
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.
Latest episodes

Jan 11, 2024 • 42min
S4 Ep1: Linn Vizard - Service Design for Real World Outcomes
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 Linn Vizard, one of Canada’s leading advocates of service design who co-founded Service Design Toronto in 2013.
She’s the founder of, Made Manifest, a service design consultancy on a mission to make services better for Canadians, whether that’s getting a blood test done, visiting City Hall to pay your property tax bill or buying the perfect luxury jewellery gift.
Linn and Andy discussed the state of Service Design in a Product world. She argues the case that service design needs to focus on services for real world outcomes — services that actually get made and out there for people to use.
Show Links
Linn
Linn Vizard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnvizard/
Made Manifest: https://www.made-manifest.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

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!

Mar 23, 2023 • 57min
S3 Ep2: Abby Covert – Stuck? Diagrams Help.
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 the wonderful Abby Covert, an author, teacher and community leader in the field of information architecture who aims to make information architecture and sensemaking skills accessible to everyone.
Abby’s first book, How to Make Sense of Any Mess, demystified information architecture into a practical skillset that anyone can apply to any context where sense might need to be made. She recently published her second book, Stuck? Diagrams Help a field guide for the trek from diagram novice to diagram nerd.
Show Links
This show's web page
Abby
Abby’s website
Stuck? Diagrams Help
How to Make Sense of Any Mess
Abby’s Etsy shop
Abby on LinkedIn
Abby on Twitter
Andy
Subscribe to Power of Ten
Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
Andy's online courses
Andy on Twitter
Andy on LinkedIn
Polaine.com
Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!

Feb 6, 2023 • 44min
S3 Ep1: Natalie Dunbar – From Solo to Scaled
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 Natalie Dunbar, UX-focused content strategist with a unique blend of skills as a journalist, content writer, and user experience researcher. Natalie excels in balancing the creation of delightful user experiences with strategic content that supports the needs of a business or organization. She is author of the newly released Rosenfeld Media book, From Solo to Scaled: Building a Sustainable Content Strategy Practice.
Here Natalie talks about the various flavours and roles of content, the challenges and key inflection points as content teams scale.
Thanks to Rosenfeld Media, listeners can get Natalie’s book at 20% off the purchase price when you purchase directly from them using the code, POWEROFTENSTS.
Show Links
This show's web page
Natalie
Natalie's website
Natalie on Twitter
Natalie on Instagram
Natalie on LinkedIn
Natalie's Newsletter
Women Talk Design
The Content Strategy Los Angeles meetup group.
Natalie's book - From Solo to Scaled: Building a Sustainable Content Strategy Practice.
Andy
Subscribe to Power of Ten
Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
Andy's online courses
Andy on Twitter
Andy on LinkedIn
Polaine.com
Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!