This is HCD – Human-Centered Design, UX & Service Design Thinking Podcast Marc Stickdorn on Journey Management, AI & Leading Change in Chaotic Times
Nov 26, 2025
Marc Stickdorn, a service design pioneer and CEO of Smaply, discusses the evolving landscape of service design and journey management. He highlights how organizations can scale service design across teams for systemic change. Stickdorn shares insights on integrating measurable ROI and effective communication with leadership. He emphasizes the importance of using AI thoughtfully, while advocating for real human research over algorithmic shortcuts. Additionally, he reveals tactics for fostering credibility through stealth projects that tie directly to organizational outcomes.
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Scaling Beyond A Single Team
- Service design is normalized but the problem is scaling it across teams and departments.
- Journey management helps translate vision into prioritized actions across horizons one to three.
Work Across Three Horizons
- Use horizon thinking: fix near-term pain points while mapping a 10–15 year vision.
- Tie short-term actions to the long-term vision to prepare the organisation for future change.
Use Stealth Projects To Build Credibility
- Run stealth projects with boring names and embed service design methods quietly into business work.
- Measure impact in the organisation's language (revenue, cost, people helped) to prove ROI.
