A podcast by Quartz Creative
Our lives are dominated by an abundance of small design decisions, most of which are invisible. Usable sets out to uncover them. Join the Quartz Creative team as we explore the unexpected user experience considerations behind some of life’s most common objects, places, and experiences—from haunted houses to meatless burgers.
Quartz Creative is the in-house creative services unit of Quartz.
Board Games
Serious topic, seriously good game
Can losing be...fun? Pandemic creator Matt Leacock joins us to talk about the hit board game and how his training as a user experience designer informs his approach to game design.
ExploreMeatless Burgers
Designing the Impossible Burger
What makes meat taste like meat? Impossible Foods senior flavor scientist Laura Kliman joins us to explain how her team designed a vegan burger that even meat eaters can’t help but love.
ExploreHaunted Houses
The UX of fear
The best haunted houses are more than just jump scares. Scott Simmons, creative director at Pittsburgh’s Scarehouse, joins us to explain how he uses sociology, physics, and even geometry to bring nightmares to life. Feature quote: A perfect haunted house will make you feel like you’re the star of your own scary movie.
ExploreBookstores
Redesigning retail in a post-Amazon world
The Internet was supposed to kill bookstores; instead, it’s revitalized them. Nancy Bass Wyden, owner of New York City’s bookstore-meets-cultural-institution The Strand joins us to talk about how the store has reinvented itself for an age that’s anything but post-retail.
ExploreWeddings
Designing the perfect day for a new generation
Millennials aren’t killing the wedding industry, but they are reshaping it. Jess Levin Conroy, co-founder and CEO of wedding vendor directory Carats & Cake, joins us to discuss how the site’s approach to user-focused design has helped it respond to the shifting demands of a new generation of couples.
Explore
