UX design is not only a profession with a diverse history, but it is also a burgeoning field of knowledge rife with opportunities for both beginners and masters of the line of work. UX has been a link between design art and online media, designer and user, and marketer and consumer.
Another medium that’s similarly seen an increase in opportunities is the podcast. Originating from the now-antiquated radio, podcasts are a great way to listen and learn from experts in any field.
This article is then a convergence of both UX design and the podcast, where I count down 13 UX podcasts that are sure to be a blast to listen to. Ready?
I’ve broken down this baker’s dozen to pursue the following criteria that I think make a great podcast:
Without further ado:
I start this list with a quirky forerunner, the multi-awarded and long-running podcast about the 99% invisible things around us. Showing the profound effect of design in the details, this podcast manages to relate design to literally everything — from politics, to food, to culture, to video games, to capitalism and communism, and more.
They get their name from a quote by Bukminster Fuller: “Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable.” This mantra drives the show’s inventive writing and its bordering-on-obscure but relatable topics.
From their broad-ranging topics such as the evolution of design in a skateboard to how White Castle implemented design in food, this podcast also varies in length for each episode, allowing them to talk about each topic at length without the usual time constraints. For a UX designer, this podcast encourages you to think outside of the box, sharpen your observation skills, and think of design as integral to the larger field of culture. If you’re a fan of This American Life or RadioLab, this is a podcast that will feel like home to you.
My second pick is a graphic design podcast where experts weigh in for each episode about user experience. From product design to UX research to UX design, this podcast bridges the gap between the product and its users.
Ramblings of a Designer podcast is technical in scope, but very relatable in the way they conduct interviews between hosts and experts, highlighting the human aspect in the design profession. It’s great for UX designers who relate to the rising stars of UX design and who want to find inspiration from others in their field.
This podcast, hosted by two women thought leaders in UX, presents a lifestyle angle to the field of UX. Their range of UX design topics vis-a-vis life as a UX designer has all the trappings of very interesting and indeed very honest discussions. Such topics include ambiguity, parenthood, full-time vs. freelance, work-life balance, and so on.
By sandwiching their life experiences with their over twenty years of UX professional experience, the hosts of this podcast are perhaps the most relatable to UX designers when it comes to design roles and general well-being within the field.
User experience experts James Royal-Lawson and Per Axbom defined the profession that is UX in this titular podcast. They unpack specific topics, as well as go through UX strategies and approaches that may be useful to UX designers.
And, this podcast goes beyond the realm of user experience, relating UX to unusual spaces such as science fiction or war stories, creative thinking or decision-making, stress or calm technologies, and theater or coaching, to name a few.
This best serves the creative thinker, listening to a UX podcast that has garnered acclaim in more than a decade that they’ve been around.
Writers in Tech is a podcast by UX Writing Hub, specifically about technical writing: UX writing, content strategy, and more. It’s a fun podcast that talks about the specificity of writing in a tech position, where the experts also weigh in.
Writers in Tech goes through the major concerns of tech writers throughout the world and throughout the internet. This podcast is for technical writers or UX writers who want to incorporate creative, new techniques (such as translation and AI) at any stage of their career.
This is HCD (Human Centered Design Network) is a UX podcast that boasts that they are the # 1 human-centered design podcast, and it may well be true. The host interviews thought leaders across the UX design network, particularly the ones who are service-oriented and people-driven.
This is HCD’s agenda is to spread the message of human-centered design to the rest of the world, making the future of tech a better place to be. This highly technical UX podcast is best for other thought leaders in the tech industry and other designers in the UX space who want to form the larger picture of their role in the rest of human history.
As one of the most popular design podcasts out there, this podcast is about design and product strategy, from business and marketing to design platforms and software applications.
While the “UI” aspect of the name tackles the most technical strategies in a variety of topics, the “breakfast” part brings in subject matter experts to make a quick joke, converse or laugh about their tech journey. The topics certainly stick to the subject at hand, but the interview format of the podcast highlights the conversation-centric, very human, aspect of tech.
If you’re a UX / UI designer, writer, or part of any design team looking for tips; if you’re a marketer looking to expand your marketing strategies; or if you’re in the tech field just wanting to relate to others who know the technical aspects of your job, tune in to this podcast to see how you can design or market more creatively to your consumer.
NN/g Podcast is specifically tailored for everything UX: user experience research, the UX professions, design, and strategy. Although this UX podcast contains perhaps the most niche topics of this selection, the host and the subject matter experts don’t just make UX terms relatable for their listener — they also present fact-based research about human living made easier through design.
If you like delving deep into the world of UX research and its relevance to the bigger world, check out this podcast. (My personal favorite is Episode 2.6.)
There is a certain complexity to UX systems, but Sophia Prater is making them easier for us. This podcast is one of the best of the objected-oriented podcasts because of the structured format, the focused explanations of methodology, and the relevance of pressing OOUX topics that proliferate the niche.
It’s really refreshing to hear new takes in the world of object-first philosophy. This is for those in the OOUX niche, or in UX design who want to hear more about issues in the object-oriented UX field.
Adobe’s Wireframe podcast was one of the very best. Now, Wireframe has transitioned to become the In the Making podcast, also an Adobe podcast.
This UX design podcast is not just specifically for Adobe designers. Hosted by Adobe’s Teresa Au, it’s for all in the general creative economy. Entertaining and funny, it presents varied topics taken up by influential designers and runs the gamut of UX and tech topics. It has practical and creative advice, so if you’re a creator, an influencer, or a small business owner, this is the podcast for you.
If you’ve ever wondered where user experience design is heading, tune in to the Future of UX podcast. Each episode shows a particular trend in tech which may begin or end eras in UX design.
From the revolutionary products of tomorrow or the design trends of the future, this podcast is an interesting look at the wide-ranging effects of UX. If you’re in a forward-thinking company wondering about how your design will affect life in the future, then this is for you.
Our last pick is definitely not the least. As one of the earliest and longest-running podcasts in the world, this forerunner in UX design podcasts is smart, funny, and engaging. It covers the takes of creative people, influencers, and thought leaders in all matters of design.
Design Mateers shows the effects of UX on individuals, talking about what they love best. It’s like the podcast version of Ted Talks. If you’re a UX designer who thinks, talks, and dreams in UX, or wants to see the impact of UX on your industry heroes, then this podcast will be the perfect fit for you.
Brought to us by The Curiosity Department, the Design Better podcast is an in-depth look at the history, philosophy, and creativity of UX design. This is an intellectual take on UX design, which should be required reading for all of us. Design Better doesn’t break down a design project, but rather shows the essential philosophical underpinnings of human creativity that allows design to become a good fit for users.
This is a cool show for UX designers, business executives, marketing intellectuals, and all who participate in the creative economy.
And there you have it, the list of the top 14 UX podcasts you need to listen to in 2024. Happy listening and learning!
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