20 Podcasts All Designers and Developers Should Subscribe to

Posted on May 22nd, 2016 by Quertime Writer in Web Design

As Bob Dylan sang long before most of us were born, the world it is a changing, especially online. Okay, he didn’t sing that last part, but that doesn’t make it less true. If you want to stay up to date with the trends and what is going on you’ve got to keep your ear to the ground – or, even better, the speaker.

Here are some podcasts that can keep you up to speed about developments and insights in the design and development world as well as what mistakes to look out for.

1. The Web Platform Podcast
Here you get to hear all about prominent web technologies like Polymer, Ruby, HTML, CSS, SVG and more. They tend to keep to about an episode a week and – as an added bonus – you can get a discount on O’Reilly books just by listening. Not bad, right?

2. The Giant Robots Smashing into Other Giant Robots
Another weekly podcast, here the host is joined by guests who mainly hail from the thoughtbot team. They talk about their work, as well as development and design processes. What’s so great about this podcast is that not only do you get insights into both design and development, but you’ll also get real information about how design and development can work well together.

3. Iterate
Here you get to hear about recent technology or trend in web design and development. The show is mainly the hosts talking about their experiences, but as they know what they’re talking about, that is rarely a problem. Sometimes, as an added bonus, they’ll bring in guests as well, in which case you’ll get to hear about the projects they are involved in, as well as design choices and thought process.

4. Developer Tea
Great for those new to the game, Developer Tea gives you great tips to find your feet in the field and to get you up to speed. Mind you, it’s not just for the completely new. Sometimes it can help more seasons veterans of the field remember their roots and get new insights into why they do the things they do. There is also a guide to working with visionaries called ‘Hacking the Impossible’.

5. Boagworld
Boagworld, which is hosted Paul Boag, covers a wide variety of design, development and blogging topics. The podcast covers the whole range and is therefore suitable for anybody interested in the world of designing and development. Oh, and they’re funny, which is definitely a bonus, as it makes the time fly past.

6. Shoptalk
Another funny podcast, Shoptalk is hosted by Dave Rupert and Chris Coyier. On their show, they talk to guests who work in the field of web development, UX, and web design. More specifically they look at questions asked by users, to give a deeper insight into the design and development realm. Their show is very well put together and I heartily advise it.

7. The Five-Minute Geek Show
The name gives it away – this one isn’t very long. Still, it can give you just that insight that you need. Also, as it’s twice a week you don’t have to wait too long between insights. The topics under discussion are again development and design (which isn’t that surprising) and also contains a lot of advice about how to deal with the life problems of being a developer, like such topics as ‘Being a Remote Employee Ain’t Easy’ and ‘Notifications, Procrastination, and Distraction’.

8. Responsive Design Podcast
Here the excellent host Justin Avery interviews some of the best names in the industry and thereby gives you insights into how the cutting edge of the field does what they do. It is definitely worth checking out.

9. Three Devs and a Maybe
A great podcast for those starting out in the area of PHP (though it can also often be quite useful for others, as it’s not only limited to this field). Though it can be quite technical on occasions, they also delve into the daily life and problems of developers, which can be informative and amusing in equal measures.

10. Responsive Web Design Podcast
As the title suggests, this one is all about responsive design. Here the hosts Karen McGrane and Ethan Marcotte have an interview format, where they bring in the movers and shakers in the field and get them to reveal some of their secrets. Definitely worth checking out if this is your field of interest.

11. Data Stories
Big data is everywhere. And so you have to check out this podcast. Though it might not be aired as often as you might want it to be, the quality of the podcasts makes up for the infrequency. Data stories is all about data visualization and web development and is a great one to tap if you’re into data evaluation as well as journalism, storytelling data visualization and infographics.

12. The Bike Shed
Laila Winner, Sean Griffin, and Derek Prior host the The Bike Shed podcast. There they share the challenges and experiences they’ve had with such software as JavaScript, Rails, Ruby and others. What’s more, there are some sponsorship opportunities with the program, which definitely makes it worth checking out if you’re trying to get ahead in the field.

13. Web Design Agency Podcast
Web Design Agency Podcast is hosted by Mat Newton and Brothers Benand is geared towards assisting webmasters establish their online businesses as well as freelance developers, designers and web owners. Their qualifications make them especially well suited to the task as, Mat Newton is a professional online marketing and SEO expert, while Ben runs a web design organization.

14. The Gently Mad
This podcast about entrepreneurship, business and life gives a different look at the development and design sphere, with guests and the host Adam Clark discussing a wide variety of topics including insights, experiences and stories.

15. Unfinished Business
Another podcast directed at the Andy Clarke hosts this podcasts, which is a fantastic exploration of the business side of the web, which – truth be told – is a much overlooked aspect of the design and development sphere, especially seeing as it is often exactly here that we find ourselves lacking the necessary skills.

16. Let’s Make Mistakes
The title says it all. Sometimes the best way to learn is to make mistakes. For this reason this playful podcast hosted by Leah Reich and Mike Monteiro is a great tool to explore – and besides, they’re a great duo who really help the setup of the show work.

17. This Developer’s Life
This is another good one for people who are newer to the field and still trying to figure out if it’s for them. Here you can get some great insights into the life and work of development and decide if this really is for you or if you should just focus on promoting your blog instead.

18. Happy Monday
Though Garfield might have said Mondays are a horrible way to spend one seventh of your life, they’re made slightly less horrible through this lovely little podcast hosted by Sarah Parmeter. It covers some great stories and can be very inspiring.

19. The Changelog
This podcast is manly directed at open source software development, where it can be a great tool to get ahead of the competition.

20. A Life Well Wasted
This awesome little podcast might not actually be on the air anymore, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out. This one is about video games and people who love them. Yes, that might not be development and design exactly, but it’s always vital to cross fertilize from different fields and you’ll certainly be inspired by the stuff they talk about here! So be sure to check it out.

Author: Rick Riddle

Rick Riddle is a successful blogger and content manager at UrgentEssayWriting.com whose articles aim to help readers with self-development, entrepreneurship and content management. Connect with @rickrddl on Twitter.