Top 10 Podcasts for UX Designers: Our Picks
Listen up.
From snarky reviews of popular iOS apps to no-nonsense industry advice, these are our go-to resources for UX design listening. Add these great podcasts to your list ASAP to get relevant industry insight and design inspo while you’re driving, working or brainstorming.
1. UX Podcast — This hyper-focused UX podcast is a must-subscribe for designers. Hosted by Per Axbom and James Royal-Lawson, this twice-monthly podcast includes interviews with top UX designers, coverage of special UX conferences and casual conversations about the day’s most important UX news. The most popular episodes include two-part interviews with Alan Cooper and Don Norman.
2. User Defenders — This UX design podcast with Jason Ogle features in-depth interviews with the world’s most successful UX designers. One part inspirational, one part practical, this is one of the best UX podcasts for honoring and talking about the craft of UX design. We love this podcast because Ogle is an excellent host, and also because it makes you feel like a superhero by creating great design.
3. Design Review — Product designers Chris Liu and Jonathan Shariat review products from a user perspective in Design Review, but this weekly podcast is much more than that. The two also cover the many nuances of design life and offer tips for how to handle design blocks and how to incorporate empathy, playfulness and personality into design. Check out some of the older episodes where the hosts review Spotify, Candy Crush and more.
4. UX Radio — Created by Lara Federoff, UX radio offers podcasts about UX, design and IA. This podcast is perfect for listeners looking for quick snippets, as each 20-minute episode covers a single topic. Federoff hosts designers and thought leaders who talk about design, user research and more. If you can’t get past the creepy robotic intro, fear not: Federoff and other human hosts take over during the interview portions.
5. What is Wrong with UX? — “The podcast where two old ladies yell at each other about how to make products suck slightly less.” Is there anything else you need to know? This podcast is hosted by “Build Better Products” Author Laura Klein and self-described Recovering UX Designer Kate Rutter. The two drink, swear and make snarky remarks about UX design and the design world. What could be better?
6. The Big Web Show — Hosted by Jeffrey Zeldman, The Big Web Show covers everything web. Not all episodes are UX design-focused, with episodes peppered in about content strategy and information architecture. Fair warning: The trippy intro music will put you in a trance immediately, so it’s best to listen while off the clock.
7. UIE Brain Sparks — This is super informative UIE podcast produced by User Interface Engineering, a UX firm led by Jared M. Spool. Spool interviews UX leaders about specific topics and presents talks and recordings from conferences. Spool is a really thoughtful host, who asks great questions and knows how to extract valuable information from all his interviewees.
8. This is Product Management — Hosted by Mike Fishbein and produced by Alpha UX, TIPM releases episodes every Monday at 4:30 p.m. EST. Every episode follows the pattern “X is Product Management” and covers topics like user experience, innovation, design and development. Recent episodes include interviews and talks with Shopify Product Manager Brandon Chu and Fresh Tilled Soil CEO Richard Banfield.
9. UXPod — Host Gerry Gaffney has been delivering 25 to 40 minute UX-focused podcast episodes since 2006, so you’ve got 10 years of back episodes — all available in the UXPod Archive — to catch up on. Each once-monthly episode is short and to-the-point but offers plenty of valuable insight. Gaffney talks with industry professionals about stuff like user research, urban design, strategy and product design.
10. Iterate — Iterate is a top pick for UX designers looking for insight and advice from some of the world’s best app designers. It’s hosted by Rene Ritchie, Seth Clifford and Marc Edwards, who cover app design from concept to implementation. They also sometimes host relevant guests, including plenty of top iOS and Android app designers.
What are your favorite design podcasts? Let us know!
