

This is HCD – Human-Centered Design, UX & Service Design Thinking Podcast
Gerry Scullion
Welcome to This is HCD – Human-Centered Design, UX & Service Design Thinking Podcast, the global show for designers, innovators, and changemakers who want to create better products, services, and experiences.
Hosted by Gerry Scullion, with over 1-million downloads worldwide.
Each episode dives into conversations with leading voices in service design, UX design, interaction design, customer experience, and design strategy. Together, we explore the methods, mindsets, and real-world stories that bring human-centered design and design thinking to life.
Whether you’re a UX researcher, service design practitioner, product manager, or design leader, you’ll find actionable insights, practical tools, and inspiration to elevate your practice and drive meaningful change.
Tune in and join the global human-centered design community — learn how to design with purpose, create inclusive solutions, and shape a more thoughtful future.
Hosted by Gerry Scullion, with over 1-million downloads worldwide.
Each episode dives into conversations with leading voices in service design, UX design, interaction design, customer experience, and design strategy. Together, we explore the methods, mindsets, and real-world stories that bring human-centered design and design thinking to life.
Whether you’re a UX researcher, service design practitioner, product manager, or design leader, you’ll find actionable insights, practical tools, and inspiration to elevate your practice and drive meaningful change.
Tune in and join the global human-centered design community — learn how to design with purpose, create inclusive solutions, and shape a more thoughtful future.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 6, 2020 • 33min
Senongo Akpem 'Cross-Cultural Design'
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdThis episode's guest is Senongo Akpem, a designer, illustrator and the founder of Pixel Fable, a collection of interactive Afrofuturist stories and currently Design Director at Constructive, a social impact design agency. Senongo talks about how living in constantly shifting cultural and physical spaces has given him unique insight into the influence of culture on communication and creativity and forms the basis of his book, Cross-Cultural Design, published by A Book Apart.Show LinksEpisode transcriptsSenongo Akpem's websiteSenongo on TwitterCross-Cultural Design book sitePixel FableCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Mar 25, 2020 • 2min
Introducing 'World Wide Waste' with Gerry McGovern
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdWe are thrilled to welcome Gerry McGovern to the This is HCD Team, and delighted to present to you his new podcast, World Wide Waste.How do we design for less waste in digital? How can digital designers, developers and content professionals create a more environmentally friendly digital? One that uses less energy and creates less waste. One where reuse is at the core of thinking. One where the Earth Experience is central. Gerry McGovern will talk to designers who are pioneering green digital thinking and methods.Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Mar 25, 2020 • 32min
Amy Bucher 'Understanding Behaviour Change Design and how it co-exists and compliments other design disciplines'
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdIn this episode, I chat with the wonderful Amy Bucher, VP of Behavior Change from Mad*Pow in Boston in the United States. We chat about the emerging role of behavior change design and how it intersects with other disciplines like service design and user experience. I'll also cover off my personal unease with behavior change design, and unpack its ethical use - and sometimes its misuse - across industries.Amy gives fascinating examples of her work in healthcare and how she has used behavior change design to help improve the lives of people using those services. And we discuss how behavior change design practitioners sit within a more traditional design process and discuss the origins of her new book Engaged: Designing for Behavior Change on Rosenfeld Media.Now the folks over at Rosenfeld Media are amazing supporters of This is HCD and have given our listeners an exclusive 15% discount on Amys book!So all you have to do is go over to Rosenfeld Media and use the code HCDENGAGED to get the discount.Amy on Twitter / https://twitter.com/amybphdAmy on LinkedIn / https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybucher/Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Mar 18, 2020 • 53min
Sam Ladner 'Working with Cross-Functional Teams'
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSam Ladner is a sociologist who helps teams innovate, design, and learn. She is the author of Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private Sector and Mixed Methods: A Short Guide to Applied Mixed Methods Research. She has worked on dozens of advanced software projects including Alexa, the Echo Look, Windows 10, Microsoft Office 2016, Cortana, and HoloLens. She currently works at Workday, an enterprise software company, as a Principal Researcher studying the future of work. She received her PhD in sociology from York University and lives in the Bay Area with her husband and cat.Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Mar 15, 2020 • 41min
Douglas Ferguson 'Beyond the Prototype'
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdPower 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 onto changes in society and the world.In this episode, Douglas Ferguson talks about his book, Beyond the Prototype, which offers a six step plan for companies struggling with the shift from discovery to launch, especially in the post-sprint slump and his experience working directly with the Google Ventures Design Sprint coaches. Douglas also talks about the role of making and recording music in shaping his thought process. And math rock.Show LinksDouglas Ferguson - aka @TheDUG on TwitterThe Beyond the Prototype book siteVoltage ControlCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Mar 11, 2020 • 42min
Stefan Stern 'Finding ‘The Why’ in Leadership'
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdLinks in this episodeHow to Be a Better Leader Myths of ManagementCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Mar 7, 2020 • 34min
Rebecca Cooper & Mandy Rogers ‘Leading Women in Product’
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Feb 25, 2020 • 37min
Lou Downe 'Good Services'
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdIn this episode, Lou Downe, Director of Design and Transformation for the UK government, where they’re leading change in the UK’s housing sector, talks about their new book: Good Services, How to Design Services that work.Show LinksGood Services book siteLou Downe's websiteLou on TwitterCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Feb 13, 2020 • 43min
Raven Kaliana 'Examining trauma and using puppetry as a transformative tool''
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdIn this episode, I speak with Raven Kaliana, a puppeteer and human rights activist based in the UK and originally from the U.S. She studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, but what brings us here today is Raven’s remarkable story of how she uses puppetry to campaign for public awareness on policy change around child abuse issues. She’s written her own autobiographical play called: Hooray for Hollywood a play about Raven’s survival on escaping human trafficking as a child, which she’s since made into a film.http://ravenkaliana.com/http://outspiral.org.ukCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Jan 31, 2020 • 10min
Jon Colman 'What Design Managers look for within graduate portfolios at Intercom'
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Leave a review (+ help us grow): https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdIn this episode, we caught up with Jonathon Colman Senior Design Manager at Intercom, one of Irelands most successful and celebrated tech stories. We chat about the things Intercom look for in designers, how to get around the tricky aspects of not having enough experience and what to include in your portfolio, and also what you can do increase your chances of success in getting ahead in the job market.https://twitter.com/jcolmanhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jcolmanhttps://medium.com/@jcolmanCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip.OrLeave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSponsor links10x your service design offering with Smaply. Take 20% off your order with ''ThisisHCD20off'Sign up https://auth.smaply.app/sign-upCheck out This is HCD x Sutsu range. Gerry wears and endorses Sutsu ethical clothing. Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10