In this episode I catch up with Adam Weil, Senior Director of Research at Shapiro + Raj to talk about where good ideas come from and what separates the great ones from the noise.

Adam’s career has spanned television networks to innovation agencies but what stands out most is his obsession with insightful storytelling. We talk about how he teaches younger researchers to transform data into stories that move people, how "iron sharpening iron” still sits at the center of his process and what The 13th Warrior taught him about ideating.

He also shares how GenAI has become a thought partner in his workflow, how he knows when he’s found a kernel worth chasing, and why surrounding yourself with smart, curious people is the best way to sharpen your own thinking. Adam leaves us with a reminder that creativity might look like play from the outside, but it’s deeply demanding work—equal parts curiosity, humility, and practice.

Plus this season I'm asking everyone coming on the pod what song would be on their ideation soundtrack, Adam's choice is the first added to the spotify playlist.

~ Noel

A76 and its episodes are created by Noel Childs

Season 4 on the Human Spark is produced 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

The outro was read by Trudie and Storey 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 follow us on Instagram

Welcome back to A76.

This season, we’re stepping away from algorithms and turning back towards the people behind the ideas.

And because we find ourselves in a world where generative AI can spin out thousand of versions of anything—I keep wondering where do the truly original ideas come from?

So in Season 4, we’re exploring what I’m calling ~ The Human Spark.

I’ll be talking with designers, creators, and adjacent makers—people who’ve built things that are unique. And together, we’ll dig into the mindsets, the moments, and yes—the messy processes—that lead to something genuinely authentic.

It’s not about the perfect workflow or the most advanced tool. It’s about that strange little flicker between inspiration and action that all of us have the capacity for and many of us spend our days chasing.

So, if you’ve ever asked yourself how did they come up with that?—this season is for you.

A new season of A76—The Human Spark is coming soon.

~ Noel

A76 and its episodes are created by Noel Childs

Season 4 on the Human Spark is produced 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

The outro was read by Trudie and Storey 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 follow us on Instagram

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 and its episodes are created by Noel Childs

Season 4 on the Human Spark is produced 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

The outro was read by Trudie and Storey 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 follow us on Instagram