A76 | a design pod

Noel Childs
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  • DESIGN
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

A76 is a podcast that synthesizes surprising connections and speculates on the future of design.

  1. 4 AUG

    033: For the love of the game with Olivia Moore T.

    In this deeply personal and expansive conversation, I sit down with Olivia Moore T., a talented designer whose roots in Detroit, radio and tech have fueled a career in experience design. We explore her origin story, the tension between creativity and capitalism, how nostalgia is reshaping Gen Z’s approach and the increasingly blurry line between tools and culture. Our conversation veers from thoughtful to playful, from systemic critique to personal honesty—making this episode both a mirror for designers and a signal flare for where we might be headed next.  I hope you enjoy. ~ Noel A76 was created by Noel Childs Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton Our outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating. Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com and connect with us on Bluesky

    39 min

  2. 20 JUN

    032: Reimagining AI assistants with Noel Childs

    Who really benefits from our current AI assistants? In this final episode of the NoelAI mini-series on A76, I go on a deeply personal and sharply critical journey of the current state of AI assistants. And ask why—after years of hype—we still don’t have an assistant that truly serves us. Blending design thinking, cultural critique, and speculative hardware, I posit a radically user-centric vision for an AI assistant built around human needs and not tech company agendas. What would it look like to ditch your iPhone and have something smaller, smarter, and more human by your side? And more importantly, what’s standing in the way? This is a call to reimagine. To push past uncanny interfaces and shallow convenience into something more meaningful and ultimately demand more from our digital tech. Keep designing. Keep growing. And keep making a positive impact. ~ Noel A76 was created by Noel Childs Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton Our outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating. Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com and connect with us on Bluesky

    33 min

  3. 22 APR

    031: Design life with Jennifer Andrews

    Welcome back from our mid-season break! In today’s pod, I chat with Jennifer Andrews, who leads the Experience Design team in Digitas’ New York office. We chat about web1, her personal origin story, Japanese culture, her work in the Accessibility Center of Excellence and AI's impact on design. And afterwards I highlight recent episodes and share how you can support A76. Recent free episodes: 030: The path to a carbon neutral A76 with Matt Saip 029: Personalized micro-interaction fails with Noel Childs Recent Patreon episodes: NoelAI Series  One / Two / Three Keep designing. Keep growing. And keep making a positive impact. ~Noel A76 was created by Noel Childs Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton Our outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating. Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com and connect with us on Bluesky

    40 min

  4. 28 MAR

    030: The path to a carbon neutral A76

    My goal is to make A76 sustainable in as many facets as I can. And for my 30th episode, I'm sharing my introductory conversation with Matt Saip, Head of Technology at Digitas Chicago, where we discuss the tech side of achieving this goal. We have an open discussion about calculating the exact carbon footprint of my production, the potential for green web hosting and sustainable tech.  Shedding light on an area we so often taken for granted, the energy it takes to power our digital lives is both instructional and inspiring. And this marks the beginning of my shared journey toward achieving carbon neutrality for A76. Thanks for joining me on this path. ~ Noel A76 was created by Noel Childs Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton Our outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating. Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com and connect with us on Bluesky

    37 min

  5. 21 MAR

    029: Personalized micro-interaction fails with Noel Childs

    Welcome to a new episode of A76. Today, we're taking a detour from our usual in-depth interviews with designers and makers to explore something a little different—micro-interactions and moments of personalization that could be vastly improved. If you're curious about what's happening over on our Patreon or if you simply want to support the A76 Design Pod, head over to patreon.com/A76designpod. By joining, you'll gain access to exclusive episodes and my original series on hyper-personalized AI assistants, dubbed NoelAI. In that series, I dive into topics of working for tech, personal risk concerns, the uncanny ID, conversational UI, behavioral habit mapping and debating the pros and cons of an AI assistant. Looking ahead this season, Matt Saip and I will discuss our journey in making the A76 Design Pod a carbon-neutral production including our insights, research, and plans for achieving this goal. Also, exciting news—I'll be announcing an in-person A76 event in Chicago, featuring an open debate panel, salon-style, towards the end of the season. Stay tuned for topics and details. A big thank you to all our Patreon members—your support makes this all possible. Now, let's dive into the world of personalization—specifically, the micro-interactions and moments that absolutely drive me bonkers. I can't turn off my designer brain when engaging with these frequently failing experiences, even in my daily life. And while it may sound harsh, my aim is to help us learn as designers by examining these small, fixable interactions. And all the examples we'll discuss are drawn from well-resourced brands, that should do better. While I'm not personally connected to these brands or their teams, these are interactions I've personally experienced. And while I have hundreds I could pull from, I've pulled five for example. I'm fully aware of the challenges involved in launching amazing digital experiences, from platform and database limitations to the inevitable concessions designers must make. If you've worked on any of the examples I discuss today, I'd love to hear from you. Reach out via email or on BlueSky. Enjoy! Example references EA Sports FCNordiTrack TreadmillsChipotle AppApple Ultra Watch & Suunto Race WatchMy Northwestern App A76 was created by Noel Childs Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton Our outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating. Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com and connect with us on Bluesky

    20 min

  6. 14 MAR

    028: Icebreak > NoelAI/3 [Patreon preview]

    This is an A76 Patreon preview Icebreak episode coming off my interview with Tracy Kramer, President of BuzzCo. If you haven't listened to that interview you can find it here. If you're new to A76's Patreon, Icebreak episodes are exclusive for members, where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the discussions coming out of my free interviews. I bring new ideas here, things I’m kicking around and I share additional interview content. You can sign up for the A76 Design Pod Patreon here. Today's full Icebreak episode, is part 3 of a theoretical series—what if there was an AI Assistant trained on all my personal data and was so well crafted that it essentially was a digital version of me—a NoelAI. And with a rough voice from a tough week I ideate around counter points to parts 1 and 2. Because we love dualistic thinking here at A76. And it makes for a stronger and deeper exploration. Plus Tracy and I play the ThinkFast game. Keep designing. Keep Growing. And keep making a positive impact. ~Noel A76 was created by Noel Childs Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton Our outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating. Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com and connect with us on Bluesky

    11 min

  7. 7 MAR

    027: Finding design jobs with Tracy Kramer

    In today’s episode I chat with Tracy Kramer. Tracy is the president of Buzz Company, a talent and recruitment agency based out of Chicago. I originally met Tracy while at design school, and she’s lead BuzzCo from a place of empathy and empowerment for decades. With roots in design, she just gets designers. And she loves not only helping designers find jobs but taking care of her people. We touch upon the state of the industry, the necessary changes BuzzCo has made over the years, a bit around AI and promoting yourself in a genuine way. Plus Tracy talks about how she went from designer to business owner. I’ve partnered with her in the past and would recommend BuzzCo to anyone and everyone. Woman owned and family operated, BuzzCo truly are the guardians of creativity and Chicago pride, as they say on their website.  You can also hear the ThinkFast game I do with Tracy as part of a new A76 Patreon episode dropping next week. If you’re interested in supporting A76, check out patreon.com/A76designpod. You'll get exclusive episodes, all the ThinkFast games from my interviews this season and you can hear my series NoelAI—where I conceptualize what it would be like to have a hyper personalized AI assistant trained on my data. Hope you enjoy my chat with Tracy Kramer. A76 was created by Noel Childs Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton Our outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating. Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com and connect with us on Bluesky

    33 min

  8. 28 FEB

    026: Icebreak > NoelAI/2 [Patreon preview]

    Welcome to a new Icebreak episode coming off my conversation with friend of the pod Mick Champayne about design and play. If you haven't listened to that interview, hit pause on this one, and go check it out here first. It was a lot of fun. If you're new to A76's Patreon or are listening to a preview for the first time, Icebreaks are where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the discussions coming out of my free interviews. I bring new ideas here, including things I’m kicking around; plus I share additional interview content. For today's Icebreak, I’ve got part 2 of my theoretical series, NoelAI. What if there was an AI Assistant trained on all my personal data (and I mean all) and was so well crafted that it essentially was a digital version of me? How useful and how bonkers would that experience be?  If you’re a patreon subscriber, you'll hear this episode in its entirety and you’ll hear Mick and I playing the ThinkFast game at the end.  You can sign up for the A76 Design Pod Patreon here. Keep designing. Keep Growing. And keep making a positive impact. ~Noel A76 was created by Noel Childs Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton Our outro was read by Kari Childs If you like what you hear, please give us a rating. Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com and connect with us on Bluesky

    6 min
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About

A76 is a podcast that synthesizes surprising connections and speculates on the future of design.

Information

  • Creator
    Noel Childs
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 A76 | a design pod
  • Show Website
    A76 | a design pod