What Bubbles Up

In this quick one, Phil returns from San Francisco to join Barry and discuss all the latest and greatest features announced at Config 2026, Figma's annual product conference. We discuss how Figma is enabling global teams to better collaborate and enhance their work with AI, and how they are incorporating more and more of the entire design workflow in their canvas with releases like Motion, Fig...

In this "quick one", Barry and Phil crack some beers and explore the impact of AI on design leadership, change management, and the future of work. They discuss recent developments in AI tools like Figma agent and Gemini, the cultural and emotional implications of AI adoption that come with this change, and practical strategies for integrating AI into creative and organizational processes...

In this episode, Barry and Phil are joined by Dave Peak, serial entrepreneur and the founder of AI startup EasyBee. AI, which focuses on building customizable agents for mid-market firms. Dave takes us through his storied career leading innovation strategies for companies large and small, including pharma, financial services, and consulting. With a track record of successful exits, Dave shares his...

In this episode, Barry and Phil regroup from their time in Austin, Texas to share their thoughts on the week they spent attending SXSW 2026. Their takeaway from the festival was overall a feeling of hope and inspiration as they usher in what they see as a "Golden Age of Artificial Intelligence". Gone are the feelings of fear and trepidation, replaced with the hope of using these tools as...

In this episode, Barry and Phil come to you LIVE from Austin, Texas and the SXSW 2026 Festival of Innovation. Recording live from Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden, Barry and Phil have conversations with esteemed guests, friends and colleagues recapping the days events, including thoughts on their panel "Lies My Creative Director Told Me: Myths of the Agency World". This episo...

In this quick one, Phil and Barry crack a cold one and give the listeners a taste of what they can expect from their 2nd Annual appearance at the SXSW Innovation Festival and their panel discussion, "Lies My Creative Director Told Me: Myths of the Agency World". They discuss the other panels they are most excited about seeing, and send an open invitation to the various evening events whe...

In this episode, Barry and Phil are joined once again by Global Innovation Expert and frequent guest Val Vacante, fresh off her stint at the Consumer Electronics Showcase, or CES, in Las Vegas. We explore the overall impressions of the event, the practical applications of technology, and unique innovations that stood out. Val also shares insights from her panel discussion on experience-driven reta...

Season 7 is upon is! And as we do every season, this first episode of the season is a preview of what's to come this year, which promises to be our best one yet. We celebrate the start of a new year by reflecting on our journey of storytelling over nearly a decade. We share our New Year's resolutions for 2026, including some changes to our show format with the introduction of '9 Questi...

What Bubbles Up fans! Another year, and another season in the books, which means it is time for our annual Year in Flights episode! This season, Phil and Barry celebrate the end of Season 6 with a recap of 6 of their favorite moments, each paired with a different beer (in increasing ABV %). We also take a moment to celebrate the growth of their podcast, up 21% in listernership from this time last...

In this episode, Barry and Phil welcome David Richard, Entrepreneur and AI enthusiast joins us for a drink and a discussion about the evolving roles of design, designers, and business leaders in the age of AI. David regales us with his long journey through design, teaching, starting his own agency, then joining a large organization, and all the differences and similarities between those business c...

In this episode of, Phil and Barry engage in a rich conversation with CX Transformation Strategist, Author, and Podcaster Jenessa Carder about her journey from Boston to Japan and the cultural insights she has gained along the way. We discuss the importance of empathy in design, the challenges of being a foreigner in Japan, and how personal stories can enhance design practices. Jenessa shares her...

In this episode, Barry and Phil have a beer and a chat with Julianne Cross, an actor, writer, and filmmaker who left her career in media buying to pursue her passion for storytelling. Julianne discusses what it's like to go through the turbulent up's and down's of auditions, and the invaluable process she takes to learn from each one, process rejection, and properly celebrate triumphs....

In this episode, Barry and Phil are joined by Matt Weiss, former President and Chief Growth Officer of Huge and founder of Soul Purpose Advisory, in a broad discussion about the future of Agencies, and Creative Professional Services in general. Matt shares his observations on which agencies will win the future, and why, and what others will need to do to remain relevant in the AI age. Also, fresh...

In this 'Quick One' episode, Barry and Phil give their take on all the major announcements from Config, Figma's annual conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. This year's Config featured 4 major product releases: Figma Sites, Figma Make, Figma Draw, and Figma Buzz. They also announced Grids with Auto Layout, CMS for their Sites product, and Code Blocks. Barry and Phil discuss how a...

We are still sharing great content from our live appearance at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas, and our attendance at the Meta Creators Event at Geraldine’s at the Hotel Van Zandt. This episode features our conversation with Melissa Kittson, the Director of Sponsorship and Advertising Strategic Development at the National Association of Broadcasters, or NAB. Though the night was wearing long by this po...

We are still sharing great content from our live appearance at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas, and our attendance at the Meta Creators Event at Geraldine’s at the Hotel Van Zandt. This episode features our conversation with Phil Sage, the Sr. Director of Design & Innovation at PepsiCo. Originally from Wales, Phil shares his thoughts on innovation and what is required of designers who are creating...

We are still sharing great content from our live appearance at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas, and our attendance at the Meta Creators Event at Geraldine’s at the Hotel Van Zandt. This episode features our conversation with Robin Raskin, the former editor of PC Magazine, the Founder of the Virtual Events Group (VEG), and an absolute legend in the world of tech journalism. Robin shares her unvarnished...

In this very special IRL episode, Barry and Phil come to you LIVE from the Meta Creators event at Geraldine's at the Hotel Van Zandt at SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas where they recap their panel, "Enterprise Design: The Death of Innovation?". They discuss both their overall takeaways from the discussion, but also the questions they were asked by the attendees. Later, they conduct a seri...

In this very special IRL episode, Barry and Phil come to you LIVE from SXSW 2025 in Austin, Texas. In this first in-person episode in 6 years of "What Bubbles Up", and in preparation for their panel, "Enterprise Design: The Death of Innovation?", Barry and Phil recap their experiences and learnings from their first day at the Festival of Creativity. We also hear from Lindsey Sc...

In this episode, Barry and Phil do a quick one on the sudden rise and success of DeepSeek, the Chinese-developed open-source AI model, and its impacts on the stock market, geopolitics, and corporate investment strategies. We then take the opportunity to highlight our upcoming panel at South by Southwest. If you happen to be attending the conference, come stop by and see us discuss Enterprise Produ...

Fresh off the holiday break, Barry and Phil ring in the New Year with a quick kickoff of Season 6 of What Bubbles Up! Starting off with some New Year's resolutions, Barry and Phil welcome a special guest - Perplexity AI - to give suggestions for what topics they should discuss (and, hilariously, what guests they should have on) this season. They also give their hot takes on the recent IPG/Omnicom...

It's the holidays! And you know what that means...our annual "Year in Flights" episode, where we look back on the year that was, and discuss some of our favorite episodes from this past season, each one paired with a specific beer selection. This year, we're looking back at 6 episodes (yes, with 6 different beers!) whose guests captured our attention, brought about great discussion, and caught the...

In this episode, Stacey Seronick, Senior Design Program Manager at IBM, joins us for a drink and a chat about being a strong mentor for junior designers within a large organization. We discuss how Stacey's matriculation at Bennington College, where she learned the nascent fundamentals of digital design, coupled with a stint as a digital designer at Macworld, gave her a great start in her Design ca...

In this episode, Kate Moran, VP of Research & Content at Nielsen Norman Group, joins us for a drink and a chat about the world of UX Research. We discuss the fortuitous start of her work at NN/g, a graduate thesis with an 'audience of one' in Jakob Nielsen himself, which eventually led to her present day role as the group's de facto Editor-in-Chief. We then discuss how her work researching and...

In this truly global episode, Phil finds himself all the way in Bangalore, India, where he joins WongDoody's CDO and CXO, Mohan Krishnaraj, and Global CXO and returning guest Ralf Gehrig for a far-reaching conversation about the growth and development of the India Design Community. Mohan and Barry begin by regaling us with their recent experiences as keynote speakers at UXIndia '24, billed as the...