprofit that aims to provide elegant solutions to messy problems. In this conversation, we discuss Jason's work on just such a problem: helping Rwandans heal after their 1994 genocide. Show notes Jason Ulaszek on LinkedIn @webbit on Twitter Inzovu UX for Good DePaul University Aegis Trust The Kigali Genocide Memorial The Inzovu Curve Tania Singer Ubumuntu Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, January 03, 2021
Grace Lau on Information Architecture Events
Grace Lau is an information architect and user experience designer based in the Greater Los Angeles area. She’s the co-president of World IA Day and one of the program chairs of the 2021 IA Conference . In this conversation, we discuss those professional community events, and why you should participate. Listen to the show Download episode 52 Show notes Grace Lau @lauggh on Twitter Grace G. Lau on LinkedIn My Disney Experience UCLA ASIS&T ALA SLA The Los Angeles User Experience Meetup World IA Day San Gabriel Valley UX Meetup The Information Architecture Conference Vito Discord Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, December 20, 2020
Cheryl Platz on Multimodality
Cheryl Platz is an accomplished interaction designer who has designed multimodal experiences for Amazon, Microsoft, the Walt Disney Company and more. The focus of our conversation is her new book on the subject, Design Beyond Devices . Show notes Cheryl Platz Ideaplatz Cheryl on Twitter Ideaplatz on Twitter The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Kinect Xbox Design Beyond Devices: Creating Multimodal, Cross-Device Experiences by Cheryl Platz Nintendo DS Wacom tablets Siri Cortana Amazon Echo Echo Show Improvisational theater Unexpected Productions The Gum Wall Interaction 21 conference Wizard of Oz research HomePod Apple Music Amazon Fire TV Star Trek Walt Disney Imagineering Epic Systems Disclosure: I received Cheryl's book for free as a previous Rosenfeld Media/Two Waves author. Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, December 06, 2020
Brian Breslin on Building Community
My guest today is Brian Breslin . Brian is a tech entrepreneur, educator, and community builder based in Miami. He’s the director of The Launch Pad , the entrepreneurship center at the University of Miami, and founder of Refresh Miami , a non-profit organization dedicated to growing South Florida’s tech and startup ecosystem. In this conversation, we focus on community-building, especially during this time when geographic boundaries are becoming blurred. Listen to the show Download episode 50 Show notes Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin on Twitter Refresh Miami Google Groups LISTSERV Meetup Mailchimp Constant Contact Miami Herald Magic Leap REEF Technology Airtable Zapier Tony Hsieh Wealthfront Venmo Metcalfe’s law Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commissions for purchases made through these links.
Sun, November 22, 2020
Phillip Hunter on Design for Conversation
My guest today is Phillip Hunter. Phillip is a strategy and innovation consultant focused on conversational systems. He has a long trajectory working on such systems; among other roles, he was head of user experience for Amazon Alexa Skills. In this conversation, we focus on conversation itself, and how to design systems that converse. Listen to the show Download episode 49 Show notes Phillip Hunter on LinkedIn Phillip Hunter on Twitter Conversational Collaborative AI Services (Phillip’s consultancy) Brenda Laurel Don Norman Google Assistant Amazon Alexa HomePod Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCullough Wizard-of-Oz testing Adobe XD Voiceflow Botmock Google Dialogflow CX Alexa Skills Kit How We Talk: The Inner Workings of Conversation by N.J. Enfield Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commissions for purchases made through these links.
Sun, November 08, 2020
Caroline Crampton on Curation
My guest today is Caroline Crampton . Caroline is a freelance writer and podcaster. Among other things, she edits The Listener , a daily newsletter that curates the best podcasts. In this conversation, we focus on Caroline’s curation workflow. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 48 Show notes Caroline Crampton The Way to the Sea: The Forgotten Histories of the Thames Estuary by Caroline Crampton Shedunnit (Caroline’s podcast) Hot Pod newsletter Serial podcast The Listener newsletter The Browser Lindelani Mbatha Listen Notes RSS NewsBlur Apple Podcasts Pocket Casts Overcast Radio Atlas Google Keep Google Pixel Google Recorder Google Drive The Joe Rogan Experience Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commissions for purchases made through these links.
Sun, October 25, 2020
Peter Morville on Emancipating Information Architecture
My guest today is Peter Morville. Peter is a pioneer in the discipline of information architecture. Among many other distinctions, he co-authored with Lou Rosenfeld Information Architecture for the World-Wide Web , the classic O’Reilly “polar bear” book on the subject. This is Peter’s second appearance on The Informed Life podcast. I asked him back because I wanted to learn more about his recent call for practitioners to emancipate information architecture. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 47 Show notes Peter Morville on Twitter Semantic Studios Intertwingled.org Information Architecture: for the Web and Beyond , by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango The Informed Life episode 10: Peter Morville on Seductive Information Emancipating Information Architecture by Peter Morville Don’t Think of an Elephant! by George Lakoff Sorting Things Out: Classification and its Consequences by Geoffrey C. Bowker and Susan Leigh Star Pema Chödrön Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commissions for purchases made through these links.
Sun, October 11, 2020
Jeff Johnson on Design for Aging
My guest today is Dr. Jeff Johnson. Jeff has been applying his background in psychology towards designing better human-computer interfaces for over forty years. He teaches computer science at The University of San Francisco, and has written several influential books on UI design. Among these, he co-authored with Kate Finn Desiging User Interfaces for an Aging Population , which is the focus of this conversation. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 46 Show notes Jeff Johnson UI Wizards Cognitive Psychology Cromemco Xerox GUI Bloopers 2.0: Common User Interface Design Dont’s and Dos by Jeff Johnson Designing With the Mind in Mind: Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Guidelines by Jeff Johnson Conceptual Models: Core to Good Design by Austin Henderson and Jeff Johnson ( My notes on Conceptual Models ) Designing User Interfaces for an Aging Population: Towards Universal Design by Jeff Johnson and Kate Finn Tesla Model S Interior Google Maps Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, September 27, 2020
Tanya Rabourn on Ethnography
My guest today is Tanya Rabourn. Tanya is a design strategist and researcher based in Dubai. Her focus is on service innovation for social impact. In this conversation, we discuss the role of ethnographic research in understanding the people and cultures served by design. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 45 Show notes Tanya Rabourn on LinkedIn United Arab Emirates (UAE) United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) The University of Texas Mercy Corps Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Service Design One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) A Sociology of Monsters: Essays on power, technology, and domination by John Law Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Mon, September 14, 2020
Alexis Lloyd on the Granularity of Media
My guest today is Alexis Lloyd . Alexis is VP of Product Design at Medium and co-founder of Ethical Futures Lab . Previously, she led design and innovation work at The New York Times , Axios , and Automattic . Alexis has been thinking about the future of media for a long time. In this conversation, we focus on the evolving ways we consume and produce media. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 44 Show notes Alexis Lloyd @alexislloyd on Twitter Research & Development at The New York Times Axios John Maeda (MAEDASTUDIO) Automattic Medium Ethical Futures Lab The future of news is not an article by Alexis Lloyd Ted Nelson Project Xanadu Quotebacks Link to Text Fragment Chrome extension The Informed Life Episode 6: Beck Tench on Tinderbox Tinderbox Zettelkasten Roam Research DEVONthink Building a digital garden by Tom Citchlow Pinterest Are.na Dropbox Paper Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, August 30, 2020
Rob Haisfield on Roam
My guest today is Rob Haisfield . Rob is a behavioral product strategy and gamification consultant. He’s also an expert user of Roam , “a note-taking tool for networked thought.” In this conversation, we talk about Roam — what it is and how it can help you think more effectively. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 43 Show notes Rob Haisfield @roberthaisfield on Twitter Rob Haisfield on LinkedIn Influence Insights , Rob’s consulting company Spark Wave Center for Advanced Hindsight Roam Research OneNote Rob’s public repository Spaced repetition Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein DEVONthink GuidedTrack Rob Haisfield’s Tour of Roam Research (video) Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, August 16, 2020
Nataly Restrepo on Food Design
My guest today is Nataly Restrepo . Nataly is an industrial designer specialized in food design. She works as a food and beverage innovation consultant for restaurants and consumer goods, and is based in Mexico. In this conversation we explore food design and how designing for experiences calls for a holistic understanding. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 42 Show notes Nataly Restrepo Nataly Restrepo on Instagram Nataly Restrepo on Linkedin Food Design Education on Instagram Food Design Education Facebook group CENTRO Marije Vogelzang Play-Doh Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, August 02, 2020
Arvind Venkataramani on Rituals
My guest today is Arvind Venkataramani. Alongside Adam Menter, Arvind has been working on an open source toolkit to help people design secular rituals. In this conversation, we explore what rituals are and how being more intentional in their structure and use can improve our lives. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 41 Show notes Arvind Venkataramani Adam Menter The Ritual Design Toolkit SonicRim Graph of types of rituals U-Haul Virtual Memorial Guide Barn raising Anthony Giddens Burning Man Ritual Design at Burning Man 2019 by Arvind Venkataramani Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, July 19, 2020
Heather Hedden on Taxonomies
My guest today is Heather Hedden. Heather is an information management consultant specialized in taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, metadata, and indexing. She’s the author of two books, including The Accidental Taxonomist , a guide to the discipline of taxonomy creation and management. In this conversation, we explore taxonomies and why they’re important for organizations. Listen to the full conversation Download episode 40 Show notes Hedden Information Management Heather’s blog Heather’s online taxonomy course The Accidental Taxonomist, 2nd Ed by Heather Hedden Cengage Roget’s Thesaurus American National Standards Institute (ANSI) International Organization for Standardization (ISO) World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Ontology Language (OWL) Resource Description Framework (RDF) Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) Microsoft SharePoint Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, July 05, 2020
Stephen P. Anderson on Cognitive Environments
My guest today is Stephen P. Anderson . Stephen is a design leader who is focused on workforce learning and organizational development. He and Karl Fast recently published Figure it Out , a new book about how we can transform information to increase understanding. This is also the subject of our conversation; I hope you find it valuable. Show notes Stephen P. Anderson @stephenanderson on Twitter The Mighty Minds Club Figure It Out: Getting from Information to Understanding , by Stephen P. Anderson and Karl Fast Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences , by Stephen P. Anderson Mental Notes card deck by Stephen P. Anderson From Paths to Sandboxes by Stephen P. Anderson Scrabble The Information Architecture Conference Mural Miro Karl Fast Google Maps Business model canvas Polarity mapping Photo of the Dragon spacecraft cockpit The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford (PDF) Hey.com Disclosure: I received Stephen's book for free as a previous Rosenfeld Media/Two Waves author. Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, June 21, 2020
Andy Polaine on Service Design
My guest today is Andy Polaine . Andy is a service designer, consultant, educator, author, and podcaster. He’s co-author of the book Service Design: From Insight to Implementation and host of the Power of Ten podcast . In this conversation, we discuss service design, and how it helps organizations think more holistically about the experiences they enable. Listen to the full conversation Show notes Andy Polaine Andy Polaine on Twitter Andy Polaine on LinkedIn Power of Ten podcast Service Design: From Insight to Implementation by Andy Polaine, Lavrans Lovlie, and Ben Reason Adobe Director (aka Macromedia Director, or Video Works) Antirom School of the Arts & Media, University of New South Wales Ben Reason Livework Lavrans Løvlie (in Norwegian) Chris Downs on LinkedIn Fjord Powers of Ten (film) by Charles and Ray Eames The Guide to Self-sufficiency by John Seymour Service blueprint Design for the Long Term by Andy Polaine UK Government Digital Service (GDS) This is HCD network Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, June 07, 2020
Audrey Crane on Design in Organizations
My guest today is Audrey Crane. Audrey is a partner in DesignMap , a UX strategy and digital product design consultancy based in San Francisco. Audrey recently published a book called What CEOs Need to Know About Design , and in this conversation, we talk about the evolving role of design in organizations and why this book is needed now. Listen to the full conversation Show notes DesignMap TRS-80 Ashton-Tate Apple Netscape Hugh Dubberly Dubberly Design Office Hypercard What CEOs Need to Know About Design: A Leader’s Guide to Working With Designers by Audrey Crane About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, and Christopher Noessel The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman Learning GNU Emacs: A Guide to Unix Text Processing by James Elliott, Eric S. Raymond, Marc Loy, Debra Cameron, and Bill Rosenblatt Zoom Accenture The Informed Life Episode 22: Andrea Mignolo on Designerly Ways of Being Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, May 24, 2020
Louis Rosenfeld on Virtual Conferences
My guest today is my friend Lou Rosenfeld. Besides publishing books — including my own Living in Information — Lou and his team at Rosenfeld Media organize and manage industry conferences. In this episode, we talk about how they transitioned the recent Advancing Research conference from an in-person to a fully virtual event. Listen to the full conversation Show notes Louis Rosenfeld Rosenfeld Media @louisrosenfeld on Twitter The Informed Life Episode 1: Louis Rosenfeld on Managing Advancing Research 2020 Conference Some lessons learned from producing a virtual conference by Louis Rosenfeld Zoom Video Webinars Vimeo Cheryl Platz Abby Covert Steve Portigal Natalie Hanson Mailchimp Mural Slack The Brady Bunch title screen Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge Arango Hopin IxDA Berlin The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products That People Love by Donna Lichaw Meld Studios Enterprise Experience Conference 2020 DesignOps Summit Doctor’s Note (Andy Polaine’s newsletter) Power of Ten (Andy Polaine’s podcast) Informa(c)tion (Jorge Arango’s newsletter) Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made
Sun, May 10, 2020
Matt Nish-Lapidus on Art
My guest today is Matt Nish-Lapidus . Matt is an artist, musician, researcher, designer, and educator based in Toronto. Besides creating art and music, and doing design work, Matt also teaches at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design . In this conversation, we discuss the role of art in our evolving technological and cultural environments. Listen to the full conversation Show notes Matt Nish-Lapidus (emenel.com) Matt on Instagram Matt on Twitter University of Toronto New media art SFMoMA MoMA (New York) Tate Modern Nam June Paik Theodore Adorno The Anthropocene New Materialism Jane Bennett The Walt Disney Company Marvel Impressionism CARFAC David Rokeby Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti Jenny Holzer New Tendencies Soft Thoughts må Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, April 26, 2020
Ren Pope on Ontologies
My guest today is Ren Pope. Ren is a Principal at Info-Do , which offers data, information, and knowledge architecture consulting. He’s worked in these domains for the last 25 years or so, and has also taught colleagues how to do these things through workshops and presentations. In this episode, we focus on why organizations need to know about and develop ontologies. Listen to the full conversation Show notes Info-Do Ren Pope on LinkedIn Ren Pope on SlideShare Cigna The Information Architecture Conference (previously The Information Architecture Summit) Jessica DuVerneay on LinkedIn Ontology Taxonomy Hyponymy and hypernymy Sentence diagram Card sorting Mind map TheBrain Objectoria Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, April 12, 2020
Abby Covert on Remote Work
My guest today is my friend Abby Covert, also known as Abby the IA . Abby is a Senior Information Architect at Etsy. She wrote the book How to Make Sense of Any Mess , a wonderful primer on information architecture, and co-founded World IA Day. She’s also taught graduate design students and curated global conferences about design. She’s done many of these things remotely over the last decade, which makes her a great guide for how to collaborate in our new reality. Listen to the full conversation Show notes Abby the IA (Abby Covert’s website) Etsy How To Make Sense of Any Mess , by Abby Covert World Information Architecture Day Fax machines Melbourne, Florida Rosenfeld Media Advancing Research Conference School of Visual Arts Photo of Abby’s home setup DesignOps Summit The Museum of the Moving Image Louis Rosenfeld Zoom Zoom Webinar Slack Cheryl Platz Mural Steinberg UR12 Herman Miller chairs Opening sequence of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, March 29, 2020
Aynne Valencia on Work Cycles
My guest today is Aynne Valencia. Aynne is my colleague at the California College of the Arts, where she is the former Chair of the undergraduate interaction design program. In addition to teaching at CCA, she is also the Director of Design at San Francisco Digital Services, which designs digital experiences for the citizens of San Francisco and the city employees that serve them. In this conversation, we discuss the differences and similarities between the private, civic, and education sectors and the cadences of these domains. Listen to the full conversation Show notes Aynne’s website Aynne on Twitter Microsoft AKQA R/GA Fjord Cisco buys MOTO Development Group to beef up consumer design chops (Engadget) General Assembly San Francisco State University California College of the Arts San Francisco Digital Services GOV.UK McDonald’s Microsoft Productivity Future Vision video (2011) Microsoft Courier concept video (2009) Microsoft Surface Duo Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, March 15, 2020
Nicholas Paul Brysiewicz on the Long-term View
My guest today is Nicholas Paul Brysiewicz, the director of development of the Long Now Foundation in San Francisco, CA. The Foundation was created to foster long-term thinking, and in this conversation, Nick and I talk about how a broader time perspective can help us understand difficult times and lay the groundwork for a better future. A note about context: We recorded this conversation in early March of 2020, before the coronavirus had been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and a national emergency by the U.S. government. I’m certain our tone would’ve been more somber if we were talking about this subject closer to the date of publication. Still, I find that adopting a broader perspective helps me make more level-headed decisions, especially during difficult times. Finally, please heed the advice of medical experts and avoid social places like The Interval for the time being. Listen to the full conversation Show notes The Long Now Foundation The 10,000 Year Clock The Rosetta Project Revive & Restore Long Bets The Interval, San Francisco, CA Seminars About Long-term Thinking U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) World Health Organization (WHO) Elon Musk Qasem Soleimani Herodotus The Greco-Persian Wars The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories The Republic of Plato , translated by Allan Bloom Professor Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D. The Great Courses Herodotus: The Father of History Ian McKellen The Odyssey audiobook, narrated by Ian McKellen Game of Thrones Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate li
Sun, March 01, 2020
Christian Crumlish on Product Management
My guest today is Christian Crumlish . Christian has led product and design teams in organizations ranging from startups to large tech companies. In this conversation, we delve into the relationship between digital product management and information architecture, and how we might be more empowered as users of these systems. Listen to the full conversation Show notes Christian Crumlish (mediajunkie.com) Dungeons and Dragons Paladin Yahoo! Design in Product Slack community Richard Saul Wurman Understanding Context: Environment, Language, and Information Architecture by Andrew Hinton Pervasive Information Architecture: Designing Cross-Channel User Experiences by Andrea Resmini and Luca Rosati Reframing Information Architecture by Andrea Resmini (Editor) Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge Arango Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love, Second Edition by Marty Cagan Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work That Matters by Ryan Singer Basecamp Objectives and key results (OKRs) Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World With OKRs by John Doerr Amazon Kindle Matte Scheinker Airtable Asana Tinderbox The Informed Life Episode 6: Beck Tench on Tinderbox Notion Wikis From UX to Product (Christian’s video series in the UIE All You Can Learn Library) The Inf
Sun, February 16, 2020
Maria Giudice on Purpose
My guest today is Maria Giudice. Maria founded Hot Studio, a design consultancy that was acquired by Facebook in 2013. After leaving Facebook, she served as VP of Design at Autodesk. In this conversation, Maria reveals how she found her purpose, and shares with us the exciting next stage of her career. Listen to the full conversation Show notes Maria Giudice on LinkedIn Maria Giudice on Facebook Hot Studio Richard Saul Wurman Information Architects by Richard Saul Wurman Cooper Union Fortran Massimo Vignelli The yellow pages CCA Cartography Macintosh IIci Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Times New Roman Helvetica Mosaic web browser Netscape Frank Frazetta Italic script The Speedball Textbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Pen and Brush Lettering by Joanne Fink Autodesk Clement Mok The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks Rise of the DEO: Leadership by Design by Maria Giudice and Christopher Ireland Rise of the DEO posts in Medium Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Sun, February 02, 2020
Peter Merholz on the Structure of Organizations
My guest today is Peter Merholz . Peter is one of the co-founders of the pioneering UX design consultancy Adaptive Path, now part of Capital One. After leaving Adaptive Path, he has structured and led design teams in various organizations. Peter and his co-author, Kristin Skinner, wrote Org Design for Design Orgs , the book on how to organize design teams. In this episode, we discuss how the structure of organizations influences their customer’s experiences. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/the-informed-life-episode-28-peter-merholz-2.mp3 Show notes PeterMerholz.com @peterme on Twitter Adaptive Path Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner Liftoff: Practical Design Leadership to Elevate Your Team, Your Organization, and You by Chris Avore and Russ Unger The Informed Life Episode 22: Andrea Mignolo on Designerly Ways of Being IDEO Tim Brown The Double Diamond Conway’s Law Organization in the Way: How Decentralization Hobbles the User Experience by Peter Merholz MacGuffin Shopify Forrester Research Kristin Skinner
Sun, January 19, 2020
Cyd Harrell on Design for the Long-term
My guest today is Cyd Harrell. Cyd is a product, service design, and user research leader focused on the civic and government space. In this conversation, we discuss the differences between designing for civic and commercial projects and what it takes to design respectful systems that stand the test of time. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/the-informed-life-episode-27-cyd-harrell-1.mp3 Show notes Cyd Harrell on Twitter Center for Civic Design Code for America 18F California Courts CanUX UX for Institutions (Cyd’s design deck from CanUX 2019) A sketchnote of Cyd’s presentation by Eva-Lotta Lamm The Constitution of the United States Tim O’Reilly Jorge’s pace layer diagram Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge Arango Pace Layering: How Complex Systems Keep Growing and Learning by Stewart Brand How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built by Stewart Brand L.A. libraries will stop collecting late fees for overdue books and other materials (Los Angeles Times) Asimov’s Laws of Robotics
Sun, January 05, 2020
Andrew Hinton on Language and Environments
My guest today is Andrew Hinton . Andrew has worked in the digital design field for two decades. He’s one of the founders of the Information Architecture Institute and author of the book Understanding Context . In this conversation, you’ll learn about the foundations of information architecture and why Andrew thinks of himself as a “radical information architect.” Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/the-informed-life-episode-26-andrew-hinton.mp3 Show notes Andrew Hinton Helix (database) Understanding Context: Environment, Language, and Information Architecture by Andrew Hinton The Information Architecture Institute The Information Architecture Conference The Informed Life Episode 21: Vanessa Foss on Event Planning Shared Information Environment: let’s unpack that, shall we? by Andrew Hinton MUD Interactive fiction (e.g. text adventure games) World of Warcraft O’Reilly Media Peter Morville Ecological psychology James J. Gibson & Eleanor J. Gibson Phlogiston The Copernican Revolution Cartesianism Play-Doh Contextual inquiry Service design Ecosystem Map Bodystorming Attention deficit hyperactiv
Sat, December 21, 2019
Mary Parks on Voice User Interfaces
My guest today is Mary Parks. Mary’s background is in communications and applied linguistics, and for the past twenty years she has worked on designing voice user interfaces for digital systems. In this conversation, we focus on what voice interfaces are and how voice-driven systems work. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/the-informed-life-episode-25-mary-parks.mp3 Show notes Mary Parks on Twitter Nuance Communications Honeywell Applied linguistics Siri Natural language understanding Dragon NaturallySpeaking The uncanny valley Pixel 4
Sun, December 08, 2019
Michael J. Metts on Writing as Design
My guest today is Michael J. Metts . Michael designs digital products and services, with a focus on the impact of writing on the user’s experience. He and co-author Andy Welfle have written a new book on this subject. In this conversation, Michael and I discuss the relationship between writing and design, and how being more aware of how we use language can make us more effective. Show notes Michael J. Metts on Twitter Michael J. Metts on LinkedIn Michael J. Metts on Instagram Michael’s blog Writing is Designing: Words and the User Experience , by Michael J. Metts & Andy Welfle Card sorting Tree testing The Informed Life Episode 11: Lisa Welchman on Governance Microsoft Word GOV.UK highlighter method IA Writer Ulysses Markdown Slack Microsoft Teams Disclosure: I received Michael's book for free as a previous Rosenfeld Media/Two Waves author.
Sun, November 24, 2019
Carol Smith on Artificial Intelligence
My guest today is Carol Smith. Carol is a user experience researcher at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University . Her focus is artificial intelligence, and prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, she worked for Uber’s Advanced Technology Group and IBM Watson. In this conversation, we discuss the benefits and limitations of artificial intelligence — and machine learning, more specifically – for our day-to-day information management. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/the-informed-life-episode-23-carol-smith-2.mp3 Show notes Carol Smith on Twitter Carol Smith on LinkedIn Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute AlphaGo Gmail Multi-factor authentication
Sun, November 10, 2019
Andrea Mignolo on Designerly Ways of Being
My guest today is Andrea Mignolo . Andrea is VP of Product and Design at Movable Ink , a marketing technology company based in New York. In this episode, we discuss design as a way of being in the world, and why it matters. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/the-informed-life-episode-22-andrea-mignolo.mp3 Show notes Andrea Mignolo’s website Andrea Mignolo on Twitter Andrea Mignolo on Medium Oberlin College Free Speech TV Rails Ember.js Reflections on Business, Design, and Value by Andrea Mignolo Learning Through Worldmaking: The Design Way by Andrea Mignolo The Interaction Design Association VUCA Peter Senge Phil Gilbert Sketch Photoshop New Ventures West Andrea’s Experiential Learning Cycle diagram Case Western Reserve University Fernando Flores BEING IN THE WORLD (2010 documentary file) Martin Heidegger Humberto Maturana John Dewey
Sun, October 27, 2019
Vanessa Foss on Event Planning
My guest today is Vanessa Foss. Vanessa has been planning and managing conferences for twenty-five years. She’s the founder and president of Kunverj , an event planning and management company. Vanessa and her team run one of my favorite events of the year, the Information Architecture Conference . In this episode, we discuss what it takes to manage such an event. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/the-informed-life-episode-21-vanessa-foss.mp3 Show notes Kunverj ASIS&T Information Architecture Conference Cvent platform Euro IA Conference SoftConf Slack Mailchimp Zoom RDAP Conference Kunverj upcoming events
Sun, October 13, 2019
Chris Chandler on Design Ethics
My guest today is Chris Chandler. Chris is a partner at Philosophie , a strategic software design and development studio. He’s also a self-described “agilista,” and in this episode we discuss how designers — especially those working in agile environments — can embrace an ethical approach to their work. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/the-informed-life-episode-20-chris-chandler.mp3 Show notes Chris Chandler on Twitter UCLA Department of Information Studies Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville Marcia Bates Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Magic Bands at Walt Disney World Kevin Cheng OK/Cancel Philosophie The Informed Life Episode 15: Jeff Sussna on Cybernetics DevOps Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World and What We Can Do to Fix It by Mike Monteiro Future Ethics by Cennydd Bowles Arturo Perez Bridges the Gap Between UX Design and Metaphysics Friedrich Nietzsche Jacques Derrida Jean Baudrillard Stephen Colbert Existentialism The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir The Second Sex
Sun, September 29, 2019
Eduardo Ortiz on Social Impact
My guest today is Eduardo Ortiz. Eduardo is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former Director at the U.S. Digital Service. More recently, Eduardo co-founded &Partners , a social impact design and engineering studio that works with organizations to help improve their communities. In this episode, we discuss how they manage their information to drive change. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/the-informed-life-episode-19-eduardo-ortiz-2.mp3 Show notes @EduardoOrtiz on Twitter Eduardo on LinkedIn &Partners (Eduardo’s company) ASIS&T Sigia-l mailing list Louis Rosenfeld U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau U.S. Digital Service healthcare.gov 18F U.S. General Services Administration U.S. Small Business Administration U.S. Department of Defense U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Department of Education U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dana Chisnell New America Vera Institute of Justice Jennifer Anastasoff Asana Google Forms Google Docs Google Sheets @andprtnrs on Twitter &Partners on LinkedIn
Sun, September 15, 2019
Thomas Dose on Music Collections
My guest today is Thomas Dose. Thomas is the head of Music Services at DR, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation . In this role, he works with a massive archive of physical and digital music files. In this episode, we talk about how DR organizes it all and what we can learn to help us manage our own music collections better. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/the-informed-life-episode-18-thomas-dose.mp3 Show notes Thomas Dose on Twitter DR Spotify IDAGIO Jorge’s blog post about Idagio Apple Music Tidal Qobuz MusicBrainz.org RuneAudio The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd Acousting fingerprint Shazam AcoustID
Sun, September 01, 2019
Rachel Price on Improvisation
My guest today is Rachel Price. Rachel works as a Senior Information Architect at Microsoft and teaches Information Architecture at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. Her background is in music, and in this episode we talk about how structures can serve as a foundation for improvisation. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/the-informed-life-episode-17-rachel-price.mp3 Show notes Rachel Price on LinkedIn Rachel Price on Twitter School of Visual Concepts Magic Eye optical illusions The Informed Life Episode 11: Lisa Welchman on Governance Improvisation: Methods and Models by Jeff Pressing (PDF) Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art , by Stephen Nachmanovitch New York Times iOS app Screen Time on iOS How to Use App Limits and Downtime in iOS 12 Kind of Blue by Miles Davis
Sun, August 18, 2019
MJ Broadbent on Graphic Recording
Today I’m joined by my friend MJ Broadbent. As a graphic facilitator and recorder, MJ uses visual thinking to help people communicate more effectively. In this episode, we talk about how drawing can help folks understand each other and make everyday life more joyful. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/the-informed-life-episode-16-mj-broadbent.mp3 Show notes MJ Broadbent MJ Broadbent on Twitter MJ Broadbent on Instagram MJ Broadbent on Flickr MJ Broadbent on LinkedIn Mike Rohde Sketchnote Army blog Rosenfeld Media events Enterprise Experience conference DesignOps Summit Pictionary IPEVO document cameras Landau Chartworks Franklin Planners Bullet Journal MJ’s Stanford Continuing Studies course
Sun, August 04, 2019
Jeff Sussna on Cybernetics
My guest today is IT consultant and author Jeff Sussna. Jeff’s liberal arts background has given him a unique perspective on digital transformation. In this episode, we explore the relevance of cybernetics to today’s complex design and DevOps challenges. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/the-informed-life-episode-15-jeff-sussna.mp3 Show notes Sussna Associates @jeffsussna on Twitter Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation by Tim Brown Norbert Wiener Dark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Wiener, The Father of Cybernetics by Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman Cybernetics: or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine by Norbert Wiener The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics and Society by Norbert Wiener Lean startup Agile software development Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory: The Dharma of Natural Systems , by Joanna Macy Claude Shannon The Net of Indra Ranulph Glanville Designing Delivery: Rethinking IT in the Digital Service Economy by Jeff Sussna
Sun, July 21, 2019
Lis Hubert on Intentional Living
My guest today is information architect Lis Hubert . Over the past year, Lis has been living and working around the world as what some folks call a “digital nomad.” In this show, we talk about how she’s using this time to structure her best life. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/episode-14-lis-hubert.mp3 Show notes Lis Hubert The Lis Experiment blog Zoom Lis’s YouTube Channel Diana Sonis The 4-Hour Workweek , by Tim Ferriss Walden , by Henry David Thoreau
Sun, July 07, 2019
Ariel Waldman on Antarctica
My guest today is NASA advisor, author, and YouTube videographer Ariel Waldman . Ariel describes what she does as making “massively multiplayer science” — that is, “creating unusual collaborations that infuse serendipity into science and space exploration.” In this episode, we focus on her recent sojourn documenting microscopic life in Antarctica, and how managing information in such a remote, demanding environment calls for self-reliance and thoughtful preparation. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/the-informed-life-episode-13-ariel-waldman.mp3 Show notes Ariel Waldman NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program Science Hack Day Ariel’s Spacetime on YouTube National Science Foundation Writers and Artists grant McMurdo Station San Francisco Microscopical Society Merritt College Microscopy program Adobe Premiere Ariel on Patreon Photo: Silicon Republic via Wikimedia Commons
Sun, June 23, 2019
Kim Lenox on Leadership
My guest today is design executive Kim Lenox. Kim is Vice President of Product Design at Zendesk. In her 20+ year career, she’s also led design teams at top global organizations such as LinkedIn and HP. In this episode, we talk about the difference between management and control, leading geographically dispersed teams, and taking handwritten notes on digital devices. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/the-informed-life-episode-12-kim-lenox.mp3 Show notes Kim Lenox on LinkedIn @UXKim on Twitter Zendesk Zoom Slack Google Docs WhatsApp The Year Without Pants: WordPress and the Future of Work by Scott Berkun JIRA The Zendesk Suite OneNote Trello GoodNotes Notability Zendesk Design Blog
Sun, June 09, 2019
Lisa Welchman on Governance
My guest today is digital governance advocate Lisa Welchman . For the past twenty years, Lisa has helped organizations manage the flow of their digital information. In this episode, she tells us about how content models and governance frameworks can help organizations manage their information more intentionally and safely. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/episode-11-lisa-welchman.mp3 Show notes Lisa Welchman Managing Chaos: Digital Governance by Design , by Lisa Welchman Insight Timer Scientific Eve
Sun, May 26, 2019
Peter Morville on Seductive Information
My guest today is information architecture and user experience pioneer Peter Morville . Alongside Lou Rosenfeld, Peter co-authored Information Architecture for the World Wide Web , the first of several books Peter has produced that explore how we deal with information. In this conversation, we discuss a more mindful approach to dealing with the information in our lives. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/the-informed-life-episode-10-peter-morville.mp3 Show notes Peter Morville The University of Michigan’s School of Information Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond , by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango Search Patterns: Design for Discovery by Peter Morville and Jeffery Callender Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become by Peter Morville Intertwingled: Information Changes Everything by Peter Morville Planning for Everything: The Design of Paths and Goals by Peter Morville Trello Apple Watch Lawrence Lessig Muse headband semanticstudios.com – Peter’s consultancy intertwingled.org – Peter’s blog twitter.com/morville
Sun, May 12, 2019
Jessica Ivins on Getting Things Done
My guest today is Jessica Ivins . Jessica is a user experience designer. She’s also faculty member at Center Centre, the UX design school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she prepares students to be industry-ready UX designers. She wears many hats in this role, and in this episode we talk about how she keeps track of it all. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/episode-9-jessica-ivins.mp3 Show notes Center Centre David Allen’s Getting Things Done Marc Andreessen’s guide to personal productivity Google Docs Timeboxing Parkinson’s Law Slack Re-work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson OmniFocus The Pomodoro technique JessicaIvins.net Jessica on Medium Jessica on Twitter
Sun, April 28, 2019
Trip O’Dell on Dyslexia
My guest today is Trip O’Dell . Trip has worked as a product designer for leading technology companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, and Amazon. Before his career in tech, Trip was a teacher, introducing new technologies to students so they could tell stories in new ways. When he was a student himself, Trip was diagnosed with dyslexia, and in this episode we discuss how this allows him to think differently. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/episode-8-trip-odell.mp3 Show notes Trip O’Dell Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Mural Trello Dropbox Grammarly Google Docs Seeing AI Dark Matter @tripodell on Twitter
Sun, April 14, 2019
Donna Lichaw on Stories
My guest today is Donna Lichaw . After a long career that included documentary film-making and tech, Donna discovered her calling: helping people hone the stories they tell about themselves. Now she coaches designers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and leaders who want to make a difference. In this episode we talk about how she helps her clients visualize their stories. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/the-informed-life-episode-7-donna-lichaw.mp3 Show notes Donna Lichaw iPad Pro Apple Pencil Evernote Zoom iOS screen sharing with the Zoom desktop client Paper app Dave Gray Christina Wodtke IPEVO products Donna on Twitter Donna on LinkedIn
Sun, March 31, 2019
Beck Tench on Tinderbox
My guest today is Beck Tench. Beck is a third-year Ph.D. student at the University of Washington. This role requires that she deal with a lot of information, and in this show, we talk about how she makes sense of it all. We also discuss the subject of her Ph.D. itself, which is both fascinating and highly relevant. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/episode-6-beck-tench.mp3 Show notes Beck Tench University of Washington Information School Zettelkasten The Archive Notational Velocity Tinderbox Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by B.J. Fogg (Amazon) Beck’s Tinderbox videos Steven Zeoli’s Tinderbox posts
Sun, March 17, 2019
Kevin M. Hoffman on Proposals
My guest today is Kevin M. Hoffman . Kevin is a designer, manager, and author who has led teams of designers both inside and outside of large organizations. In the last few years, he’s turned his attention to designing better meetings. In this episode, we talk about how he’s using information to engage with prospects and clients so they can design meetings that add value to their lives. Photo credit: Michelle Milla Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/the-informed-life-episode-5-kevin-m-hoffman.mp3 Show notes Kevin M. Hoffman Meeting Design: For Managers, Makers, and Everyone by Kevin M. Hoffman Dan Mall SuperFriendly Super Friends Karen McGrane Google Docs GitHub Dropbox Box Schoolhouse Rock: I’m Just a Bill Bear Note Markdown Google Keep
Sun, March 03, 2019
Andrea Kates on Innovation
My guest today is Andrea Kates . Andrea is a consultant and author who equips leaders to translate emerging trends into growth for their businesses. She’s helped major organizations around the world to “find their next,” and has spoken about business innovation at TED and The Aspen Institute among other venues. In this episode, we discuss how Andrea helps clients innovate by thinking beyond the confines of their existing information environments. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/episode-4-andrea-kates.mp3 Show notes Andrea Kates on LinkedIn iScale Asana Fitbit The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp Find Your Next: Using the Business Genome Approach to Find Your Company’s Next Competitive Advantange by Andrea Kates Steve Jobs’s home office Sea-Monkeys When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties by Paul Collier Microsoft OneNote Microsoft Surface Lean innovation Business Model Canvas John Hagel Thinkers50 Singularity University Wikibrands Collective
Sun, February 17, 2019
Fabricio Teixeira on Publishing
My guest today is Fabricio Teixeira . Fabricio has led design teams at various agencies over the past 15 years; now he’s at Work & Co , a digital product design studio based in Brooklyn, NY. I came to know Fabricio because he’s one of the founders and publishers of UX Collective , one of the largest design and UX online publications. In this episode, we focus on how Fabricio and his partner Caio Braga make UX Collective happen through mindful information management. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/episode-3-fabricio-teixeira.mp3 Show notes Fabricio Teixeira UX Collective Work & Co Feedly Digg Reader (sadly, no longer available) Pocket Buffer If This Then That Getting Things Done Gmail Gmail canned responses Google Sheets Google Tasks
Sun, February 03, 2019
Gretchen Anderson on Writing
My guest today is Gretchen Anderson. Gretchen spent the first part of her career consulting with world-renowned design firms. More recently, she’s led design and product teams at various companies, including PG&E, California’s largest energy company. Currently, Gretchen consults with clients to inform their product strategies and improve their team collaboration skills. She’s now written a book about collaboration, and in this episode, we focus on how she managed her information during the writing process. Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/the-informed-life-episode-2-gretchen-anderson.mp3 Show notes Mastering Collaboration: Make Working Together Less Painful and More Productive by Gretchen Anderson Scrivener Google Docs GretchenAnderson.com Gretchen on Twitter Gretchen on Medium
Sun, January 20, 2019
Louis Rosenfeld on Managing
My guest today is Lou Rosenfeld. Alongside Peter Morville, Lou wrote the seminal book Information Architecture for the World Wide Web — also known as the polar bear book. In 2005, he founded Rosenfeld Media , where he and his team amplify user experience expertise through conferences and books, including my own Living in Information . In this conversation we talk about how Lou manages information to effectively coordinate the various workstreams at his company, including the upcoming Enterprise Experience conference . Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/the-informed-life-episode-1-lou-rosenfeld.mp3 Show notes Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond (4th Edition) , by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango Rosenfeld Media Gmail Apple Stickies.app Sanebox Facebook Andrew Hinton on Twitter Zoom Enterprise Experience 2019 conference Enterprise UX community
Wed, January 16, 2019
Introduction
This is episode zero of the show, which means I don’t have a guest. Instead, I talk about what we’re going to be doing here: what this show is about and why you may find it valuable to tune in. I also tell you a bit about myself and how I got into this topic, and what I’m planning to do with it. Hope you enjoy it! Listen to the full episode https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/the-informed-life-episode-0-intro.mp3 Show links Jorge Arango’s blog Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond (4th Edition) , by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places , by Jorge Arango Image by David Swayze, via Flickr
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