9 Podcasts Inspiring Our Team in 2019
While Apple launched podcasts on iTunes over 13 years ago in 2005, we’ve seen a huge surge in the popularity of the content form in just the last few years. In 2018, Apple’s podcasts topped 50 billion all-time downloads with over 18.5 million episodes available from 155 countries. Needless to say, there are lots of podcasts out there, so what better way to kick off 2019 than by adding a few new ones to your rotation?
Podcasts are a popular topic around our offices, with favorites being shared in Slack or discussed around our lunch table. Many of us use them to get inspiration on our commutes, catch up on news, or gain insight into different parts of design and UX. We asked our team to share what they’ve been enjoying listening to lately to kickstart the year. We hope you’re just as inspired as we are.
Reply All
If the internet was its own language, this podcast would be the best interpreter you’d want by your side in its foreign land. Reply All covers so many direct and indirect ways the internet shapes what happens in the real world, and provides amazing explanations to niche memes, tweets, and all sorts of controversies that are happening in a million tiny universes you never knew existed.
— Kyle Kubas, UX Strategist
The CX Cast by Forrester Research
This podcast covers all facets of customer experience. I love learning about how a customer’s impression — and lasting association — of a brand is based on moments of interaction. As a researcher, I talk to people about those moments so it’s exciting to learn how all of them add up to a full experience and the resulting business impact. The hosts cover different topics each week as it relates to CX and Forrester’s research on the topic so I always walk away with data-based insights that I can apply to big picture questions about how to influence a better customer experience.
— Kristin Zibell, Senior UX Researcher
Where Should We Begin
Each episode of Where Should We Begin is a recording of a couples therapy session. It’s not about research, but it does give a fascinating look into the habits people form, and how the way one person thinks and perceives things is totally different from another. Esther also provides occasional commentary on what she could have said or done differently during the session and on the behaviors/thoughts/feelings of her clients that she wasn’t able to articulate at the time.
— Olivia Taylor, UX Researcher
Revisionist History
Revisionist History is a great podcast from Malcolm Gladwell. In each episode, Gladwell reexamines a popularly held idea about an event, person, or belief for what might be missing from the story. It’s sort of a devil’s advocate approach to a diverse range of subjects that deserve a second thought.
— Nicholena Honors, UX Researcher
Invisibilia
Invisibilia is an NPR podcast hosted by three women who explore “the intangible forces that shape human behavior.” They consult both everyday people with interesting experiences and people with expertise to tell stories about intersections of culture, norms, and psychology. Their approach is bold, engaging, and thought-provoking.
— Agnes Kiss, UX Researcher
Dollars to Donuts
Steve Portigal’s Dollars to Donuts is an excellent podcast for those in the field of user research. What makes it so great?
1. Steve uses his legendary moderation and analysis skills to drive the conversations into thoughtful spaces that few other podcasts reach.
2. Guests are consistently top leaders in the field, like Pree Kolari of eBay and Monal Chokshi of Lyft, and many come from outside the standard UX podcast rotation.
3. The focus is exclusively on research, not design, product management, or any other important but already-well-represented area. My only complaint is that there haven’t been any new episodes in a bit. Steve, please start up Season 3!
— Jason Buhle, Director of UX Strategy
Accidental Tech Podcast
I like Accidental Tech Podcast (ATP) because of the synergy of the three hosts. They ramble on about tech topics for hours each episode and I can lose myself for a while.
— Donovan Watts, Research Manager
The Daily
The Daily, produced by the New York Times, is a quick primer on the news of the day. But instead of just giving you the headlines, it dives deep into a specific topic or news story, often interviewing experts on the ground, which I find much more valuable than simply skimming the news on my phone. At 20 minutes per episode, it’s the perfect length for a short commute or a quick walk.
— Katie Marcus Reker, Marketing Coordinator
99% Invisible
99% Invisible is all about the design, architecture, and innovation shaping our world that we don’t often think about. It encompasses a variety of things from Flag design to how a certain building and its inhabitants are affected by societal changes. I love this podcast because it’s about design, it’s produced by a local (San Francisco) guy, and it makes me think about things I’m not normally confronted by on a daily basis.
— Sylvia Bargellini, Senior UX Researcher
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