DesignThinkers Podcast

This week on the DesignThinkers podcast, I’m joined by Dalit Shalom. Dalit is the Director of Product Design at The New York Times where she oversees the creation of new formats, spaces and tools that advance the future of storytelling. She also leads Design and Strategy for various work streams for the company's AI initiates, having previously focused on trust and credibility by developing features that clarify Times journalism for its readers. 
An educator as well as a practitioner, Dalit also teaches design thinking classes at NYU's Tandon School of Engineering and ITP.
 Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week on the DesignThinkers podcast, I’m joined by Kenjiro Kirton. Ken is the co-founder and creative director of HATO, the London- and Hong Kong-based publishing house, design studio and concept store known for its playful, research-driven approach to culture, branding and digital experiences.
His work moves fluidly between publishing, interaction, retail, and storytelling, often blurring the line between design practice and everyday life. In this conversation, we talk about what happens when design escapes the boundaries of the studio—when research becomes fiction, when process becomes play and when creative practice becomes something lived rather than simply produced.
We also get into the value of iteration and experimentation, the similarities between cooking and design, building participatory creative communities, and why some of the most meaningful creative work happens along the soft edges between disciplines.
This episode is for designers who are interested in expanding everything design—and the design studio—can be.

 Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week on the DesignThinkers Podcast, I’m joined by Ariane Spanier, a Berlin-based designer whose work sits at the intersection of typography, culture, and editorial design.
Ariane has built a practice working closely with cultural institutions—museums, publications, and artists—where design isn’t just about communication, but about interpretation. She’s also the creative director and co-editor of Fukt, an annual magazine dedicated to contemporary drawing, known for its experimental and often tactile typographic covers.
In this conversation, we unpack her DesignThinkers talk, Type with an Accent, and what it means to think about typography not as something neutral, but as something that carries voice, identity, and history. We talk about the tension between rules and expression, how designers develop a visual “accent,” and why your first instinct is often the most honest place to start from.
We also get into her work on Fukt, and how using typography in a more physical, expressive way can shift how people experience a publication altogether.
This episode is really for anyone thinking about their own voice as a designer—how it forms, how it evolves, and how to trust it.
 Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week on the DesignThinkers podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Dee Miller. Director of Product Strategy and Insights for Product Equity at Adobe. Dee is a researcher and innovation leader, working at the intersection of technology, design, and equity. She's focused on turning real world insights, into products that are more accessible, usable, and culturally relevant. 
In this conversation, we unpack what inclusive design actually looks like in practice, and why it's not just about compliance, but about building better more innovative products. Dee shares how her work at Adobe translates research into real product decisions. From improving accessibility features, to shaping how AI tools like Firefly are developed and deployed. 
We also talk about the tension between speed and accessibility, what it takes to advocate for inclusive design inside large organizations, and why designing with communities is critical to building trust and accountability. 
This episode is for anyone working in product, design, or research who wants to move beyond theory and start building experiences that truly work for more people.
 Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.

This week on the DesignThinkers podcast, I’m joined by Peter Smart. Chief Experience Officer and Managing Partner at Fantasy. Based in the Bay Area, Fantasy is a creative partner behind some of the world’s most widely used digital products. Working with companies like Disney, Nike, Spotify, Netflix, Meta, and Google.
In this conversation, Peter shares how he’s thinking about the next shift in digital product design. One where fixed interfaces and screen based experiences may no longer be the default. We talk about what happens when products become more dynamic and more personalized. How AI is reshaping the relationships between brands and users, and why designers may need to redefine their own value.
We also get into some of the trends Peter is seeing and why he thinks the most important thing designers can do right now is zoom out. To look beyond the tools, understand where value is shifting, and rethink what they’re really designing.
This episode is for anyone trying to make sense of where design is heading. Maybe you’re early in your career or leading a team or simply wondering how to stay relevant in a moment that seems to be changing every single day.
 Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.