Épisodes

  • Right to Repair

    Right to Repair
    May 13 2024
    “How can we design for longevity and repairability?”

    More and more of the tech products we use are designed with built-in obsolescence, making repairs difficult or even impossible for consumers to do on their own. But, a growing movement is pushing back against this trend, advocating for consumers' rights to repair their own devices and equipment.

    In Episode 11 of To Be Designed, host Ryan Kalgreen chats about the Right to Repair social movement, the importance of designing for longevity, and how recent legislation is helping mitigate environmental damage caused by large tech companies. He also discusses the progress that has been made in securing Right to Repair legislation and pushback from corporations.

    Later Ryan is joined by Sriman, Sam, and Nico to discuss how reports from the Federal Trade Commission led to the introduction of consumer repair programs from Google, Samsung, and Apple. They also dive into how designing for longer product life spans results in less environmental waste and how consumers can ultimately benefit from increased competition in the repair sector.

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    Writing, Editing, and Production by Ryan Kalgreen with help from Sriman Narayanan. Conversation with Samantha Stevens, Nico Petry-Mitchel, and Sriman Narayanan. Marketing by Asha Yearwood. Music by Spencer Spivy.
    Special thanks to Mark Schumacher and Casey Russell. Sponsored by the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
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    24 min
  • Gender Systems

    Gender Systems
    Feb 4 2024
    “How are design frameworks used to shape gender equality reform in Iceland?”

    This question is at the forefront of Paula Gould’s work. As founder of Float and Gather ehf and Co-founder at WomenTechIceland, Paula uses systematic design to drive systems change daily. The most recent culmination of her work?

    Iceland's largest women’s strike in decades. Tens of thousands of Icelandic women, including the country’s female prime minister, took to the streets last October in a nationwide protest against gender inequality.

    In Episode 11 of To Be Designed, hosts Sam Stevens and Asha Yearwood chat about the importance of self-awareness in feminist spaces, the dynamics of creating change, and make their own connections to systems thinking and design. Despite Iceland’s progressive perception as a “Gender Utopia,” they learn that there is still room for improvement. They discuss Paula’s insight on the national women’s strike in Iceland and her experience as a woman in the industry. They also dive into the design of gender systems and why certain approaches to progress work better than others.

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    This episode was produced by Sriman Narayanan. Engineering by Ryan Kalgreen. Co-hosted by Sam Stevens and Asha Yearwood. Writing and research by Sam Stevens and Asha Yearwood. Editing by Ryan Kalgreen. Marketing by Asha Yearwood and Sam Stevens. Music by Drew McComas.
    Special thanks to Mark Schumacher, Casey Russell, and Paula Gould. To Be Designed is sponsored by the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
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    29 min
  • Exploring Video Game Design

    Exploring Video Game Design
    Nov 3 2023
    What makes video game design so special?

    This question is at the forefront of Julian Maldonado’s work. As a senior computer science major with a background in design, Julian uses mechanics to create dynamic video games. The most important feature of his work?

    Creating user-centered experiences. How do players interact with the world? How does the game feel? What do users see and hear?

    In Episode 10 of To Be Designed, hosts Sam Stevens and Nico Petry-Mitchel chat about Julian’s work, and make their own connections between video game development and user-centered design. They discuss the behind-the-scenes experience of video game designers, how games are made, why they are so unique, and the tension between game aesthetics and mechanics.
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    This episode was produced by Sriman Narayanan. Engineering by Ryan Kalgreen. Co-hosted by Sam Stevens and Nico Petry-Mitchel. Writing and research by Sam Stevens and Nico Petry-Mitchel. Editing by Ryan Kalgreen. Marketing by Asha Yearwood and Joe Arena. Music by Drew McComas.
    Special thanks to Mark Schumacher, Casey Russell, Bret Neveu, and Julian Maldonado.
    To Be Designed is sponsored by the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
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    24 min
  • What Design Can't Teach Us

    What Design Can't Teach Us
    Jun 6 2023
    Should the methodology of “design thinking” be applied to fields outside of design? What about art? How do the concepts of design, aesthetics, and consumerism interact?

    In response to Rebecca Ackermann’s article “Design thinking was supposed to fix the world. Where did it go wrong?” podcast member Sriman Narayanan reflects on these questions by comparing his passion as a writer to his experience as a graphic designer. He critiques the intentions behind design vs art by looking at utility, academic prestige, and capitalistic gain.

    In Episode 09 of To Be Designed, Sriman reads his essay titled “What Design Education Can’t Teach Us.” He is later joined by Nico Petry-Mitchel, Quynh-Nhi Tran, and Mary Shirk, who discuss their own thoughts on the state of design, who gets to be called a “designer,” and where design differs from art.

    This episode was produced by Quynh-Nhi Tran. Engineering by Mary Shirk. Co-hosted by Sriman Narayanan, Nico Petry-Mitchel, Mary Shirk, and Quynh-Nhi Tran. Writing and research by Sriman Narayanan. Marketing by Leah Parsons. Music by Drew McComas. Special thanks to Mark Schumacher and Casey Russell.

    To Be Designed is sponsored by the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
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    27 min
  • Psychology of Design

    Psychology of Design
    May 22 2023
    “How do people FEEL when using something?”

    This question is at the forefront of Dr. Amy Schwartz’s research. As an Adjunct Lecturer at Segal and a human-centered design researcher with a PhD in cognitive psychology, Dr. Shwartz works to humanize technology and design. The most important feature of her work? The study of people (ie: psychology). How do people think? How do they work? What are the possible barriers that prevent a design from being useful to someone? Are these barriers social, physical, mental, or cultural?

    In Episode 08 of To Be Designed, hosts Leah Parsons and Carolyn Hagler chat about Dr. Sshwartz’s work, as well as make their own connections between cognitive psychology and human-centered design.

    This episode was produced by Quynh-Nhi Tran. Engineering by Mary Shirk. Co-hosted by Leah Parsons and Carolyn Hagler. Writing and research by Leah Parsons. Editing by Nico Petry-Mitchel and Sriman Narayanan. Marketing by Leah Parsons. Music by Drew McComas. Special thanks to Amy Schwartz, Mark Schumacher, and Casey Russell.

    To Be Designed is sponsored by the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
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    19 min
  • Designing Your Life, in Retrospect

    Designing Your Life, in Retrospect
    May 3 2023
    This episode completes our miniseries exploring the new Northwestern course titled “DSGN 300: Designing Your Life,” offered in the Segal Design Institute at the McCormick School of Engineering.
    In this final DYL conversation, Sriman and Carol reflect on their experience in the class; chatting about everything from their favorite class projects to how the class affected their outlooks on life.

    This episode was produced by Quynh-Nhi Tran and co-hosted by Sriman Narayanan and Carolyn Hagler. Sound engineering by Mary Shirk. Marketing by Leah Parsons. Music by Drew McComas. Special thanks to Mark Schumacher and Casey Russell. To Be Designed is sponsored by the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
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    17 min
  • Hostile Design

    Hostile Design
    Apr 11 2023
    What comes to mind when you hear the term “hostile design”?

    Perhaps you know the most commonly used example of hostile design, which is when public benches are designed with spikes or other such features meant to specifically deter the unhoused population from sleeping on them.

    Or, perhaps you’ve never heard the term before; hostile design is not a concept generally covered in traditional ethics classes. It refers to “the practice of designing things in public spaces to deter certain kinds of behavior.” Can designing against a user like this be ethical in any situation? In Episode 06 of To Be Designed, co-hosts Mary Shirk and Nico Petry-Mitchel chat about this question and more in relation to the concept of “hostile design.”

    This episode was produced by Quynh-Nhi Tran and co-hosted by Mary Shirk and Nico Petry-Mitchel. Editing by Sriman Narayanan and Carolyn Hagler. Sound engineering by Mary Shirk. Marketing by Leah Parsons. Music by Drew McComas. Special thanks to Pam Daniels, Mark Schumacher, and Casey Russell. To Be Designed is sponsored by the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
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    29 min
  • What is Design?

    What is Design?
    Feb 27 2023
    If you only take one thing away from listening to To Be Designed, we hope it’s that the concept of “design” itself is nearly limitless. Graphic design, interior design, digital product design… design can vary endlessly depending on the context. Lucky for us, this means that we will never run out of design content to explore here.

    Therefore, in Episode 05 of To Be Designed, producer and host Quynh-Nhi Tran investigates what “design” means to the people of the Segal Design Institute here at Northwestern. Follow along with Quynh-Nhi as she pieces together more background on the meaning of design by asking each guest how they see themselves fitting into design.

    This episode was produced and hosted by Quynh-Nhi Tran. Engineering by Mary Shirk. Editing by Nico Petry-Mitchel, Carolyn Hagler, and Sriman Narayanan. Marketing by Leah Parsons. Music by Drew McComas. Special thanks to Pam Daniels, David Gatchell, Matthew Cummins, Heidi Huckabay, Mark Schumacher, and Casey Russell.

    To Be Designed is sponsored by the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University.
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    20 min