

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

Mar 18, 2024 • 48min
"Empowering Resilience: The Journey of Lilli Graf"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.We have the pleasure of hosting Elisabeth Graf, affectionally known as Lilli. We connected a number of months ago on LinkedIn and I was so impressed by Lilli’s awesome background and devotion to applying design to enable a greater sense of resilience for both businesses and the planet.Hailing from the beautiful area of Verona in Italy, somewhere I’ve never been but want to go, Lilli is truly on a mission to scale her knowledge, to maximize her impact, not only in her locale of Verona, but also globally through her dedicated community IMMA Collective, which we talk about in greater detail.Lilli, as you will probably get to see, is a wonderful human being and a really truly genuine example of what I refer to as a change maker. She’s taken personal and professional risks to really help enable change and I believe it is 100% worth connecting with her through her website or LinkedIn.Without further ado, let's dive into Lilli's incredible journey and learn more about her inspiring work.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-lilli-grafhttps://www.immacollective.com/Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Mar 8, 2024 • 43min
"Conversations with Kasper Bjørkskov: From Architect to Activist - Unveiling the Path to Collective Change"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.In this episode, I speak with Kasper Bjørkskov. A former architect and activist based in Copenhagen. We speak openly about his role within the existing systems in society, and why he switched from architecture to activist. What triggered this? And also, what is he striving to achieve?He’s extremely passionate about raising awareness of what we do as a collective and what we need to do more of within the complex systems of impact around climate change, sustainability, and initiating more and more communities to change for the better.He’s a truly wonderful guest, you’re going to love this one.linkedin.com/in/kasper-benjamin-reimer-bjørkskov-660a4899Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Mar 4, 2024 • 32min
"A Fresh Perspective on UX: 'Think in 4D' with Erica Heinz"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call. In this episode, I speak with Erica Heinz, author of Think in 4D, a brand new book aimed at user experience designers.It's absolutely beautifully designed, designed by themselves. And we discussed the industry of user experience or UX in detail, where she feels this book helps cover some of the voids due to the perceived shift in the user experience industry over the last decade. Now, Erica has been working with many amazing organizations and brings an awesome and much needed fresh perspective to user experience.She's truly wonderful. I loved speaking with her. Let's jump straight in.linkedin.com/in/ericaheinzCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Feb 22, 2024 • 45min
"Exploring Creativity and Collaboration: A Journey through Music Thinking and Jam Cards with Christof Zürn"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.Welcome back to the show to our old friend Christof Zürn. I actually had the pleasure of meeting this wonderful human being in person in Amsterdam earlier this month. Christof appeared on the podcast a number of years ago but since then has produced his book "The Power of Music Thinking”, published by BIS Publishers.In this episode, we speak more about the Jam Cards, which I'll link below. It’s an interactive and meaningful way to collaborate more effectively with yourself or with teams. We demo these Jam Cards in the episode, so you can listen to it or follow along on YouTube.Christof is absolutely awesome and I’m excited to share this one with you.Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Feb 19, 2024 • 48min
"Crafting Human-Centric Employee Experiences: Insights from Elliott Nelson"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.Today on the podcast, I'm delighted to welcome Elliott Nelson, Chief HX Officer, which is Human Experience Officer at HXWize in the US. Now we connected through my good friend and our good friend, Marc Stickdorn in 2023, and had great conversations about the complicated processes within the world of HR and employee experience. So this episode is really for anyone who has been wondering about using service design methods. For employee experience.Elliott is truly awesome. He was a fantastic guest. I know you're going to find it really interesting to listen to him. I know you're going to love this episode. So let's jump straight in.linkedin.com/in/elliott-nelson-392343https://www.hxwize.com/Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

31 snips
Feb 10, 2024 • 45min
"Unlocking Creativity: Exploring Liminal Coaching with Mike Parker"
Today's guest is Mike Parker, owner and founder of Liminal Coaching. They explore the concept of liminality and liminal thinking, the stress reservoir, fostering a creative thinking mindset, hypnosis, systems thinking and organizational change, and trauma and its effects.

Jan 24, 2024 • 1h 2min
"Journey Map Ops Unveiled: Navigating Customer Experiences with Richard, Maren, and Marc"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.In this episode, stand in host Richard McMurray, service designer from the UK, meets Maren Hotvedt, service designer at Atlassian in the U.S., and Marc Stickdorn, service design expert from Austria. They delve into the world of customer journey management operations and discuss the practical application of journey maps as decision-making tools within organizations. Our host and guests share insights from their experiences, emphasizing the need for flexibility, scalability, and effective communication across teams.linkedin.com/in/richardmcmurrayCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Jan 16, 2024 • 48min
"Redefining Promises: Shaping the Future of Customer Experience with Damian Kernahan"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.On this episode, we catch up with Damian Kernahan in Sydney, Australia for an insight into his professional journey, spanning from the advertising industry to co-founding a service design firm. We discuss the challenges of navigating complexity and silos in large organisations and reflect on the limitations of personas in designing effective customer experiences. Damian emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs and emotions, proposing a shift from brand promises to actionable service promises. The conversation also touches on the evolving baseline of customer expectations, the significance of consistent experiences across channels, and the role of service design in shaping the future Western Sydney International Airport. Ultimately, the episode advocates for a focus on keeping promises and delivering value to customers in a metronomic fashion.Click here to watch a video of this episode.
Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Jan 12, 2024 • 50min
Jon Wallhouse "Sutsu: Crafting Fashion with Purpose and Longevity in a Disposable World"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.Our guest on this episode is Jon Wallhouse, founder of Sutsu, a clothing label with a unique approach to fashion. Jon shares his journey, starting with his passion for design since childhood and his dream of owning a surf clothing label, setting the foundation for his future endeavors at the age of 15.We cover the evolution of Sutsu, initially launched as an "anti-brand brand" with a focus on positive environmental impact, the challenges faced during the financial crisis, leading Jon to pivot and start a design agency. The resurgence of interest in Sutsu during the lockdown prompted Jon to relaunch the brand online, resulting in unexpected success.The conversation delves into the tension between affordability and longevity surrounding Sutsu’s ethos and high-quality products.Overall, the episode provides insights into Jon Wallhouse's entrepreneurial journey, the philosophy behind Sutsu, and a broader discussion on the value of longevity in both products and personal endeavors.Creators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10

Dec 20, 2023 • 52min
"Driving Design Innovation: Building Mindsets, Navigating Challenges, and Assessing Maturity with Munib Karavdic"
If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.In this episode, Gerry interviews Munib Karavdic, a design innovation expert. Munib shares insights into his work at Wave Design, an Australian design innovation company, where the focus is on helping businesses design new programs to address pain points or improve user experiences. He emphasizes the importance of elevating the mindset of people involved in design projects and building capabilities within organizations.Munib discusses the challenges of intrapreneurship, drawing on Steve Jobs' experience at Apple and Pixar. He highlights the need for entrepreneurs within large organizations to navigate stakeholders, inspire teams, and develop a different set of skills compared to startup entrepreneurs. The conversation delves into the value of encouraging entrepreneurship in all organizations and the necessity of having a strategy in place to align innovation efforts with overall goals.Later in the episode, Munib introduces "WaveAssess," a tool developed during his time at AMP, aimed at assessing an organization's innovation and design maturity. He discusses the importance of problem framing to achieve alignment and shares a practical trick involving visual designers to facilitate discussions around solutions. The episode provides valuable insights into the challenges and strategies involved in driving design innovation within corporate settings.linkedin.com/in/humancentreddesignCreators & Guests
Gerry Scullion - Host
Stef Murphy - Producer
Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave 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. Use HCD10 to get 10% off this range.Get 10% off ScenarioCards.org when you used our link https://scenariocards.org/HCD10


