Design Notes is a podcast about creative work and what it teaches us. Hosted by Liam Spradlin, a Senior UX Designer at Google focused on the philosophy of the user interface, the show features conversations with people from unique creative fields, uncovering what inspires and unites us in our practice. Tune in to learn how UX design connects to creative work across disciplines and around the world.
Find episodes on your favorite platform at design-notes.show
There Is No Neutral Design: Megan Kasselberg, Senior UX Writer and Content Designer, Material Design
This episode, I talked with my coworker Megan Kasselberg, whose work as a senior UX writer and content designer touches billions of users through the Material Design system.
In our conversation, Megan and I dug into the storytelling and strategy that goes into a design system as vast as Material, including the language of guidelines assets, the effect of earnest expression, and how UX writing is changing in an age of AI.
Read a full transcript at interfacecafe.com.
In the episode, Megan mentions psychologist and behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman), plus a shoutout to our colleagues Rux and Andrew whose work on color has reshaped how software at Google feels.
(00:00) - Introduction
(01:52) - UX Writing and Behavioral Science
(02:57) - Documenting Material Design
(06:45) - Internal vs. External System Guidance
(09:59) - Tooling and Constraints in Figma
(11:15) - Collaborating with Designers
(13:00) - Illustrations and Expressive Design
(17:18) - The Controversial Baseline Color
(22:48) - Voice, Tone, and AI in UX Writing
(35:56) - Advice for Designers
(36:50) - Outro
17 Feb 2026
Beyond the Text Field: Louise Macfadyen, Author of Designing AI Interfaces
This episode, I got to sit down with my friend, podcast cohost on Away from Keyboard (https://pod.link/awayfrompod), and former coworker Louise Macfadyen as she prepares to launch her new book Designing AI Interfaces with Oreilly this Spring.
We had a lot to talk about, from managing the conceptual distance between what AI actually does and what people imagine it can do, to the new skills designers, engineers, and PMs need to work with models, the potential harms of new technology, and some of the patterns designers can use to keep ethics and safety in the loop.
Designing AI Interfaces is available from O'Reilly Media April 21st, 2026.
25 Nov 2025
The Era of the Generalist: Rachel Been, SVP of Design for Expedia Group
In this episode, Liam speaks with Rachel Been, SVP of Design for Expedia Group, about her journey from photography to design leadership and why she believes this is "the era of the generalist." The conversation unpacks the recent launch of Expedia's new app on ChatGPT and what it means to design for "non-deterministic flows" and "infinite inputs." Rachel explains how AI is breaking old, linear design paradigms and why, in an age of potential "design slop," deep curiosity and human-centered craft are more important than ever.
Read a transcript and check out more from me at interfacecafe.com
Episode Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:34 The Generalist Designer
11:22 Launching the Expedia App for ChatGPT
16:00 Beyond the Search Bar
25:44 Designing for Infinity
34:03 The Sandwich Theory
39:41 Avoiding Design Slop: Advice on Craft
Who has been a guest on Design Notes
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
David Reinfurt
Aneesha Kommineni
Michael Gilbert
Andy Stewart
Rich Fulcher
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
25 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
59
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
95
Host of Design Notes?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
