Browse Episodes

Using Insights to Build More Powerful and User-Friendly Design – Prof Khipra Nichols Head of ID at RISD

Good design starts with good insights. And designers should be able to understand what their target audience is feeling or thinking in order to create the right solution for them. 

But how do you become more receptive to insights? According to our guest today, you nurture your perspective and point of view.

In this episode of the Thanks for Making It podcast, our host Beth Altringer Eagle welcomes Professor Khipra Nichols, MADE Faculty Co-Director and Head of the Industrial Design Department at RISD. They talk about the importance of insights for design, the difference between good and great design, and why design pushes you to go beyond your own expectations.

How to Bring Design and Engineering Together to Craft a Seamless User Experience – Jamar Bromley of Samsung

Many tech companies now use design to communicate with their customers by bringing innovative products to market and creating a stronger identity for their brand.

But in technical fields, focusing solely on design won't get you far enough; design needs to come together with engineering to create a seamless and enjoyable user experience.

In this episode of Thanks for Making It, host Beth Altringer Eagle interviews Jamar Bromley, a Senior Graphic Designer at Samsung Electronics America. They chat about the differences between good design and great design, how to use haptic and tactile design to create magical experiences, and why self-expression matters in the design world.

How Questioning Everything Helps You Find Better Solutions – Meg Liotta of Tesla

In the automotive industry, engineering and design are two core components. But, many companies prioritize one (read: engineering) over the other. That's for a reason — cars are about functionality and safety as well as durability and cost-effectiveness. 

However, design is also about functionality. For instance, interior design solutions must ensure comfort and practicality. Therefore, the intersection of engineering and design is key to the success of a car giant such as Tesla. 

That's also the topic of this episode of Thanks for Making It. Our guest is Meg Liotta, the Senior Recruiter at Tesla. Meg and host Beth Altringer Eagle discuss the synergy between design and engineering, what it takes to work in a design engineering role, and what soft skills are required for working at Tesla.

Meg shares her career path and a piece of valuable advice for students entering the job market. Meg and Beth also discuss diversity in the business world and emphasize the significance of diversity of thought and experience. 

About Thanks for Making It

The Podcast

Thanks for Making It celebrates the intersection of design, engineering, art, and science. We pay tribute to the origin stories of creators who made creations that move us and changed our lives for the better. In each episode, Professor Altringer Eagle interviews professionals who combined design and technology skills so effectively that they created products and experiences that feel… almost magical.

Acknowledgements

TFMI is a collaboration with the Master of Arts in Design Engineering MADE Program at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design.