The Informed Life

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...

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 (mediajunk...

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...

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 struc...

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/th...

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  ...

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-epis...

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 Michae...

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 spe...

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 An...

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  h...

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-info...

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:...

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...

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-lif...

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.mp...

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 S...

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 Experim...

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, dem...

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 conversatio...

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...

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 conversa...

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.wordpre...

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 differ...

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 conversat...