The Flatlandery Show

Ready to log out? In this episode, we discuss why 2026 might just be the year to make an analog escape. From the click of a Polaroid camera to the warmth of incandescent-style Christmas lights, consumers--including us!-- are longing for real, sensory-authentic experiences over the digital deluge.Best Bits• Digital vs. Real-Real: Why we’re craving physical media like cassettes and vinyl in the current licensing era • Anemoia Effect: Why Gen Z is homesick for the 1980s/1990s • Tactile Trust: How haptics and physical feedback (like the Metal Gear Solid heart attack sequence) build deeper human connection• Nowstalgia Examples: A deep dive into Tru-Tone’s vintage lighting and Vacation Inc.’s 1980s immersive digital experience.Mentions: Polaroid/OneStep 2 Mariah Carey/Vision of LoveThe Arsenio Hall ShowU2/ How to Dismantle an Atomic BombAlfHuey Lewis and the NewsIsaac Hayes / ShaftBoyz II MenStefan BucherXboxNook/ Barnes & NobleAmmunition Group/Robert BrunnerGreta Gerwig / Little WomenKeira Knightley / Pride and PrejudiceFriendsCheersMetal Gear Solid/ Hideo KojimaDavid HayterOcelotTru-ToneVacation IncAnalog PocketStranger ThingsDoritos / NetflixDavid Hasselhoff / PaulaAbdulTransformers / Ultra MagnusIf you’re in thebusiness of digital experiences, subscribe and hit the notification bell formore Flatlandery solidarity in the digital product design space.

Is your app inadvertently triggering a user’s scam reflex? In this episode, Nate Voss and Megan Thome of Flatlander Studio explore the invisible layer of trust architecture that governs how users feel when they hand over their most sensitive health and financial data.We move the convo past security icons to discuss the degree of theatricality of UX, how brand voice acts as an emotional safety net, and why sometimes--counter-intuitively--slowing your app down is the best way to prove to your users that you’re actually doing the work.Best Bits:[08:24] The Gibson app and alternate history UX[14:14] Leading Trust Killer: micro-dissimilarities [16:21] Why some processes need to be slow to feel secure[21:28] Brand as security in health data[26:15] Hiding behind transparency. We said it.Mentions: Gibson (The Gibson App)Kiki’s Delivery ServiceGarminLinkedIn (Privacy Settings)If you’re in the business of digital experiences, subscribe and hit the notification bell for more Flatlandery solidarity in the digital product design space.

Is your customer portal a self-service engine or a ticket factory? In our first episode of 2026, Nate Voss and Megan Thome of Flatlander Studio dive into the often overlooked, quiet-cost world of portals and hubs.We break down the hidden financial impact of poor UX, from the $50 support call to the "Paradox of Choice,” and explain how to move from generic user buckets to personalized, intuitive experiences that customers actually love.Best Bits:[02:15] Real cost of a support ticket (and why it’s killing your margins)[05:30] Why "feature creep" is the enemy of a clean portal[13:10] Paradox of Choice: What "buttons everywhere" really means [18:20] Logical vs. Intuitive Navigation: Lessons from the early days of Apple and GarminMentions: Southwest Airlines appSun Tzu & The Art of WarGarmin FitnessSteve JobsIf you’re in the business of digital experiences, subscribe and hit the notification bell for more Flatlandery solidarity in the digital product design space.

In our first, festive and extra-flat holiday special, Flatlander Studio founders Nate Voss and Megan Thome cover everything from seasonal traditions and serious 2026 industry forecasts. We dive into the logistics of massive 6,000-person corporate gala and why a reckoning for human creativity could be coming for your feed next year.What We Cover:6,000-Person Party: Nate recounts the scale of Garmin holiday events—complete with aerialists and military targeting systems—and why bigger isn't always better for company culture.Potluck Pitfall: Megan explains why asking employees to bring the food to their own party is a culture fail, and how small agencies win by keeping it "family style.”Human-made Please: Why the "human fingerprint" is still preferred in presentations.Product #2 & Self-Funding: A cryptic tease of Flatlander Studio’s next big thing and our commitment to staying self-funded."Cloud Dancer" Controversy: Our immediate (and skeptical) reaction to Pantone’s 2026 color of the year.The Best Bits7:02 Holiday Rapid Fire and "Kringle" the Spider 11:48 Global Entrepreneurship Week KC (GEWKC) Recap24:13 Flatlander Studio BusinessUpdate (Staying Self-Funded)37:06 Holiday Party Breakdown: In-house vs. Agency Vibes52:07 2026 Predictions56:03 Pantone 2026 and "Cloud Dancer" Mentions: Jet-Puffed marshmallows TruTone Christmas lightsBrach’s candyElf on the ShelfFisherman sweatersGlobal Entrepreneurship Week KC (GEWKC) Union Station Planetarium Garmin Boulevard Nutcracker Ale Joslyn CastlePantone 2026 "Cloud Dancer" DestinyShuffle dancingThe Brothers Karamazov If you’re in the business of digital experiences, subscribe and hit the notification bell for more Flatlandery solidarity in the digital product design space.

In our latest banter, Flatlander Studio founders Nate Voss and Megan Thome discuss the biggish design news: Canva's baller move against the Adobe Creative Cloud monopoly, and we reveal what a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) really needs to be to get you to an app that people love.What We Cover:• Adobe Lifelong Tax vs. Free Forever. Why Canva making Affinity free is an "apocalyptic" marketing move and signals a reprieve in the subscription era.• "Ensh*tification," candid discussion on why big platforms (like Adobe and Google) inevitably make their products worse, and how designers can combat that trend.• MVP vs. Prototype: The difference between internal testing and a true shippable product, correcting the single biggest mistake founders make.• Roller Skate Trap: Why shipping a "sh*tty version of an airplane" leads to “catastrophic customer failure” and app deletion.• How to build an MVP that over-delivers for the user and becomes an app people genuinely love and keep opening.The Best Bits• 01:01 Spicy News in the Design Industry• 04:04 Adobe Monopoly • 07:35 Why the Subscription Model is Broken • 22:31 "Enshitification" of Big Tech Platforms• 25:08 Introduction to Minimum Viable Products (MVPs)• 31:34 Myth of the MVP: What Most Teams Get Wrong• 34:26 Roller Skate Trap: Shipping a Terrible Version of a Great Idea• 45:40 Our USP: Build Products People LoveMentions:John Knoll MacromediaFreehandQuark ExpressPhotoshopEnshitification by Cory DoctorowSketchApple ArcadeIf you’re in the business of digital experiences, subscribe and hit the notification bell for more Flatlandery solidarity in the digital product design space.

Welcome to the debut of The Flatlandery Show!In this first unscripted conversation, Flatlander Studio founders Megan Thome and Nate Voss reveal the "why" behind digital product design studio. We pull back the curtain on the journey from agency roles to launching a company committed to building digital products people genuinely love.We cover:• The frustrations of the "Big Giant Agency" model and why it drove us to prioritize craft and quality over volume.• Our philosophy on blending UI/UX design and product branding for cohesive customer experiences (CX).• Why, in an age of AI slop, we still believe that human connection is THE sustainable competitive advantage in digital product design.• Insights into when your business truly needs a dedicated app—a tease of Nate’s upcoming talk, "Maybe It's an App."If you're a founder, product manager or designer who believes that human design matters in digital products, this conversation is for you.Human Interest Mentions:Todd McFarlandJim LeeQuikTripFrench PaperGrant SniderFiona AppleJay SchwedelsonFlatlander PizzaSubscribe for more honest insights into digital product design, innovation and brand identity