HBO’s Between The World And Me Podcast: Episode 1

November 22, 2020

HBO has produced a movie adaptation of the theatrical adaptation of the amazing work from Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me. To support the movie and explore the themes presented in the the book and the movie, the teams at SpokeMedia and Domino Sound have produced an official podcast companion to the movie. My son Sekani is featured in the opening, and then he and I team up towards the end of the episode (48:19) when I read a personal letter to him.

The Good, The Bad, The Interesting
Qa’id Jacobs in conversation with Vasilis van Gemert

March 19, 2018

From gracious host, Vasilis van Gemert:

“You're listening to The Good, The Bad, and The Interesting, a series of conversations about quality with Vasilis van Gemert and an eclectic mix of designers. In this episode I have a conversation with Qa’id Jacobs, a Product and System Designer based in Amsterdam.

“We talk quite a bit about the need for change. Designers need to be able to change, businesses need to be able to change as well. We wonder how to change office culture, both from a design leader perspective, and from a junior level point of view. And we wonder if we should try to learn anything from the music industry. Among many other things. But as usual we start with the question What makes a thing good?“

Started from the Margins now we here

(2017 - AlterConf, London)

This presentation given at AlterConf London 2017. In the tech and digital goods industry, successful products are often those made to be consumed by many, various people. How do we creators know what various people want? Empathy, that's how. This reality makes the skill of empathy powerful and sought after. In fact, EMPATHY is a superpower. Who has empathy in spades? Marginalized folks, that's who! Unable to celebrate our empathy advantage, most of us who are excluded from resources and opportunity have been forced to be empathetic in order to avoid being ostracized, impoverished, assaulted, or killed by those in positions of power. In this talk I explore the buzzword EMPATHY, and examine modern social structures that force the marginalized to be empathetic or die. Within this lens I will refocus a light on the way we can leverage our highly performing powers of empathy to combat those forces of marginalization responsible for the reluctant and conditional advantage of being disadvantaged.

Honor Your Struggle by Hacking Corporate Culture

(2016 - AlterConf, Paris)

This presentation is a 4 part, UX-based strategy of Analysis, Destruction, (re)Design, and Adjustment tactics given at AlterConf Paris 2016. Its components are derived from the lived experience of thriving on the margins and challenging the status quo. Let's explore this strategy as a way to both bring our whole selves to work and produce excellent digital products at the same time. As marginalized people wanting to do our best technology and design work in impactful ways, we often find ourselves in corporate or company cultures that are designed for our failure and misery. Fighting for our personal survival in theses spaces is usually misunderstood by others as a fight that has nothing to do with the products and services we're trying to build. But how can an organization generate a truly successful product if the ENVIRONMENT in which it's made is actually designed for people's failure

Revision Path Podcast Episode 170

December 12, 2016

From host and legend, Maurice Cherry:

“I don’t remember exactly how I first found out about Qa’id Jacobs, but based on our conversation, he’s someone that I will never forget. Our conversation was so deep, in fact, that I wanted to make this our first two-part episode!

“In part one of our talk, I got to learn more about Qa’id, including what he does as a product and systems designer, how his background in music and business led him to tech and design, the myth of Black creatives fleeing to Europe for greater civility, and what eventually prompted his move overseas to The Netherlands. Stay tuned as our conversation continues next week!”

Revision Path Podcast Episode 171

December 19, 2016

From host and peerless chronicler of Black design talent, Maurice Cherry:

“This week’s episode picks up a few weeks after Qa’id Jacobs and I first talked. (If you missed Part 1 of this interview, listen to it here.) The presidential election just ended here in the U.S., and I wanted to get Qa’id’s feedback on how he was feeling.

“What follows is pretty surprising! I ask Qa’id if he and his family are still planning to move back to the United States, and he shares his thoughts on how and what these turbulent times mean for designers and for Black Americans. It’s a bit of a departure from the normal Revision Path interview, but I thought it was a fitting way to close out the year.“