UX topics

Author Chris Nodder joins us for an enlightening talk about his book, Evil By Design.  Learn motivating design techniques and use them for good...or evil.

Evil By Design with Chris Nodder

Accessibility begins with design, and as designers we need to set the right foundations before writing even a single line of code.

http://justuxdesign.com/blog/designing-for-accessibility

Designing for accessibility - Just UX Design

In our first podcast, we sit down to discuss content strategy with a friend and colleague, David Dylan Thomas, Senior Content Strategist at EPAM Systems.

David is founder of Content Camp and runs the Content Strategy Meetup, in Philadelphia, PA.

Note: the recording was originally intended for classroom use, but we've decided to open it up to anyone interested in learning more about the topics discussed here.

Persoanl Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddylanthomas1
https://www.twitter.com/movie_pundit

Organizational Links:
http://www.meetup.com/Philly-Content-Strategy/
http://www.contentcampphilly.com/

Content Strategy and the UX Design Process: an Interview with David Dylan Thomas

In this “Beautifully written and atmospheric” feminist reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, there’s no prince to save the day and the women at the heart of the story are their own saviors (Sophie Keetch, author of Morgan Is My Name). 

In a remote castle perched atop a windswept island, a long-awaited royal heir is born. In accordance with ancient custom, a blessing ceremony takes place to bestow the princess with magical gifts—along with a terrible curse.

Except this is not the love story you may think you know. There is no enchanted sleep for the princess, and no handsome prince to come to her rescue. Just three women, who together concoct a desperate plan of misdirect that changes the course of all their lives.

​But dark magic cannot be tricked, and as the end of the curse edges closer, Violanna, Meredyth and Sel have a choice to make. They can wait to find out if the worst will happen, or they can turn to face the coming storm . . .

Spellbound By Georgia Leighton, Read By Kristin Atherton

“Readers who have recently been diagnosed with ADHD will find this an especially smart and approachable resource.” —Publishers Weekly

Transform your ADHD from a struggle to a strength with this empowering toolkit.

What if what you need to succeed and manifest your goals is what you have been trying to overcome—your ADHD? The ADHD Reset is a new and hopeful perspective that transforms ADHD from an obstacle to a source of power. Without the right tools, ADHD can rule your life in a challenging way. But you can thrive with ADHD. In fact, an ADHD brain has some pretty magical qualities! Creator of the popular handle @ModernHippieMindset, ADHD coach Claire Michalski shows you how to reset your mindset and approach to living with ADHD. Learn how to live your dream life with ADHD—not in spite of it.

The ADHD Reset offers dozens of practical tools and strategies that will move you from feeling limited to liberated. Feel empowered to accept the disowned parts of yourself through shadow work, reframing techniques, mindset shifts, and self-love. Coaching, interactive journal practices, and a step-by-step approach set you up to shift your mindset, clarify your objectives, and find your unique magic. This practical and inspiring guide will help you:

Understand your ADHD brain in a way that brings loving self-awareness and unconditional self-acceptance

Rewire your brain with easy mindset techniques 

Finally manage emotional dysregulation

Habit stack, manage your time effectively, and set and complete goals

Move from managing your life to manifesting the life you want with The ADHD Reset.

The ADHD Reset By Claire Michalski, Read By Henrietta Meire

Opposites attract when a real estate developer's quest for a promotion returns her to the coastal hometown she loathes—where she's reunited with her teenage crush turned town golden boy. ​

There’s no place like home…and that’s exactly how real estate developer Samantha Leigh plans to keep it. When she ditched Rock Island, Florida for New York City, Sam left everything behind—her alcoholic mother, the high school bullies, her ex-best friend, and her first crush, Austin Marcs. She’s never looked back—until her boss ambushes her with an extended assignment on Rock Island, where promotion will be on the line. Sam has no choice but to book a flight home . . .

. . . to where nothing has changed. Her mom still drinks, the mean girls became mean-girl mommies, and Austin? The town’s golden boy is now its favorite ferryboat captain—still smoking hot, inexplicably devoted to the island, and Sam’s total opposite in every way. He insists Rock Island is perfect as is, without her big corporate ideas, and he’s determined to prove it. Before long, Austin’s personal tours of sandy beaches and swoony sunsets almost make Sam forget her hometown hate. But is falling for the guy—and the town—she left behind worth the risk?

As a Last Resort By Kristin Wollett, Read By Kristin Wollett & Patrick Zeller

Why globalization failed so many Americans and how it still can be saved despite burgeoning economic nationalism. 

The triumphant globalization that began in the 1990s has given way to a world riven by conflict, populism, and economic nationalism. In The World’s Worst Bet, David J. Lynch offers a trenchant, fast-paced narrative of the rise and fall of the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known. Lynch explains what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to change to preserve the benefits of global integration and to build prosperity for all Americans. 
 
Lynch brings a deep understanding of the forces affecting Americans’ lives to his portrayal of a fascinating cast of characters: presidents and policymakers; factory workers whose anger over lost jobs reshaped a nation’s politics; and the anti-globalization warriors of the right and left. Their stories show how the United States made a bad bet on globalization, gambling that it could enjoy its benefits while ignoring its costs: dislocated workers, vulnerable supply chains, and the rise of a powerful rival. With trillions of dollars now at stake, The World’s Worst Bet explains the failings of the past and offers an insightful guide to the opportunities of the future.

The World's Worst Bet By David J Lynch, Read By Todd Menesses

Two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall invites readers to peek through windows that shine like real glass on this lavish book’s cover, and explore the dollhouse-like world of a beloved farmhouse where twelve children were born and raised.

Over a hill, at the end of a road, by a glittering stream that twists and turns stands a farmhouse.

Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish in the daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, thrilling detail. Based on a real family and an actual farmhouse where Sophie salvaged facts and artifacts for the making of this spectacular work, page after page bursts with luminous detail and joy. Join the award-winning, best-selling Sophie Blackall as she takes readers on an enchanting visit to a farmhouse across time, to a place that echoes with stories.

Farmhouse By Sophie Blackall

Brought to you by Penguin.

A quirky, joyful queer love story about a lonely museum worker who falls in love with a statue of Venus

Rika Horauchi’s new part-time job is to converse with a statue of Venus – in Latin – every Monday, when the museum is closed.

Initially reluctant, Rika starts to enjoy her strange new job. Recommended by her old university professor for her exemplary language skills, Rika leads an otherwise unassuming life, working the rest of the week in a frozen-food warehouse.

As Venus comes to life in the quiet of the museum, they talk about everything. Venus opens up new worlds for Rika, both intellectually and emotionally. They soon fall in love. But when the museum’s curator, Hashibami, makes it clear he wants to keep Venus for himself, what will Rika do?

When the Museum is Closed is by turns charming, funny and surprising, a surreal take on our most real emotions and concerns: love, loneliness, freedom, perceptions of beauty and how women are seen in society. A joyful queer love story, this fresh and original new novel confirms Emi Yagi as one of the most exciting Japanese writers published in English today.

Translated by Yuki Tejima

'Filled with movement and passion - a luminous story that reveals a whole world of desire and possibility, right at the heart of loneliness' Rosie Price, author of THE ORANGE ROOM

© Emi Yagi 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

When the Museum is Closed, written by Emi Yagi, Yuki Tejima (translation) and read by Kae Alexander

Take an astonishing, amusing, and charmingly unconventional tour through the curious everyday lives of humans past.
 
No need to spend the day at an archaeological dig when you can simply make a cup of tea, clamber into your comfiest chair, and settle in with The Encyclopedia of the Weird and Wonderful, a compilation of 92 funny, strange, and strangely funny tales throughout human history.
 
Milo Rossi, the inquisitive mind behind the popular @miniminuteman on TikTok and YouTube, invites you to consider our own place in the long timeline of human development with this collection of anecdotes that shares the foibles, joys, and heartbreaks of being human (and an odd Neanderthal or two).
 
With chapters organized by the different stages and aspects of life—childhood, food and drink, friendship, play and leisure, rites and rituals, love and sexuality, fashion and beauty, education and work, sickness and health, and, of course, death—dive into a treasure trove of intriguing facts and stories, including:
 
- The Paleolithic cave art of a five-year-old girl

- What you would have eaten in ancient Pompeii

- The surprising and stinky origins of royal Tyrian purple dye

- Ol’ Rip, the immortal (?) horned lizard from Texas

- How to win a round of the Royal Game of Ur, a nearly 5,000-year-old board game

- And much more!

Covering various facets of everyday life, The Encyclopedia of the Weird and Wonderful is sure to make you laugh, provide some spark to your next conversation, and, maybe, even give you a new perspective on how best to live this thing called life.

The Wonderpedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy illustrated references on a range of intriguing topics, including archeological discoveries, world mythology, pop culture, global superstitions, and the fascinating stories behind signs and symbols. A cross-cultural exploration of what makes humans tick, this series magnifies the connective threads between us across time and geography and demystifies the surprising, confounding sides of life.

The Encyclopedia of the Weird and Wonderful By Milo Rossi

From the bestselling author of Apollo Remastered, a collection of hundreds of newly-restored images and untold stories from the NASA archives that provide a never-before-seen perspective on the critical missions that paved the way for the Moon landing and today's NASA, Boeing, and Space X endeavors.  

Astronauts working on the earliest space missions, from Project Mercury to the Gemini missions of the mid-1960s, answered fundamental questions about the possibilities of long-duration space travel, paving the way for the Apollo missions and, ultimately, the Moon landings. They also took the first, and still some of the finest, photographs of Earth ever captured on film. Now, Andy Saunders has restored images from these first missions to show them in unprecedented detail and tell their full story, filled with dramatic life or death moments, mischievous pranks and astonishing triumphs.

This stunning visual odyssey brings to life the pivotal, intimate moments of early space travel, unveiling the raw beauty and profound challenges faced by the pioneering astronauts pushing the boundaries of human achievement. Gemini and Mercury Remastered is a striking tribute to the visionaries who dared to dream beyond our world, and a testament to the enduring power of exploration.

Gemini and Mercury Remastered By Andy Saunders, Read By John Sackville

A beloved picture book from two-time Caldecott Medal award-winner Sophie Blackall that transports readers to the seaside in timeless, nautical splendor! Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.

Step back in time and through the door of this iconic lighthouse into a cozy dollhouse-like interior with the extraordinary award-winning artist Sophie Blackall.

Hello Lighthouse (Caldecott Medal Winner) By Sophie Blackall

A renowned leadership consultant offers an “a powerful and timely resource for leaders at every level” (Marshal Goldsmith, author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There), drawing on decades of her in-the-field research and consulting

As an executive coach, Dr. Katie Best has helped countless leaders achieve powerful results. But getting the right coaching isn’t always possible, whether because the problem is too urgent or because the resources aren’t there. That’s when leaders can turn to this book.
 
The Ten Toughest Leadership Problems and How to Solve Them is an essential self-coaching handbook for leaders at any level. Best helps leaders struggling to avoid burnout, make good decisions, increase influence within their organization, align with or shift a company’s culture, improve employee performance, engage staff, manage teams, implement strategy, lead change, and navigate the hybrid workplace. Her SOLVE framework breaks problem-solving into five manageable steps: state the problem, to untangle complex, interrelated issues; open the box, to gather information;lay out the solution, to make a plan to fix the problem;venture forth, to put that plan into action; and elevate your learning, to further develop relevant skills.
 
The product of two decades of coaching and executive education work, this practical book equips leaders with the tools they need to solve these ten common problems and any other tough challenges they may face.

The Ten Toughest Leadership Problems By Dr. Katie Best

Jesse James Garrett, who is a pioneer in user experience, sits down with Revolution to talk about why user experience deserves the attention of the c-suite.

When we think of UX, we often associate it with the web, software and product development. But UX is more than that.

“You’re starting to see the business leadership take a strong interest in having this experiential understanding drive product strategy decisions,” he says. “Where before those decision were purely made from a technological or operational perspective.”

Garret shares how research, psychology, behavior and design can open the doors to meaningful creativity for design and product experience strategies. But more importantly, he shares how executives across the organization can learn from the UX team to improve services, business models and overall customer relationships.

Jesse is the co-founder and chief creative officer at Adaptive Path. And as the author of The Elements of User Experience, Jesse literally wrote the book on user experience.

Evil By Design with Chris Nodder

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