
007: A76 Season 2 of Change Trailer
11/05/23 • 2 min
Change. It’s so ubiquitous that it seems ridiculous to even talk about. Yet our relationship to change is challenging. We have poor reactions to it, we ignore it hoping it will go away. We’re even surprised when it happens; which we should never be. The only thing in life that is constant and will never stop, is change.
Obviously this is a big topic with many facets to it, but why do we have to approach it this way? Why does change have to be so painful? Are there other ways to get ahead of it? To manage it better? And could a designer’s mindset completely change how we approach, change?
My name is Noel Childs and in season 1 of A76 we discussed AI’s impact on the design industry and a potential shift in our methodology. And throughout our conversations I was reminded of the incredible flexibility of thinking from the designers I talked to. And I’ve been lucky to have worked with some of the most creative people in the world over the course of my career. Their ability to not only deal with change but to drive it for their projects, their clients and people around them is heroic and inspiring.
This is something I’ve been thinking about for awhile. I often say that I should have a PhD in Change Management simply by working in the design industry. If I’m touching a project, or my team is, there’s a reason for it; something needs to change, or be solved, or be enhanced. We need to move people’s perspectives from one area to another. And the reality is, I spend a comparatively short amount of time coming up with the solution and most of the time convincing my clients and the people around me it’s the right approach.
So in season 2 of A76 I’ll go deep on the designer’s mindset. Get into how we approach change, talk about the tactics we use to shift the thinking around our projects and hear stories from people who grapple with this everyday. My goal is to not only share it with all of you so we can get a little better, but also bring it to as wide an audience as possible. This is a strength designers have that everyone can benefit from, and our world needs it.
We have too many issues to solve that can only be done through transformation. We need to continue to build those mental muscles to get better at managing change. Find the right balance between a fixed mindset and a growth one. And recognize change for what it truly is, an opportunity.
A76’s Season of Change. Coming soon.
A76 was created by Noel Childs
Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs
Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton
Our outro was read by Kari Childs
If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email [email protected]
and connect with us on Bluesky
Change. It’s so ubiquitous that it seems ridiculous to even talk about. Yet our relationship to change is challenging. We have poor reactions to it, we ignore it hoping it will go away. We’re even surprised when it happens; which we should never be. The only thing in life that is constant and will never stop, is change.
Obviously this is a big topic with many facets to it, but why do we have to approach it this way? Why does change have to be so painful? Are there other ways to get ahead of it? To manage it better? And could a designer’s mindset completely change how we approach, change?
My name is Noel Childs and in season 1 of A76 we discussed AI’s impact on the design industry and a potential shift in our methodology. And throughout our conversations I was reminded of the incredible flexibility of thinking from the designers I talked to. And I’ve been lucky to have worked with some of the most creative people in the world over the course of my career. Their ability to not only deal with change but to drive it for their projects, their clients and people around them is heroic and inspiring.
This is something I’ve been thinking about for awhile. I often say that I should have a PhD in Change Management simply by working in the design industry. If I’m touching a project, or my team is, there’s a reason for it; something needs to change, or be solved, or be enhanced. We need to move people’s perspectives from one area to another. And the reality is, I spend a comparatively short amount of time coming up with the solution and most of the time convincing my clients and the people around me it’s the right approach.
So in season 2 of A76 I’ll go deep on the designer’s mindset. Get into how we approach change, talk about the tactics we use to shift the thinking around our projects and hear stories from people who grapple with this everyday. My goal is to not only share it with all of you so we can get a little better, but also bring it to as wide an audience as possible. This is a strength designers have that everyone can benefit from, and our world needs it.
We have too many issues to solve that can only be done through transformation. We need to continue to build those mental muscles to get better at managing change. Find the right balance between a fixed mindset and a growth one. And recognize change for what it truly is, an opportunity.
A76’s Season of Change. Coming soon.
A76 was created by Noel Childs
Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs
Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton
Our outro was read by Kari Childs
If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email [email protected]
and connect with us on Bluesky
Previous Episode

006: Season 1 Wrap Up, Highlights & Next Season Update
Noel and Casey wrap the season chatting on how their understanding of AI has changed over the course of the season. They discuss the highlights of the various guests they interviewed, how they’ve integrated AI into their design craft and implemented it in their design teams. They talk about how AI came to the design industry right at the perfect time, how it’s critical that UX designers immerse themselves and how they’re more aligned with Reid Hoffman then Geoffrey Hinton. Noel discusses the wisdom he’s gleaned and the 3 big AI categories; and gives an update for season 2 of A76.
A76 was created by Noel Childs
Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs
Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton
Our outro was read by Kari Childs
If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email [email protected]
and connect with us on Bluesky
Next Episode

008: Change whispering with Paul Grachan
Welcome to A76. We kick off our season of change, chatting with Paul Grachan. Paul is a long time friend, designer, creative spark, and driver of change. When I thought about who I wanted to chat with for this first episode I only had one person in mind. You might have heard his story of the dollar bill with his wife’s name on it on This American Life and if you know him, it’s so Paul. He’s one of the most creative people I’ve ever worked with but he’s also smartly grounded in the realities of people, their behaviors, and quirks. One note, we had challenges with audio. It gets better half way through. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Paul.
A76 was created by Noel Childs
Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs
Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton
Our outro was read by Kari Childs
If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email [email protected]
and connect with us on Bluesky
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