Design Downtime | Podcast in RSS.com

Design Downtime

Design Downtime

di Guy Segal

Design Tempo libero

Stagione 4

Vitaly Friedman Loves Techno

It’s the season 4 finale and we’re celebrating at 150 bpm, when Vitaly Friedman joins us to talk about his lifelong journey through techno music. It all began in Belarus when, as a child, he discovered The Prodigy on cassette, continuing into his teens, that were spent obsessively exploring every possible musical avenue. Vitaly explains his preference for minimal, melodic, and "honest" techno over mainstream EDM, emphasizing his deep appreciation for the craft, passion, and commitment artists put into their work. He discusses how music serves different functions in his life, whether providing flow and calmness while working, or creating vivid, cinematic experiences at live concerts, and reveals his practice of continuously discovering new artists to avoid getting stuck. Guest Bio Vitaly Friedman (he/him) loves beautiful content and does not give up easily. Born in Minsk, Belarus, he studied computer science and mathematics in Germany. While writing algebra proofs and preparing for software engineering at nights in the kitchen, at the same time he discovered passion for typography, interface design and writing. After working as a freelance designer and developer for 6 years, he co-founded Smashing Magazine back in 2006, a leading online magazine for designers and developers. His curiosity drove him from interface design to front-end to performance optimization to accessibility and back to user experience over all the years. Vitaly is the author, co-author and editor of Smashing Books (https://www.smashingmagazine.com/books), and a curator of Smashing Conferences (https://www.smashingconf.com). He is the UX lead with the European Parliament and Smashing Magazine and front-end/UX consultant in Europe and abroad, working with large and small companies and organizations like Haufe-Lexware, Axel-Springer and others. He also runs Measure UX (https://measure-ux.com) and Smart Interface Design Patterns (https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com), friendly video courses on UX and design patterns, along with a live UX training for passionate UX and product designers. Links Vitaly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitalyfriedman Amelie Lens at EXIT 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80jdSJxZUAE Amelie Lens — Live In the tunnel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1-Xc7EfT44 Worakls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXJawwVI03E Paul Kalkbrenner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YPbpWeIx2Q Extrawelt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryc3YudCYXU Prodigy — Out of Space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4eav7dFvc8 Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Sera Tajima Loves Movement

We’re getting in motion with Sera Tajima, as she joins us to talk about her lifelong relationship with movement. She explains how ballet taught her precision, control, and the ability to withstand "good pain”, creating a meditative practice of syncing mind and body, that continued to martial arts. Sera’s athletic journey took a turn three years ago when she developed long COVID, forcing her to completely reassess her relationship with movement. Through her recovery process, she learned to listen to her body's needs rather than pushing through, discovering the importance of small daily movements. Sera continues to advocate for a cultural shift away from the tendency to treat the body as merely a vessel for the mind, and instead reconnect with it on a deeper level. Guest Bio Sera Tajima (she/her) is a product designer turned climate investor and advisor, bringing Silicon Valley growth expertise to founders solving our planet's biggest challenges. She's spent a decade driving growth at Y Combinator, Zendesk, and Webflow—achieving results like 200% acquisition increases. Through Conscious Tech Ventures, she guides climate startups scaling breakthrough solutions. Sera also has a course on sustainable growth. UC Berkeley-educated, Sera has spoken at Ikea, Uber, universities, and tech conferences worldwide, helping founders leverage product-market fit and product-led growth strategies. Her mission: Accelerate conscious tech that makes today's broken systems obsolete. We can't solve climate problems with the same thinking that created them. Links Sera’s website: https://www.conscioustech.co/ Sera on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/seratajima/ Sera on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seratajima/ Sera on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@seratajima Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Erika Flowers Loves to Write Novels

Get ready to be swept away into a sprawling space opera, when Erika Flowers joins us to talk about her passion for writing fiction novels. She approaches writing fiction as entertainment rather than high literature, comparing her creative goals to producing Marvel-style blockbuster experiences. Erika traces her journey from discovering fantasy worlds through the Dragonlance series in middle school to spending 16 years learning the craft before finally writing her first complete manuscript. She describes her meticulous, architect-style approach to writing, treating the actual process like an athlete training for an ultra marathon. Erika talks about her strengths writing character dynamics, relationships, and exploring themes through interpersonal drama rather than external action sequences, and gives us a sneak peek into her upcoming projects. Guest Bio Erika Flowers (she/her) is a technologist and designer who brings a love of storytelling into everything she does. By day, she helps organizations shape strategy and design for the future, and by night, she writes sprawling novels and explores the craft of story as a lifelong passion. Erika has worked at tech companies such as Intuit and Mural, as well as serving a term at NASA as a civil servant as a part of their digital transformation initiative. She currently works in medical technology, innovating in the field of diabetes and insulin management. Links Erika’s website: https://www.erikaflowerswrites.com Erika on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helloeflowers Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Priyanca D'Souza Loves Outdoor Swimming

It’s time to be one with nature, as Priyanca D'Souza talks to us about her passion for outdoor swimming. She shares how immersing in cold water offers a transcendent experience that pulls her into the present moment, from still lakes where she floats under the sky to challenging rivers that demand complete mental focus. Priyanca explains how outdoor swimming differs fundamentally from pool swimming, and emphasizes the minimalist nature of the activity. She also discusses how she actively seeks swimming spots when traveling, praising cities like Copenhagen for integrating swimming into urban life, and notes the mental health benefits of outdoor swimming, that allow her to completely disconnect from technology. Guest Bio Priyanca D’Souza (she/her) is a Senior User Researcher in the public sector, specialising in Accessibility and Inclusion. She has recently worked on complex projects for GDS, Cabinet Office, Defra and Companies House. She aims to use her lived experience of access needs to embed inclusive practices within teams to drive forward ethical and inclusive design which better meets people's needs. Enabling people to empathise with the barriers our users can face and finding opportunities to alleviate and change things to make experiences better. She is fascinated by the impacts different barriers and conditions can have on cognition, behaviour, people’s interactions and experiences of the world. She has a background in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, which she combines with lived and varied practical experience. Links Priyanca on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/priyanca.bsky.social Priyanca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyanca-ux Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Sidra Mahmood Loves Bluegrass

Tune your banjo and join Sidra Mahmood, as they tell us about their unexpected passion for bluegrass music. Despite a musical journey through heavy metal, punk rock, and electronic music, they found a strong connection to bluegrass with its themes of labor solidarity, poverty, and anti-capitalism, being played with incredible speed and precision through improvisation. Sidra notes the genre's diversity problem, as 95% of bluegrass concert audiences are white and significantly older, despite contemporary bluegrass artists becoming more diverse, and recommends modern acts that blend punk and rock elements into the traditional sound. Guest Bio Sidra Mahmood (they/them) is a government product and service designer who currently builds data products at the federal government of Canada. Sidra knows we're not supposed to talk about work on this podcast but they can very happily talk about it all day. With a deep deep love of government transparency and civic tech, Sidra's been designing things people can use to make government suck less for over a decade. In their spare time, they can be found DJing, hanging out with their two senior retired greyhounds, and being mean to billionaires on the internet. After living in four continents, they call Toronto home. Links Sidra’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sidramatik/ Sidra’s bluegrass playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7fY1eYqnDart624M6rLu4w Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Jeremy Miller Loves New Orleans

You don’t need a Cajun accent to enjoy this episode, when Jeremy Miller tells us all about his hometown of New Orleans. He explains what makes New Orleans unique, including its complex history as a city shaped by French, Spanish, Caribbean, and African influences, its world-renowned music genres, and the rich culinary tradition that distinguishes between urban Creole and rural Cajun cuisines. Jeremy emphasizes the strong sense of community fostered by the city's architecture with front porches that encouraged neighborhood connections, the friendly culture where strangers greet each other on the street, and the racial diversity he took for granted until moving to the Midwest. He shares what he misses most about New Orleans, and recommends hidden gems for visitors. Guest Bio Jeremy Miller (he/him) is a UX designer, strategist, and author of Beyond UX Design: Master Your Craft Beyond Pixels & Prototypes. Through his book and the Beyond UX Design podcast, he helps designers and teams turn complex ideas into meaningful products. His work focuses on mastering the parts of the craft that live beyond the screen, like curiosity, influence, and the human connections that make great software possible. Links Jeremy’s website: https://www.beyonduxdesign.com/ Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Jess Paris Loves to Snowboard

Get stoked to shred some pow, when Jess Paris joins us to talk about her passion for snowboarding. She describes how getting kicked out of ski school at age 12 led her to discover snowboarding, shaping major life decisions and eventually settling in Denver near the mountains. Jess reflects on how the once-rebellious snowboarder culture has evolved from being banned to becoming more integrated with skiers, and advises newcomers to embrace falling as part of learning, and not feel pressured to advance quickly or avoid beginner slopes. She explains that despite the inherent dangers of the sport, including breaking her jaw and suffering concussions at age 15, snowboarding serves as her primary mental escape and stress relief, where she enters a true flow state. Guest Bio Jess Paris (she/her) is the Director of Design Systems, Visual Design, and DesignOps at ServiceTitan, where she’s passionate about turning design systems into more than guardrails—they’re her favorite playground for clarity, creativity, and helping teams build things that actually help users. Based in Denver, Jess loves Colorado life: snowboarding in the winter, paddleboarding in the summer, and hitting the trails all year long. She’s not great at sitting still—whether she’s tinkering in her garden, taking on new home projects, or trying out punch needling just to see where it goes. Jess is always chasing the next idea or hobby to explore. And of course, every adventure is made better with her border collie mix, Ollie by her side. Links Jess’ website: https://jessparis.co Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessparis/ Jess’ Shred playlist (NSFW): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/26aK9101vKZNzgvNgqch7d?si=RO3GkUKSS8al0Ipq73kUSg Jess’ Chill Shred playlist (NSFW): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hIy9qppgRrhlB0iCanKQa?si=nrBVnGPcRFyV7lgPhR9n8g Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Lex Lofthouse Loves Pokémon Cards

Gotta catch 'em all! Including this episode, when Lex Lofthouse joins us to talk about her passion for collecting Pokémon cards. She’s been collecting them since they first came out in 1999, taking a break as a teenager, and returning in 2016 when Pokémon Go's release reignited her passion. Lex explains how the pandemic and influencers transformed the hobby from an affordable niche into a volatile investor market, making it increasingly difficult for collectors and kids to access products at retail prices. She talks about her collecting strategies, why she prefers slightly damaged vintage cards, participating in Pokémon tournaments, and encourages former fans to reconnect with childhood nostalgia by opening a single pack. Guest Bio Lex Lofthouse (she/her) is a Senior Designer at Nzime, a digital agency in the UK. She has been working in the design industry for over fifteen years, she began her career in the cold regions of Scotland and now lives and works in Nottingham. She specialises in UX and digital design but her skillset also includes branding and print design. She’s even semi-competent at some basic HTML and CSS but that's where she draws the line! Despite being a professional designer she has also gained an odd reputation as an advocate for Comic Sans, the world’s most misunderstood typeface. In her spare time Lex is a massive Pokemon fan and has been since its release in the UK in 1999. Links Lex’s website: https://loftio.co.uk/ Lex on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/loftio.co.uk Lex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bulbio Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Tim Van Damme Loves to Make Custom Keyboards

It’s time to Caps Lock in and Esc into another episode, as Tim Van Damme joins us to talk about his passion for designing mechanical keyboards. He describes how a pre-made keyboard that he customized by designing his own keycaps, ignited a passion for treating keyboards as both functional tools and artistic statements. Tim collaborates with a local CNC machine specialist to prototype and manufacture keyboards from raw materials like brass, copper, and semi-translucent plastics that age over time, prioritizing the honesty of the material over painted finishes. He finds freedom in the hobby's spectrum from boring, ergonomic designs to extravagant art pieces, and talks about how long it takes him to feel comfortable enough to overcome the small imperfections and use his own projects. Guest Bio Tim Van Damme (he/him) (you might also know him as Max) has been a software UI designer for over 2 decades at a wide variety of tech companies including Instagram, Dropbox, and currently Figma. Lately, he’s been getting more and more interested in designing physical objects, specifically luxury mechanical keyboards and key caps under the moniker MVKB (Maxvoltar Keyboards). He lives in Belgium together with his wife, 3 kids, 4 chickens and dog. Links Tim’s website: https://www.timvandamme.com/ MaxVoltar Keyboards: https://mvkb.com/ Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

Lauren LoPrete Loves Snoopy

Happiness is a warm puppy, when Lauren LoPrete joins us to talk about her love of Snoopy. She describes creating "This Charming Charlie", a Tumblr mashup project combining Smiths lyrics with Peanuts comic panels that unexpectedly became Time Magazine's Tumblr of the Year. Lauren talks about evolving into an adult collector and curator focused on "Snoobies" (Snoopy bootlegs), valuing folk art interpretations and outsider artist reinterpretations, and explains her deep connection to Snoopy - viewing him as aspirational with his multiple personas representing the mask she puts on when feeling less confident. She views Snoopy as a reminder to loosen her grip on stress and embrace creativity and imagination, finding the character "heartwarming and whimsical in a world that lacks those things.” Guest Bio Lauren LoPrete (she/her) is a design systems specialist who's spent the last eight years leading teams at Expedia, Dropbox, and Block. She studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and comes from a multi-disciplinary background in exhibition design and book design before finding her way to design systems. She's known for being honest about the emotional toll of this work, including giving talks about burnout and why design systems act like a mirror to the organizations they serve. She lives on the west coast with her small family: Gus, a 15-year-old mutt, and her husband, an artist. When she's not thinking about design tokens or stewardship models, she's probably trying to convince someone that design systems are about people, not just components. Links Snooby Bootleg on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snooby_bootleg/ Lauren on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/laurenloprete.bsky.social Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenloprete Credits Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.

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