

Power of Ten with Andy Polaine
Power of Ten with Andy Polaine
In the Power of Ten podcast, Andy Polaine talks to guests from a broad range of disciplines about the intersection of design, technology, psychology, organisations, culture and society. The show looks at how design operates at many levels and in many forms, from thoughtful detail through organisational transformation to the changes in society and the world.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 30, 2024 • 55min
S4 Ep3: Jaimes Nel - Do design frameworks lead to boring products and services?
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
Has the product and design obsession with frameworks and process led to everyone working on autopilot, churning out a bland monoculture of design? When are they useful and when do they simply become a crutch? Have we hit "peak framework"?
My guest is Jaimes Nel, founder of Path, a consultancy that helps organisations play the long game through design-led strategy. Jaimes was Head of Insight for pioneering service design agency Livework in the early years of service design practice. He’s worked on service transformation for brands such as the NHS, BBC, Aviva, Johnson&Johnson, Ebay, GOV.UK / HMRC and led a transformation design team at Westpac in Australia, delivering their digital mortgage service.
SHOW LINKS
JAIMES
• Path Ventures - https://pathventures.io
• Jaimes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimesnel/
ANDY
• Andy's website - https://www.polaine.com
• Andy's coaching practice: https://www.polaine.com/coaching
• Subscribe to Power of Ten - https://pln.me/p10
• Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note - https://pln.me/nws
• Andy's YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine
• Andy's online courses - https://courses.polaine.com
• Andy on Mastodon - https://pkm.social/@apolaine
• Andy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
• Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch! - https://www.polaine.com/contact

26 snips
Feb 26, 2024 • 1h 2min
S4 Ep2: Peter Merholz - State of the Design Nation
Peter Merholz and Andy Polaine discuss the burst bubble of design, the state of the design nation, mediocrity in design industries, the evolution of in-house design teams, and the impact of corporate cultural shifts on craftsmanship and apprenticeship in design.

Jan 11, 2024 • 42min
S4 Ep1: Linn Vizard - Service Design for Real World Outcomes
Join Linn Vizard, founder of Made Manifest and a leader in service design, as she dives into the intricacies of creating impactful public services. Linn shares her journey from studying industrial design in Ireland to establishing Service Design Toronto. She critiques the trend of digital-centric service design and emphasizes the need for holistic solutions. Explore her approach to prototyping at Toronto City Hall, enhancing user experiences, and why practical delivery often eludes designers, all while calling for meaningful human interactions in service design.

Dec 10, 2023 • 46min
S3 Ep9: Aparna Rae — Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the workplace requires deep structural change
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the workplace should be driven by data and transparency. But, says Aparna Rae, it is not enough. The real work is deep structural change to the organisation if we are to make our systems more equitable, more fair, more just, and not take dignity and humanity away from people.
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest in this episode is Aparna Rae, an educator by training, innovator by chance and disrupter by choice who loves to solve problems, connect people and build power.
She is an award-winning multi-startup founder and founder of Moving Beyond, leveraging data to create workplaces that work for everyone, building products that solve complex DEI and people challenges using real-time Employee Voice & Impact data, grounded in human-centered design.
In 2021, she joined a cadre of female founders - just 2% of all women-owned businesses whose companies reach $1M in revenue.
SHOW LINKS:
APARNA
Aparna's website: https://www.aparnarae.com
Aparna's newsletter: https://aparnarae.substack.com
ANDY
Website: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine

Nov 22, 2023 • 1h 1min
S3 Ep8: Sara Wachter-Boettcher – Breaking the Gaslighting Cycle of People Pleasing & Overwork
Author, strategist, and facilitator Sara Wachter-Boettcher discusses gaslighting in organizations and the cycle of designers seeking validation. They explore the impact of gaslighting on employees and the complicity of the design profession. The podcast also compares the design and engineering disciplines in tech companies and emphasizes the importance of rethinking work and finding purpose beyond one's identity.

Nov 12, 2023 • 48min
S3 Ep7: Alison Coward – Workshop Culture
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
This episode's guest is Alison Coward, a strategist, workshop facilitator, coach, and an author with 20 years' experience in leading creative teams. Alison speaks about her professional journey, her perspective on collaboration in the creative industries, and the importance of workshops in a business environment. We discuss her book, "Workshop Culture: A Guide to Building Teams that Thrive", and the five pillar system it presents - alignment, cohesion, communication, design, and change.
Show Links
This show's web page
Alison
Workshop Culture book site
Bracket Creative
Alison on LinkedIn
Andy
Subscribe to Power of Ten
Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
Andy's online courses
Andy's YouTube channel
Andy on Mastodon
Andy on LinkedIn
Polaine.com
Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!

Oct 10, 2023 • 57min
S3 Ep6: Kate Tarling – The Service Organization
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Kate Tarling, a service leader and specialist who helps large organisations create successful services, by changing their working practices. She does this through consulting, training and writing, and regularly advises boards, executives and teams. She’s managing director of a services consultancy she founded in 2012 and previously held senior leadership roles in government and the private sector. She is the author of best-selling book The Service Organization.
Here we speak about her must-read book, ways to enable change and service design within large organisations, how to understand and help people get aligned, and the relationship of service design to product design. I really enjoyed our conversation and could have gone on much longer. I hope you enjoy it too!
Show Links
This show's web page
Kate
Kate’s website
Kate on LinkedIn
Kate on Twitter
The Service Organization book site
Andy
Subscribe to Power of Ten
Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
Andy's online courses
Andy on Mastodon
Andy on LinkedIn
Polaine.com
Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!

Sep 20, 2023 • 57min
S3 Ep5: Dr Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon – The Space Between Transformation and Liberation
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Dr Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon, known as Doctor OG, an innovation catalyst, researcher, facilitator, and evaluator, based in Botswana. Pierce is impassioned by the space between transformation and liberation, and researches the complexity, evaluation, and emergence of design and innovation across the world.
Here we explore what that space between transformation and liberation actually is, the issues of power dynamics of politics in design, and why Human-Centred Design (HCD) can often exacerbate problems as opposed to being their solution.
Show Links
This show's web page
Pierce
Moving Beyond
Equity Intuition Lab
Pierce on LinkedIn
Andy
Subscribe to Power of Ten
Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
Andy's online courses
Andy on Mastodon
Andy on LinkedIn
Polaine.com
Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!

Jun 29, 2023 • 51min
S3 Ep4: Sheryl Cababa – Systems Thinking for Designers
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Sheryl Cababa, author of Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers. Sheryl is a design researcher and strategist, and is the chief strategy officer at Substantial, a research insights and development studio based in Seattle. Her practice is focused on systems thinking and equity center design, and she’s worked with a diverse base of clients, including the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Ikea, and Khan Academy.
Show Links
This show's web page
Sheryl
Sheryl on LinkedIn
Sheryl at Substantial
Sheryl on Twitter
Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers
Andy
Subscribe to Power of Ten
Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
Andy's online courses
Andy on Mastodon
Andy on LinkedIn
Polaine.com
Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!

4 snips
May 4, 2023 • 51min
S3 Ep3: Alex Schmidt – Deliberate Intervention
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Alex Schmidt, author of Deliberate Intervention: Using Policy and Design to Blunt the Harms of New Technology.
Alex has pursued interests in public service and design through different avenues over her career. As an award-winning reporter and producer for NPR and others, she covered arts, business, technology, and urban development. Alex has published work in The New Yorker and The Los Angeles Times , among other outlets. Her writing about UX, privacy, and other design topics has appeared in A List Apart and The Columbia Journalism Review.
As a researcher, strategist, and UX designer, Alex has worked both for agencies and in the public sector. Her greatest interest lies in the wicked problems inherent in enterprise design and the mysterious ways of large systems.
Show Links
This show's web page
Alex
Alex on LinkedIn
Alex on Twitter
Alex’s personal website
Deliberate Intervention book
Andy
Subscribe to Power of Ten
Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
Andy's online courses
Andy on Mastodon
Andy on LinkedIn
Polaine.com
Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!


