Finding Our Way

Mar 22 2025 56 ep. 47 mins 36

Finding Our Way Podcast artwork

UX design pioneers and Adaptive Path co-founders Peter Merholz and Jesse James Garrett discuss the evolving challenges and opportunities for design leaders.

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56: Design’s Role in the Evolution of Product Management (ft. Sara Beckman)

Mar 22 2025 57 mins

Joining Peter and Jesse to talk about what's next for design is Dr. Sara Beckman, Professor at Berkeley's Haas School of Business and longtime observer and commentator of the dynamic between design and business. We'll be talking more about the legacy and impact, for better or worse, of design thinking, how design leaders should talk about metrics and how they shouldn't, and what sh

55: The Maker Mindset Connecting Product, Design, and Engineering (ft. Todd Wilkens)

Mar 08 2025 53 mins

Joining Peter and Jesse to talk about what's next for design is Todd Wilkens, part of our leadership at Adaptive Path years ago, who has gone from design leadership to product leadership to fully integrated leadership of design, product, and technology. He'll talk with us about his increasingly holistic view of product development and leadership, the signs that an organization is r

54: At the Intersection of Design and Business, Be The Anomaly (ft. Roger Martin)

Feb 08 2025 49 mins

Joining Peter and Jesse is business strategist Roger L. Martin, former Dean of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, who advanced the conversation about design and business with his influential work in the late 2000s. We'll talk about the parts of that vision that worked out as well as the parts that didn't, the new forces shaping design's business impact, and w

53: Leading Design Through Continual Evolution (ft. Peter Skillman)

Jan 04 2025 57 mins

Head of Philips Design, Peter Skillman, joins Peter and Jesse to share lessons from Philips' century of design innovation, from light bulbs to the compact disc to healthcare technology. We'll also talk about the cultural factors that support design influence, what he learned and had to unlearn from his time in Silicon Valley, and how the game for design leaders has fundamentally c

52: Design at a Crossroads (ft. Audrey Crane)

Dec 01 2024 45 mins

Joining Peter and Jesse to talk about what's next for design is veteran Silicon Valley design and product strategy consultant Audrey Crane, who will share her perspective on the changing mandates for design among her clients, the power that consultants wield that in house teams don't, and why sometimes the most effective design leaders are those who talk the least about design.

51: Design-led Innovation in Emerging Markets (ft. Gaurav Mathur)

Nov 19 2024 43 mins

On this show, Peter and Jesse are joined by Gaurav Mathur, VP of Design for Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart. He'll share with us his perspective on the big issues facing design leaders in India today, including hiring and training for junior designers, as well as design leaders making the case for the business impact of design, and the opportunities for design-led startups in the

50: Balancing Design and Business as a Utopian Pragmatist (ft. Leslie Witt)

Oct 26 2024 57 mins

Joining us to talk about what's next for digital product design is Leslie Witt, chief product and design officer for mental health care platform Headspace. Along the way, she'll share with us her journey from designer to design leader to P&L business leader, she'll also talk about building the credibility for a broader mandate for design as well as for yourself as a leader, and wha

49: Unraveling Complexity in Product Development (ft. John Cutler)

Oct 08 2024 63 mins

Joining Peter and Jesse to talk about what's next for digital product design is John Cutler, veteran product manager and product management consultant. Along the way, we'll discuss what product leaders know that design leaders don't, facing ambiguity and uncertainty from executives, and how design leaders can more effectively advocate for the true value of their team's work.

48: Leading Design from IDEO to In-house (ft. Anne Pascual)

Jun 28 2024 50 mins

Anne Pascual, VP and Head of Design for European fashion e-commerce giant Zalando, joins Peter and Jesse to talk about driving innovation in a mature product category, the differences between leading design for an agency and leading design in-house, and creating a culture of trust at scale.

47: Seeking Balance (ft. Koji Pereira)

May 17 2024 49 mins

Koji Pereira, Chief Design Officer for Brazilian fintech Neon, joins Peter and Jesse to talk about his career journey from Brazil to Silicon Valley and back again, finding the balance between speed and quality, and strategies for making the design team and the design process more inclusive