Mex Design Talk

Mirren Fischer is someone who finds herself at the confluence of some really big challenges: creating a sustainable future and leveraging the new methods which have caused such an acceleration in the role of digital experiences. She talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about applying that approach to problems and places which have deep, physical roots - like construction projects which need to think on 100 year timescales. Part of her response to this brave new world is Brilliant Product Design, literally, and she hopes...figuratively. Brilliant is the name of the small agency she has founded to work towards these outcomes. It is a conversation informed by the depth of Mirren's experience and background. She trained originally in architecture and worked as an architect for a number of years. But for more than a decade she's been developing her talents in digital experience design. She's worked for a wide range of UX agencies, she's worked client-side and she's worked across industries from publishing to pro

Poetry and place...listening and lockdowns...Dan Phillips, who led the Royal College of Art's (RCA) work on 'Our Future Towns' talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about how the research led to a different understanding of connectivity, mobility and transportation in our communities. It is a conversation with draws on Dan's breadth of design and research experience - crossing industry boundaries from engineering to telecoms - and reflects on the role of this kind of diverse knowledge in creating a more liveable (and likeable world). Dan started his career as a sponsored undergraduate working with Ford Motor Company in the UK and Germany; he's worked for huge engineering concerns, like Arup and Buro Happold; he wrote a book, Ecofriendly Homes - which has sold 30,000 copies; he's worked with big telecom companies like Orange. These days, he is to be found at the RCA, where he is a senior research fellow. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://mex.ac/category/podcast/ It's great to hear from

Mark Baldino’s path to co-founding a Chicago-based design agency wends its way from a degree in theology and working at non-profits in Washington DC to reading an early edition of ‘Information Architecture for the World Wide Web’ and a job as a late 90s web designer he claims he was totally unqualified for. What shines through today is a continuing commitment to bringing a certain set of values to the agency’s UX work in healthcare and other sectors. Mark talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about the nuances of selling design services, nurturing skills and growth within a team, and how the pandemic has influenced his agency’s approach. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://mex.ac/category/podcast/ It's great to hear from listeners! You can get in touch with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or anything else @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Paul Campbell, a former chief designer at Ford, is now re-imagining the wheelchair at Centaur Robotics. In this conversation with MEX founder Marek Pawlowski, he shares the life experiences and human-centred insights which have shaped Centaur's new approach to personal, connected mobility. The discussion also explores Paul's deep experience of car design and design studio culture, going right back to the early inspirations which have continued to shape Paul's approach to realising new products. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://mex.ac/category/podcast/ It's great to hear from listeners! You can get in touch with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or anything else @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Jared Ficklin’s approach of ‘think by making’ has led him to produce remarkable digital design work, often at the forefront of exploring new computing metaphors, from smartphones to spatial interfaces. In his conversation with MEX founder Marek Pawlowski, Jared gets to one of the big truths of the digital age: the major expansions in computing occur when a significant change in UI metaphor resonates with users. The discussion goes deeper, exploring everything from what it means to sustain successful design studio culture to Jared’s hopes for new forms of public transport. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://mex.ac/category/podcast/ It's great to hear from listeners! You can get in touch with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or anything else @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

The conversation between Robert Fabricant and Marek Pawlowski spans a wide arc, from Robert's childhood design influences growing up in New York City to the multi-year journey of co-authoring (with Cliff Kuang) the acclaimed book 'User Friendly - How the Hidden Rules of Design are Changing the way we Live, Work & Play'. Along the way they explore Robert's mid-career move from frog Design to co-found Dalberg Design, increasing his focus on the role of design in addressing global challenges such as healthcare, climate change and governance. The discussion includes reflections on Robert's involvement in the MEX community over the years, including his memorable talk at MEX/5 in May 2009. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://mex.ac/category/podcast/ It's great to hear from listeners! You can get in touch with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or anything else @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileus

Jennifer Sukis returns to the podcast to discuss changes in her own role at the intersection of artificial intelligence and design, as well as IBM's growing focus on this area for its big enterprise clients. The chat with MEX founder Marek Pawlowski ranges from approaches to user research when designing AI-powered systems, how AI may influence future education requirements for designers and striking the right balance when surfacing the wealth of additional data AI can make available to users. If you listen right to the end, there's also a challenge for you, based on a creative exercise Jennifer references during the conversation. Show notes with links to everything discussed: www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ It's great to hear from listeners! You can get in touch with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or anything else @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Donate to support We need your help to keep MEX going! Make your donation today to show your support and

Samar Héchaimé joins MEX founder Marek Pawlowski for a special discussion - recorded with a live web audience - exploring how we might transform our post-pandemic systems and organisations by putting people at the heart of future strategy. Drawing on deep cross-cultural experience – from the Middle East to the United States – and disciplines from architecture and digital services to consulting and innovation, Samar’s career has given her a unique perspective on balancing collective and individual design needs. Samar and Marek discuss projects ranging from wayfinding in airports to shaping the people-centred, holistic strategy of the Princess Noura University in Saudi Arabia. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ It's great to hear from listeners! You can get in touch with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or anything else @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Donate to support We need your help to keep MEX go

John Fagan is building technology to enhance the user experience of public transport through a better understanding of human behaviour. He talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about how smartphone sensor data can be combined with real-time transport infrastructure feeds to deliver more contextually relevant digital services. John draws on his deep experience in this field, from being an early member of the Multimap team in the dotcom era to hands-on GIS work in Namibia. The conversation expands to talk about John and Marek's shared interests in the Norwich tech and design scene, including the role John rather modestly downplays in the city's emergence as a thriving hub for innovation. It's great to hear from listeners! You can get in touch with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or anything else at @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfe

Ashton Snook, Head of Design for Digital & Physical Products at Hive, joins MEX founder Marek Pawlowski to share how Hive is approaching the complex, multi-touchpoint challenge of delivering good customer experience for its smart home products. Ashton talks about the user research and product design aspects, as well as the organisational journey he's been on to build collaboration between teams and keep the customer at the heart of the conversation. The discussion expands to some of the user stories inspiring Ashton and his team, as well as the wider implications of society's changing relationship with energy usage. It's great to hear from listeners! You can get in touch with feedback, questions, guest suggestions or anything else at @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Kwame Nyanning discusses the challenge of creating the experience office at Arrival, a technology company working on next generation electric vehicles, which hit the headlines earlier this year with an EUR 100m funding round from Hyundai and Kia. With an initial order of 10,000 vehicles from UPS (also an investor in the company), Kwame explains the complexity of experience design when it spans the multiple touchpoints of commercial vehicle deployment. His conversation with MEX founder Marek Pawlowski goes on to explore the potential societal impact of these vehicles, the scale of Arrival's long-term vision and the nuances of his role as a chief experience officer in this design-led organisation. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Ben Scott-Robinson is designing the next generation of robot relations. Small Robot Company, the start-up he co-founded, must solve both the technical challenge of deploying rugged, autonomous robots on farms and the nuanced complexities of serving multiple users - from individual farmers to the animals the machines may encounter in the field. Ben talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about how his deep experience in user-centred design, across both agencies and in-house teams, prepared him for the role and the origins and inspiration of Small Robot Company. The conversation expands to explore the user research and human robot interaction programmes Ben is working on. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Mark Rolston is working on the future, from mixed reality delivered via digital eyewear for the likes of Magic Leap, to experimental projects exploring how projected interfaces might materialise in the physical world. Mark talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about his long career at frog design, where he led global creative after a 20 year tenure, and the co-founding of his own agency - argodesign - in 2014. The conversation ranges from the possibilities of emerging, next generation interface technologies to the societal implications of these and what it might mean for designers. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Tom Wood, co-founder of Foolproof, joins Marek Pawlowski to talk about what it takes to build a user-centred design agency, from the initial inspiration 17 years ago during his time as Head of Advertising at Virgin Money, to setting a course for the future through an acquisition. The conversation ranges from the nuances of structuring design teams for ongoing skills development to how it feels to be on both sides of the table during design agency mergers. Tom and Marek also talk about their shared interest in Norwich as an emerging centre for digital design and the technologies which might shape the next generation of interaction design. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Jason DaPonte has been at the cutting edge of digital experience design since the late 90s and shares some of the insights gained along the way with MEX founder Marek Pawlowski. They talk about Jason's current strategy role at design agency ustwo, as well as revisiting the evolution of multi-touchpoint experience design. The conversation expands to anecdotes from working on the earliest versions of the Washington Post's web-site to Jason's time at BBC Mobile and running his own agency business. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Gavin Edwards directs product design and research for Skyscanner, a travel search platform serving 90 million users a month. He talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about applying research insights at scale, the cultural nuances of users' travel behaviours and his own journey through design agency work to leading in-house teams. Along the way, the conversations touches on design education, Gavin's love of engineering and tinkering, as well as hiring for large-scale design teams of 50+ headcount. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Anna Bäck has seen user-centred design from all angles: spending time as managing director of a small specialist agency, playing a leadership role at a larger agency as it became part of McKinsey and most recently as CEO of an expanding digital platform where she is nurturing a strong design culture throughout the organisation. She talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about her formative experiences travelling the globe, her background in telecoms and engineering, as well as what kind of design approach she is hoping to build at Kivra, a rapidly growing service for delivering and securing users' most important documents. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

In-depth user research has been a touchstone throughout Lada Gorlenko's fascinating career. She talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about her current role leading experience research for work management platform Smartsheet, as well as everything from her background in cognitive science, working in prisons and her time working on Microsoft's mobile ambitions in the late 2000s. The conversation expands to explore the ingredients for effective conferences and the skills Lada looks for when hiring for her teams. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

From debuting concept cars in computer games to re-imagining autonomous vehicles as luxurious overnight sleeping cabins, Sam Livingstone has been advising the automotive industry on customer-led design strategy for over 20 years. He talks to MEX founder Marek Pawlowski about the opportunities for vehicle manufacturers to embrace digital experience design, the potential for re-imagining car brands and the nuances of understanding the next generation's attitudes to mobility. The conversation expands to explore Sam's early roles with car makers, his teaching work at the Royal College of Art and where he looks for inspiration. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com

Fiona Myles runs her own agency, Kin Branding, working at the intersection of brand strategy and design thinking. In addition, she works all over the world delivering workshops and education programmes to foster a design-led, creative economy with organisations like Nesta and the British Council. She shares the story of her career with MEX founder Marek Pawlowski, touching on everything from user-centred design to the nuances of encouraging entrepreneurs to embrace design in different cultures. Get in touch with feedback and questions @mexfeed on Twitter or email designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com. Show notes with links to everything discussed: https://www.mobileuserexperience.com/category/podcast/ Contact: T: https://twitter.com/mexfeed/ E: designtalk@mobileuserexperience.com