Good design solves problems.
Great design solves problems that matter: public health

Hard Problems.

Illustration of a person talking at a mic.

The podcast for designers & technologists who want to work on urgent problems like public health and climate change.
Coming soon…

What will the podcast be about?

We want to find out what works and what doesn‘t work for designers who are working on the world‘s most urgent challenges. We will share the best ideas from experts in the field with you, so you're better prepared to work in these spaces. And, we want to inspire people (you?) to make the jump to work on hard problems.

Episodes

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  • Can design help democracy?
  • Can design improve genomics?
  • Can design advance climate action?
  • Can design make better cities?
  • Can design education prepare designers for hard problems?
  • Can design impact chronic disease?
  • Can design save people from cancer?
  • Can design affect climate policy?
  • Can design improve power efficiency?
  • Can design reduce fashion waste?

We need your help

Know someone who we should interview? Please fill out this Google Form and let us know. Thanks!

Suggest a guest

Who makes a good guest?

  • Not the usual suspects who do the podcast circuit.
  • Not just a ‘thought leader.’ Someone who actually works on real-world technologies.
  • Has been working on ‘hard problems’ for more than a year — ideally 5+ years. Hard problems are long-term problems.
  • Takes a thoughtful and ethical approach to their work.
  • Likely works on tech related to climate change, public health, healthcare, government, education, or income inequality.

What is Hard Problems?

We are a nonprofit that helps designers find meaningful full-time work on the world’s hardest problems — like climate change and public health.

About us