What is Wrong with UX

What is Wrong with UX episodes:

• 03.22.2022

  podcast_final_v3_FINAL

  Kate and Laura finally agree on something. Unfortunately, it's to end the podcast. They reminisce about the good parts and talk a bit about what comes next.  Drink pairing (Kate): Long Island Ice Tea Drink pairing (Laura): Champagne

  
• 12.28.2021

  Why Would You Use That Product

  In this episode, Kate and Laura complain about a lot of stuff they use every day and then wonder why they do that.  Drink pairing: Prosecco 

  
• 12.07.2021

  Consistency

  The two least consistent people in the world argue about why consistency matters. And why it doesn't. It's pretty much what you'd expect.  Drink Pairing: Mulled Wine

  
• 08.17.2021

  Looks Old Works Great

  In an episode that should have been called "a cry for help," Kate and Laura shriek about how old things can actually work just fine and please stop changing everything. The subtext is strong with this one.  Drink Pairing: Old...

  
• 08.03.2021

  High Level UX Jobs

  In this episode, Kate and Laura really go off the rails talking about the similarities, differences, and issues with various different higher level UX jobs, many of which they haven't actually held in well over a decade, if at all. ...

  
• 06.08.2021

  Some Things Are Harder than Others

  In this episode, Kate and Laura whine about how hard it is to actually make things and Laura makes fun of The Future, again.  Drink Pairing: Hard Cider

  
• 05.25.2021

  Journeys

  This episode is like being on a long car ride with two loud friends (Kate and Laura) who won't shut up about the journey. They yell a bit about how designers make everything into a much bigger deal than users...

  
• 04.13.2021

  Collaboration vs Design by Committee

  In this episode, Kate and Laura argue about semantics. Again. This time they try to decide why collaboration is good and committees are bad.  Drink Pairing: Sazerac

  
• 03.09.2021

  Predicting Disaster

  In this episode, Kate and Laura argue about how to best predict disasters when deciding what to build. Obviously they never applied this framework before they started making a podcast.  Drink Pairing: Hurricane

  
• 02.02.2021

  Designing in Triples

  Kate explains why she likes to make everything three times as hard as it needs to be. If you're playing the What is Wrong with UX drinking game and drinking every time they mention Task Flows, then maybe don't make...

  
• 01.19.2021

  Your Design Voices

  In this episode, Laura and Kate talk about the many voices that talk to them while they're designing things and frankly, we think maybe 2020 was a little bit much for them and they finally snapped.  Drink Pairing: Whiskey and...

  
• 01.05.2021

  Design for Lazy Irrational People

  In this episode, Kate and Laura discuss designing for lazy, irrational people. Or, you know, people.  Drink Pairing: Veuve Clicquot Rose

  
• 12.22.2020

  Designing for Complex Products

  In this episode, Kate and Laura contradict pretty much everything they've ever told you so that Laura can brag about her new electric car that she doesn't drive anywhere because she never leaves the house.  But seriously, sometimes you're designing...

  
• 11.24.2020

  Why Do You Believe That?

  In this episode, Kate and Laura ask a fundamental question - why on earth do you believe that completely unbelievable thing? Or anything really? What are you basing your product assumptions on and how can you stop doing it so...

  
• 11.10.2020

  Design with Real Content

  In this episode, Kate and Laura argue about what it means to design with real content and actual user data, which is a weird thing to argue about, since it's pretty straightforward. Anyway, knock it off with the Lorem Ipsum! ...

  
• 10.27.2020

  Consequences and Second Order Effects

  In this episode, Kate and Laura get a little more serious than usual when yelling about how you never think of the consequences of your actions.  Drink Pairing: Smoked Old Fashioned

  
• 09.29.2020

  Decoding Design Briefs

  In this episode, Kate and Laura not so briefly discuss design briefs and how you should approach them. Laura almost achieves enlightenment when she asks "What is Chair?" but then quickly ruins it, as you might imagine.  Drink pairing: Armagnac ...

  
• 09.01.2020

  Get Paid

  Kate and Laura lecture you on when you should demand cash and when you shouldn't, and the answer isn't "demand cash all the damn time" like you'd think it ought to be.  Sponsor: Springboard  Drink Pairing: Money Maker

  
• 08.18.2020

  The Intrinsic Value of a Product

  In this episode, Kate and Laura quibble about why on earth people would use anything that they designed. Apparently some people get value out of it? Who knew?  Drink Pairing: Sparkling Persimmon Margarita

  
• 08.04.2020

  Make Your Own UX Podcast

  In this episode, Kate and Laura reveal all the secrets (ed note: there are no secrets and they're probably wrong) to creating a successful (ed note: HA!) UX podcast.  Some tools they use: Libsyn Zencastr Patreon Audacity Drink Pairing: Shots...

  
• 07.21.2020

  Design Principles

  In this episode, Kate and Laura take a decidedly unprincipled look at design principles. Kate proves that drinking does, in fact, affect your memory, when she completely forgets Laura's entire work history.  Drink Pairing: Absinthe

  
• 07.01.2020

  UX Debt

  In this episode, Kate and Laura complain about how UX Debt is like a terrible gift from Past You that you now have to clean up. Kate tries to put a good spin on it, and Laura crushes all her...

  
• 06.09.2020

  User States

  In this episode, Kate and Laura blather on about how you’re probably not doing nearly enough work to build UIs for every single possible state a user or product could be in. Because you aren’t. And they love making other...

  
• 05.19.2020

  Timeboxing

  Kate and Laura take a break from getting almost nothing done to tell you how to get more done with timeboxing. Laura, of course, doesn't use it because she prefers simply doing nothing.  Drink Pairing: Tequila Shots

  
• 04.21.2020

  The Three Phases of a Career

  Kate and Laura really start to crack under the pressure as they offer advice about the three phases of your career: smartass, kickass, and badass. Mostly it's an excuse to say "ass" a lot. Like they need an excuse.  Drink...

  
• 04.07.2020

  Remote User Research

  Kate and Laura continue to panic this week as they talk a bit about how remote user research is different from in person (besides being, you know, not in person) and also how everything is different now anyway, so just...

  
• 03.24.2020

  Remote Design

  In this week's episode, Kate and Laura yell about how to pretend you're still getting work done while you're actually searching online for toilet paper during a pandemic. Also, some tips about actually getting some design done from home, which...

  
• 03.10.2020

  People Doing Interesting Things

  In this episode, Kate and Laura talk about a few interesting people who are doing interesting things and how we can apply some of their lessons to design.  Drink Pairing: Chianti

  
• 02.25.2020

  Technical Literacy

  In this episode, Kate and Laura insist that, while designers don't need to know how to code, they do need to learn every single other aspect of technology. So, you know. Good luck with that. Kate actually shares a very...

  
• 02.11.2020

  Story Telling for Designers

  In this episode, Kate and Laura tell long winded stories about telling stories, bringing the drunken blathering to a whole new level. And no, it's nothing like the previous podcast Story Telling for Entrepreneurs which is totally different despite having...

  
• 01.28.2020

  The ROI of Design

  In the interests of clarity, this episode should be called "The ROI of shouting about design and also contradicting each other" but that wasn't as catchy. Kate and Laura shout about whether the value of design can or should be...

  
• 01.14.2020

  Problems with Agile UX

  In this episode, Kate and Laura yell even more than usual about how hard it is to design things in environments that say they're agile (but probably aren't).  Drink pairing: Shots! Preferably flu shots, followed by the shot of your...

  
• 12.10.2019

  Advocating for UX

  In this episode, Laura and Kate blather on about how Words Have Meanings and debate what on earth people mean when they say that they "advocate for UX within their organization."  Drink Pairing: Hot Toddy

  
• 11.26.2019

  Unpacking Visual Design

  Once again, Kate and Laura decide to talk endlessly about a visual medium. In this episode, they talk about what we mean when we talk about visual design, which is very slightly more interesting than it sounds.  Drink Pairing: Wild...

  
• 11.12.2019

  Tips for New UX Designers

  In this episode, Kate and Laura attempt to give advice to new UXers (something neither of them has been since dinosaurs roamed the earth). Laura advocates violence, surprising nobody who has ever met her.  Drink Pairing: 20 year old scotch

  
• 10.15.2019

  What We Learned

  It's a totally arbitrary milestone! On this, their 99th episode, Kate and Laura pretend that they're capable of learning and argue about what's changed and what's stayed the same over the years since they started yelling at each other.  Drink...

  
• 10.01.2019

  UX Education

  In this episode, Laura's off yelling at clouds, and the notable Jess Ivins steps in to talk about learning, education and how to keep growing as a UX person. Jess says smart and helpful things while Kate rambles on but...

  
• 09.24.2019

  Requirements

  In this episode, Kate and Laura yell about PRDs, MRDs, and FRDs which are things that nobody under 40 has ever heard of or cared about. They also talk about how PMs and UXers can never agree on who is...

  
• 09.10.2019

  Troubleshooting

  In this episode, Kate and Laura talk about absolutely nothing design related whatsoever. It's pretty much all just Laura whining about reinstalling Python and Kate asking if you've turned it off and on and again. There's probably a minute or...

  
• 08.27.2019

  Tradeoffs

  In this episode, Laura rants for several minutes about virtual keyboards, since apparently it's still 2008. Then they talk about car crashes and how to maybe not contribute to them with your stupid design tradeoffs.  Drink Pairing: Irish Coffee (made...

  
• 08.13.2019

  Welcome Robot Overlords

  In this episode, Laura whines that she doesn't have a robot army yet, and Kate gets distracted thinking about robot bartenders. Do robots podcast yet? Asking for a social media intern who has to write these blurbs.    Drink Pairing:...

  
• 07.23.2019

  Who Is a Designer?

  For some horrible reason, Kate and Laura are beating the dead horse that is Everybody is a Designer...wait...NOBODY is a Designer...I mean...oh who the hell cares? Just tell me what we're drinking for this one.  Drink Pairing: Just decide already....

  
• 07.09.2019

  Design Doing

  What's that? Kate and Laura are talking about doing things again? Well, beats the hell out of actually doing anything, I suppose.  Drink Pairing: Dewars and soda 

  
• 06.25.2019

  Everything Ops is New Again

  In this episode, Laura blathers on again about DevOps while Kate desperately tries to explain how any of this is relevant to designers. (Ed. note: It isn't!) They finally agree to yell at people about naming their layers while admitting...

  
• 06.04.2019

  How Long Will This Take?

  An unintentionally long episode about time estimates that proves that time estimates are bullshit. Also, Kate talks about her favorite drink recipe.  Drink Pairing: Old Fashioned

  
• 05.07.2019

  One Weird Trick to Piss Off Your Users

  In this episode, Kate and Laura discuss the only thing they're really experts on: pissing people off.    Drink Pairing: Light Beer

  
• 04.23.2019

  Don't Read the Comments

  In this episode, Kate tries to talk Laura into caring about the podcast listeners. Hey, that's you! If you enjoy hearing people cackle about borderline abusive neglect, this is the episode you've been waiting for.  Drink Pairing: Highball (this was...

  
• 04.02.2019

  Should Designers Lead

  In this episode, Kate and Laura discuss something (semi) topical. They argue about whether designers should lead and then of course somehow veer into what design even is anyway and it's pretty much a typical mess.  Drink Pairing: Mojitos (or...

  
• 03.19.2019

  Craft

  In this episode, Kate and Laura argue about The Craft, which relates to neither witchcraft nor macrame owls, so honestly why do they even bother? Seriously though, tune in for 30 minutes of blathering about what words mean.  Drink pairing:...

  
• 03.05.2019

  Motivation

  In this episode, Kate and Laura talk about how to get and stay motivated in a design environment. In an ironic and completely foreseeable twist, I honestly can't be bothered to come up with something clever to say about any...