Welcome to this Patreon exclusive preview. If you’re new to A76’s Patreon or you’re listening to a preview for the first time, these exclusive episodes are where I talk about my production of the podcast, break down some of the discussions coming out of my free interviews. I bring new ideas here—things I’m kicking around—and I share additional content from those interviews.

I used to call these Icebreaks because, well if you haven’t noticed we have an iceberg thing going on here at A76. And the podcast was named after a massive state-sized iceberg, an apt metaphor for UX design since the majority of our design work lies beneath the surface, unseen by the user but oh so critical.

I’m changing it up for this Patreon exclusive; I’m both finalizing this season of scale and gearing up for an exciting season ahead. And if you’re a Patreon subscriber you’ll hear my season 4 announcement later in this episode plus a hilarious and insightful ThinkFast game Olivia Moore T. and I did.

A special thank you to my Patreon subscribers. I couldn’t do this podcast without you and you’re helping me get this pod to carbon neutral. If you want to help support the pod, head over to the Patreon link in the show notes. A warm thank you even if you're just thinking about it.

Thank you to all the designers, creators, and adjacent makers I interviewed this season. You're all amazing.

Keep designing. Keep growing. And keep making a positive impact.

~ Noel

A76 was created by Noel Childs

Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs

Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton
Our outro was read by Kari Childs

If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com
and connect with us on Bluesky

In this deeply personal and expansive conversation, I sit down with Olivia Moore T., a talented designer whose roots in Detroit, radio and tech have fueled a career in experience design. We explore her origin story, the tension between creativity and capitalism, how nostalgia is reshaping Gen Z’s approach and the increasingly blurry line between tools and culture. Our conversation veers from thoughtful to playful, from systemic critique to personal honesty—making this episode both a mirror for designers and a signal flare for where we might be headed next.

I hope you enjoy.

~ Noel

A76 was created by Noel Childs

Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs

Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton
Our outro was read by Kari Childs

If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com
and connect with us on Bluesky

Who really benefits from our current AI assistants? In this final episode of the NoelAI mini-series on A76, I go on a deeply personal and sharply critical journey of the current state of AI assistants. And ask why—after years of hype—we still don’t have an assistant that truly serves us.

Blending design thinking, cultural critique, and speculative hardware, I posit a radically user-centric vision for an AI assistant built around human needs and not tech company agendas. What would it look like to ditch your iPhone and have something smaller, smarter, and more human by your side? And more importantly, what’s standing in the way?

This is a call to reimagine. To push past uncanny interfaces and shallow convenience into something more meaningful and ultimately demand more from our digital tech.

Keep designing. Keep growing. And keep making a positive impact.

~ Noel

A76 was created by Noel Childs

Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs

Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton
Our outro was read by Kari Childs

If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com
and connect with us on Bluesky