Finding Our Way

51:46

77: Automate All the Things!? A UX Reality Check on...

Finding Our Way ·

2026/09/19

Dr. Stefanie Hutka, design researcher, Berkeley educator, and author of What Your Machines Should Do, joins us to look to the history of industrial automation for lessons on AI transformation. From Toyota's jidoka and the andon cord to Taylorism's lingering grip, we explore why AI amplifies whatever conditions it finds, and why strategy and values must come before the tools.

en-US

53:53

76: Embrace the Chaos—Design Operations in the age of...

Finding Our Way ·

2026/08/14

Peter and Jesse are joined by Chengying "Z" Zheng, who shares her experience migrating a design team to be AI-first — off Figma and into code. She discusses how design leadership and operations divide the work, what happens to roles and titles when everyone becomes a builder, and how to make good design easier than bad design.Z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/changyingz/ Z's Substack: https://changying.substack.com/ Jesse James Garrett: https://jessejamesgarrett.com/ Peter Merholz:

en-US

43:22

75: The Steady State of Unsteadiness

Finding Our Way ·

2026/07/24

Peter and Jesse compare notes from Config, Figma's AI study, Lenny's newsletter survey, and countless conversations to read the current state of design leadership. The signals: existential AI panic has cooled into exhaustion, organizational chaos and leadership churn are the new normal, and design still stumbles on business acumen. Their case for thriving—lead, don't just design, and reclaim design's unfinished mandate.

en-US

47:19

LIMINAL—4: You As A Service (ft. Dave Gray)

Finding Our Way ·

2026/05/24

Dave Gray, author of Liminal Thinking and founder of School of the Possible, joins Peter and Jesse to examine what's actually getting in leaders' way right now: not the disruption itself, but the expertise that blinds them to it. The conversation moves from beginner's mind to the compression of corporate work, landing on a provocative question — what does your value look like when you define it yourself?

en-US

53:30

73: Charting an Adaptive Path toward AI Transformation

Finding Our Way ·

2026/05/16

Peter and Jesse compare notes from their respective listening tours and client work on how AI is reshaping design teams. The conversation moves through the operational chaos of proliferating tools, the urgent need to articulate a value proposition, why design operations got cut right before they were needed most, and the window of expertise power that won't stay open.

en-US

54:42

72: The Worst Technology Rollout in History (Ft. Paul...

Finding Our Way ·

2026/05/09

Journalist, technologist, and Aboard co-founder Paul Ford joins Peter and Jesse with the perspective of someone running a services firm in the middle of being remade by AI. The conversation covers the collapsing cost of software, blurring roles, what machines do well and badly, what design's value proposition becomes, and Paul's practical advice for staying upright through indefinite change.

en-US

53:41

71: Finding Our Way Live! (ft John Gleason)

Finding Our Way ·

2026/04/19

Design consultant John Gleason returns to explore the leadership skills design needs to claim greater strategic influence. The conversation covers vulnerability and psychological safety, translating design value into business outcomes, the boldness required to assert a larger value proposition, and how to avoid burnout while navigating organizational complexity.

en-US

48:25

LIMINAL—3: The Waves within Waves

Finding Our Way ·

2026/04/10

Jesse's surfing metaphor opens a conversation about discernment and collective action in the liminal moment. Peter and Jesse explore why not every wave is yours to catch, how to find fellow travelers across functions and beyond your organization, and why sustainable pace — not anxious intensity — is what keeps leaders navigating when uncertainty has no end date.

en-US

56:49

69: In a World of AI, What is the Work Really About?...

Finding Our Way ·

2026/03/27

Information architect and consultant Jorge Arango returns five years later with a pointed question at the center of his practice: when AI can handle the surface work, what is design actually for? The conversation explores first principles, the conditions for skillful AI adoption, and why going faster without clarity just accelerates you in the wrong direction.

en-US

67:30

68: AI and Design: Fundamentals and The Future (ft....

Finding Our Way ·

2026/03/14

Show Notes About the episode: Dan Saffer—designer, author, and CMU professor—joins Peter and Jesse to take stock of design education at a moment when everything is in flux. What’s worth teaching when the tools change weekly? How do you define quality when AI can spin up a passable prototype in minutes? And what are today’s […]

en-US

45:30

LIMINAL—2: Liminal Mindset, Skillset, and Leadership

Finding Our Way ·

2026/02/28

When the ground is shifting and the destination isn't clear, how do you lead? Peter and Jesse explore the mindset and skills required to navigate the liminal moment—when old ways have dissolved but new ones haven't taken shape. From core mindsets of maintaining situational awareness and striving for balance, to core skills around communication, persuasion and connection to build lifelines, this is a conversation about what it actually takes to lead through uncertainty.

en-US

45:30

LIMINAL—2: Liminal Mindset, Skillset, and Leadership

Finding Our Way ·

2026/02/28

When the ground is shifting and the destination isn't clear, how do you lead? Peter and Jesse explore the mindset and skills required to navigate the liminal moment—when old ways have dissolved but new ones haven't taken shape. From core mindsets of maintaining situational awareness and striving for balance, to core skills around communication, persuasion and connection to build lifelines, this is a conversation about what it actually takes to lead through uncertainty.

en-US

47:54

Liminal 1: The Liminal Moment

Finding Our Way ·

2026/02/22

When the old ways no longer hold and the new hasn't taken shape, you're in a liminal moment. Peter and Jesse explore what it means to lead through that in-between space—navigating uncertainty without retreating to the past, letting go of what defined you, and finding opportunity in the chaos rather than being consumed by it.

en-US

47:54

LIMINAL—1: The Liminal Moment

Finding Our Way ·

2026/02/22

When the old ways no longer hold and the new hasn't taken shape, you're in a liminal moment. Peter and Jesse explore what it means to lead through that in-between space—navigating uncertainty without retreating to the past, letting go of what defined you, and finding opportunity in the chaos rather than being consumed by it.

en-US

53:32

65: Design—Stuck in the Middle with AI (ft. Christina...

Finding Our Way ·

2026/02/03

Stanford professor Christina Wodtke joins Peter and Jesse in exploring the real contradictions of AI in design and product work: revolutionary prototyping speed versus the need for critical thinking, efficiency gains versus cognitive loss, and loving the technology while hating the exploitative companies building it. She shares exactly what designers and PMs must vigilantly protect.

en-US

53:32

65: Design—Stuck in the Middle with AI (ft. Christina...

Finding Our Way ·

2026/02/03

Stanford professor Christina Wodtke joins Peter and Jesse in exploring the real contradictions of AI in design and product work: revolutionary prototyping speed versus the need for critical thinking, efficiency gains versus cognitive loss, and loving the technology while hating the exploitative companies building it. She shares exactly what designers and PMs must vigilantly protect.

en-US

48:10

64: The State of Design Orgs—Growth Paths, Quality...

Finding Our Way ·

2026/01/24

Peter and Jesse discuss findings from Peter's survey of 750 UX pracitioners on organizational health. Designers feel good about their work but struggle with quality standards, staffing, and career growth. Senior practitioners are the unhealthiest group. Reporting structure predicts team health. Consulting teams outperform in-house teams, where visionary design capabilities have atrophied and empowerment remains elusive.

en-US

48:10

64: The State of Design Orgs—Growth Paths, Quality...

Finding Our Way ·

2026/01/24

Peter and Jesse discuss findings from Peter's survey of 750 UX pracitioners on organizational health. Designers feel good about their work but struggle with quality standards, staffing, and career growth. Senior practitioners are the unhealthiest group. Reporting structure predicts team health. Consulting teams outperform in-house teams, where visionary design capabilities have atrophied and empowerment remains elusive.

en-US

60:22

63: AI Means Product Needs UX More than Ever (ft....

Finding Our Way ·

2025/11/01

Product leader, author, and civic tech veteran Christian Crumlish joins Peter and Jesse to discuss his transition from UX to product management and his experimental AI product manager, Piper Morgan. The conversation explores how product and design roles can be natural allies rather than adversaries, where AI truly adds value versus hype, and how practitioners can thoughtfully adopt new tools while staying grounded in fundamental UX principles and maintaining agency over their practice.

en-US

60:22

63: AI Means Product Needs UX More than Ever (ft....

Finding Our Way ·

2025/11/01

Product leader, author, and civic tech veteran Christian Crumlish joins Peter and Jesse to discuss his transition from UX to product management and his experimental AI product manager, Piper Morgan. The conversation explores how product and design roles can be natural allies rather than adversaries, where AI truly adds value versus hype, and how practitioners can thoughtfully adopt new tools while staying grounded in fundamental UX principles and maintaining agency over their practice.

en-US

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