Design Review

A bi-weekly podcast about products and design from a unique perspective! Your hosts are Chris Liu and Jonathan Shariat.

Each episode, we discuss important design principles and connect it to our own experience working in the field. We hope it will be interesting, informative, and entertaining!

Listen in PodNod RSS feed Show website

106 episodes
Updated Jun 15, 2022

Episodes106

Newest first

Aug 17, 2021 · 43 min
Episode 86 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 6
This week, while Jon is still away, Chris continues the epic saga of cognitive psychology for designers! This time, he starts with a dark pattern, Trick Questions, and explains the psychology behind why it works. Then later he talks about the things we can do to help combat the use of trick questions based on the kinds of cognitive psychology principles that help us do better design. Listen in for a another interesting episode!
Aug 3, 2021 · 54 min
Episode 85 - Starting Your Career Using Advice from Mentorship
This week, Jon is once again AFK, so, to change things up, Chris gets into some of the common topics he's encountered while providing mentorship through the officehoursproject.com. Over the past year or so many people have asked similar kinds of questions, and Chris gets into some of the advice he's given and talks about ways you might kickoff your career in Design. Listen in for an inspiring episode!
Jul 20, 2021 · 50 min
Episode 84 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 5
This week, while Jon is AFK, Chris continues the series on cognitive psychology by talking about differentiation and the Von Restorff effect. Finding unique and interesting ways to make your product stand out is an important skill to develop. But what's more interesting is the fact that there are scientific principles as to why differentiation can be an effective design strategy. Listen in for another great show!
Jul 6, 2021 · 56 min
Episode 83 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 4
This week, Chris and Jon continue the series on cognitive psychology for designers. We discuss language, and how the principle behind simple and clear words and phrases helps us improve the quality of our work. Later in the show we give you some tips and information on how to use language more effectively. Listen in for another great episode!
Jun 22, 2021 · 1 hr 5 min
Episode 82 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 3
This week Chris and Jon continue the series on cognitive psychology for designers. We discuss how cognitive psychology and ethics work together. It's very important to act ethically when designing products and one way to do that is by incorporating these principles in your work. Listen in and learn why these principles of cogpsy can even help you be more innovative!
Jun 8, 2021 · 48 min
Episode 81 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 2
This week Chris and Jon continue the series on cognitive psychology for designers. This week we discuss a couple principles that were researched separately, but are actually kind of related -- the IKEA Effect and the Sunk Cost Effect. Listen in and learn why sometimes, making people work for it can be more effective than just making things easy to use.
May 25, 2021 · 1 hr 2 min
Episode 80 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 1
This week Jon and Chris start a new series on cognitive psychology. There are many different key concepts in cognitive psychology for designers to know and we introduce you to some of the more important ones in this series. First up is "Reactance". Listen in and learn about why being too pushy can really hurt your company brand.
May 11, 2021 · 1 hr 30 min
Episode 79 - Designing Products at Scale
This week Chris and Jon talk about all the important stuff you need to know to help you with designing products at scale. The dynamics change a bit when you are responsible for a large audience, and we take you through the high points to help you succeed! Stay tuned to this (admittedly longer) episode!
Apr 27, 2021 · 1 hr 7 min
Episode 78 - Business 101 for Designers: Part 2 - Business Metrics
This week, Jon and Chris continue the Business 101 for Designers series, specifically talking about business metrics! Companies live and die by their KPI's and we discuss the different metrics you should know about to help you collaborate effectively with business partners. Tune in to our continuing series and let us know what you think!
Apr 7, 2021 · 1 hr 7 min
Episode 77 - We love to hate the visual refresh!
This week, Chris and Jon talk about a topic we love to hate, the visual refresh. Chris goes into why this is an important thing to do, how to do it effectively, and that it can actually be a strategic design task to help you make substantive changes to your product! Tune in for another great episode!
Mar 23, 2021 · 50 min
Episode 76 - Business 101 for Designers: Part 1
This week, Jon and Chris launch a new series: Business 101 for Designers! Jon and Chris talk about the business models that companies employ so that you get a better understanding of how products make money. Stay tuned for this important series!
Mar 9, 2021 · 1 hr 5 min
Episode 75 - Don't Forget About Information Architecture!
This week Chris and Jon talk about information architecture and why it is so important to making products that are easy-to-use. Chris talks about how to incorporate IA into your process, and even different ways to conduct research to help you establish a solid IA based on customer input! Stay tuned for another insightful episode!
Feb 10, 2021 · 37 min
Episode 74 - Overcoming Survivorship Bias
This week Chris and Jon talk about survivorship bias, what it is, and a few things you can do about it. Data is incredibly useful for understanding the impact of your decisions. But sometimes, the data you don't have is the key to understanding what you need to know! Listen in and let us know what you think!
Jan 26, 2021 · 1 hr 1 min
Episode 73 - Making Products Accessible
This week Jon and Chris talk about the importance of accessibility and the value of being an a11y. When it comes to product design, accessibility is sometimes an afterthought, but it doesn't have to be. Jon gives a bunch of helpful tips and information on what the standards are and how to include them in your process. Listen in to this wonderful episode!
Jan 12, 2021 · 39 min
Episode 72 - The Responsibility of Designers
We interrupt our regular broadcast to bring you this special episode. This week, Chris and Jon have a conversation about the tragic events that transpired in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. What happened? What role did design have in this? And what can designers do to address the situation? Stay tuned for a very special episode.
Dec 23, 2020 · 58 min
Episode 71 - Embracing Creativity
This week Chris and Jon talk about being creative. It sounds like kind of an obvious thing (especially for designers) but Chris was inspired to talk about this after listening to a talk given by the actor, Ethan Hawke (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRS9Gek4V5Q). What does it mean to be creative? Is creativity important? Does any of it matter? How can we all be more creative? We delve into these topics and more, so listen in and get inspired!
Dec 8, 2020 · 50 min
Episode 70 - How to Improve your Product Design Skills
This week Jon and Chris talk about how to improve your product design skills when you're working as a solo designer. This is tricky because when you're working as a team of one, it can be difficult to find a sparring partner who helps you grow. So Jon and Chris offer some practical tips on what you can do to level up!
Dec 1, 2020 · 28 min
Episode 69 - Reframing Enterprise Products
Episode 69... Nice! This week Jon isn't here so it's just Chris talking about how to reframe enterprise product design. It's a short episode this week to hopefully tie you over till we do a bigger show, when everyone is back from the holiday. Donate to the show at http://anchor.fm/designreview/support
Nov 18, 2020 · 1 hr 4 min
Episode 68 - Communication Essentials for Designers
This week, Chris and Jon discuss the essential stuff you should know to help you be a better communicator at work. Good communication skills helps you be more successful, and we give you some tips on improving your communication skills! We also got our first voice message and played it on the show. You can leave us a voice message at http://anchor.fm/designreview
Nov 4, 2020 · 50 min
Episode 67 - Negotiating Job Offers Like a Pro!
This week Jon and Chris talk about the art of negotiating a job offer, and give you valuable hints and techniques to help you get the most out of your next negotiation. Listen in for an incredibly important episode!

Design Review

Episode 86 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 6

Episode 85 - Starting Your Career Using Advice from Mentorship

Episode 84 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 5

Episode 83 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 4

Episode 82 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 3

Episode 81 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 2

Episode 80 - Cognitive Psychology for Designers - Part 1

Episode 79 - Designing Products at Scale

Episode 78 - Business 101 for Designers: Part 2 - Business Metrics

Episode 77 - We love to hate the visual refresh!

Episode 76 - Business 101 for Designers: Part 1

Episode 75 - Don't Forget About Information Architecture!

Episode 74 - Overcoming Survivorship Bias

Episode 73 - Making Products Accessible

Episode 72 - The Responsibility of Designers

Episode 71 - Embracing Creativity

Episode 70 - How to Improve your Product Design Skills

Episode 69 - Reframing Enterprise Products

Episode 68 - Communication Essentials for Designers

Episode 67 - Negotiating Job Offers Like a Pro!