174 - The Emotional Power of Convenience with Maxalan Vickers of Overtime

What if convenience isn’t just about saving time—but about reducing stress, mental load, and friction? In this episode of The Greenbook Podcast, Karen Lynch sits down with Maxalan Vickers, Senior Insights Manager at Overtime, to explore how empathy, accessibility, and convenience intersect in modern consumer experiences. Drawing from his popular IIEX North America presentation, Maxalan shares why convenience should be viewed as an emotional outcome rather than a functional benefit. He discusses how Gen Z’s expectations are reshaping digital experiences, why insights should focus on relieving uncertainty, and how brands can better design products and services for neurodivergent consumers.

From Apple Wallet and Amazon Prime to sports media and social engagement, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on creating experiences that truly make life easier—while also recognizing when convenience can go too far.

Key Discussion Points:

• Why convenience is the “love child” of empathy and accessibility
• How Overtime built a sports media brand around Gen Z behaviors and preferences
• Defining a great insight as something that “relieves uncertainty”
• The role of cognitive load, neurodiversity, and accessibility in product design
• When convenience becomes harmful: AI, sports betting, infinite scroll, and other cautionary examples
• Why insights teams should ask, “What would make your life easier?” instead of “What do you want?”

Resources & Links:

• Overtime
• IIEX Europe Event

You can reach out to Maxalan Vickers on LinkedIn.

Many thanks to Maxalan Vickers for being our guest. Thanks also to our production team and our editor at Big Bad Audio.