

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

Jul 11, 2023 • 52min
Sarah Clearwater ‘The Intersection of Design and Leadership: Navigating the Journey’
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/hcdToday on the show I speak with Sarah Clearwater about a Design Leadership white paper that she instigated and curated, speaking to many people across various organisations. Sarah's based in New Zealand, and I drill deeper into the background of the paper.Website: https://www.sarahclearwater.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahclearwater/?originalSubdomain=nzCreators & 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

Jun 15, 2023 • 59min
Florian Bailey 'Service Design Secrets: Elevating Michelin Dining'
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/hcdEarlier this year, I attended a conference in Nuremberg called Teaming with AI, run by my good friends, Markus Edgar Hormess, Adam Lawrence from WorlPlayExperience and also today’s guest, Florian Bailey.The day before the event, myself and Florian spent some time together and hung out and explored the office where he was based. In passing, Florian mentioned he also was co-founder of Etz a 2-Star Michelin restaurant. I actually thought he was joking, but no, one of his businesses was the most incredible restaurant. The reason why I thought he was joking was, I’ve watched those documentaries on how demanding these types of restaurants can be - and I knew Florian was already super busy with his User Centered Strategy business, Nurenberg Festival etcThe next day, at the event, Etz provided all the food. The food was extremely special but that wasn’t the bit that I was most interested in. I was interested in the journey that Florian and his co-founder went on to get to this point. I mentioned that I had walked around the office space, well this is the same space that Markus and Adam use for their amazing This is Service Design Doing workshops from time to time. But it’s also the same space that Florian used to test the prototype for the restaurant - where was the line of visibility, the line of interaction. I wanted to drill a little deeper into these areas and learn more about that journey, what worked, what didn’t work.So if you’re looking for an awesome example of a world-class business that utilises service design methods - look no further.https://etzrestaurant.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-bailey-b301512Creators & 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

Jun 1, 2023 • 45min
Katie O'Donoghue 'Artful Minds: Nurturing Children's Emotional Growth Through Art Therapy'
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 of the Makers & Doers Podcast, I speak with Katie O'Donoghue, an artist and author of several beautiful children’s books. Katie is an art psychotherapist and is in the process of completing her PhD in Health Psychology in UCL. Katie speaks to me today about the power of introducing art and design to children, and how it can help them process emotions.https://www.katieodonoghueart.com/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

May 25, 2023 • 34min
Justyna Turek ‘A fresh perspective:The Role of Human-Centered Design in Sustainability’
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 conversation I caught up Justyna Turek, founder of many businesses and based in Sweden. Justyna works most often with Next Agents and Change Pilots in Poland. We speak about the work that they have been focussed on for over a decade, sustainability and design. I wanted to explore how they got into it, as I know there are many people that I coach who are interested in this space, but maybe feel unsure on how to work more in this space. We all know the crisis that we face globally with global warming, so aligning to Earth Centered Design Principles is probably not a massive leap for most of us, but just how would you get started…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

May 18, 2023 • 43min
Zoë Rose ‘Design Through Time: Unraveling the Evolution of Methodologies and Frameworks’
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 conversation I caught up Zoe Rose, of Great Question in Australia. We speak about the background and history of design methods, as far back as 1950. Zoe is a well of information on this topic, and proves to be a really fun and enjoyable exploration back in time…Linkshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/zoerose/http://greatquestion.com.au/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

May 16, 2023 • 51min
Manuel Lima ‘The New Designer: Pioneering Perspectives’
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/hcdOn Manuel Lima’s website, he mentions “a celebrated voice on UX design and data visualization who has spent the past 15 years leading design teams and building cutting-edge digital experiences at companies like Google, Codecademy, Microsoft, Nokia….”. His first three books were breathtakingly beautiful. If you like data and visualisations, then you are more than likely familiar with one or all of his books.A number of months ago, Manuel sent me an advance of his latest book, The New Designer and it instantly felt different. I could sense a sea change had occurred and in this conversation that you are about to hear, we discuss the reflective process that Manuel took in the creation of this book.It’s an awesome book - that is perfectly timed. Many of us are questioning our roles in the creation of service that perpetuate social structures and norms. This book is not just for you, but it’s for everyone you know who is on a journey of self-discovery and purpose.This was a lot of fun to record and hope you enjoy it!https://www.mslima.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mslimaCreators & 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

May 11, 2023 • 39min
Frank Müeller ‘Revolutionising Work Spaces with Playmobil Pro: the Ultimate Tool for Creativity and Collaboration’
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 conversation I caught up Frank Mueller, of Playmobil Pro. Frank is Managing Director of GBI Global Business Innovation in Munich. We speak the incredible kit that I recently bought for the new Makers & Doers School that I have launched, which is a design school for children aged 6-12. We speak about how Playmobil works in the professional organisational capacity to help unlock conversations and visualise complexity.Click here to watch a video of this episode.
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

May 9, 2023 • 54min
Pietro Jarre ‘No such thing as sustainable mining’
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/hcdPietro Jarre has a doctorate in geotechnical engineering. He’s a specialist in geotechnical and environmental issues on waste rock deposits, mining infrastructures, landfills and brownfields. Since 2015, his focus is on the environmental and social impact of digital technologies. He’s founder of Sloweb association, something I’d highly recommend checking out at slowweb.org. Pietro starts our chat by recounting his early years in mining, leading up to the Los Frailes tailings dam disaster.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

May 3, 2023 • 33min
Steffi Kieffer 'Designing with AI: Exploring the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and 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/hcdHey folks, I’m delighted to bring you two exclusive interviews from a very special event that I attended recently in Nuremberg in Germany called Teaming with AI. A few weeks ago, as I was driving to Northern Ireland, I mentioned to my wife, about an event my friends Markus Hormess, Adam Lawrence and Florian Bailey were hosting. I didn’t expect to be given a free pass to attend from the family, but it came and I didn’t ask a second time.I’ve a bit of a love hate relationship with AI. I enjoy reading about, but can foresee some massive transformations that are likely to occur, not in the future, but right here and right now. I hadn’t really sat down and given the impact that much thought other than it was extremely likely. This event gave me the time to pause, connect, reflect and review the changes in macro level detail. But back to Design, well I was in a workshop led by our guest today, Steffi Keiffir. She is an independent practiioner and facilitates Design Thinking workshops, Design Sprints etc and has been using AI a lot more than most within their work, and we go deeper into this. Just how they are using, what AI pieces they are using, so if you listen to the entire episode, you’ll get an overview of just how much change is upon us. We used a basic 5-step design process and reviewed how, where and when AI can be applied and what the likely outcomes are.Quite simply, this is a must listen for anyone on the tools, or anyone within any strategic function in business today.Let’s get into it.https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffikieffer/Explore the Conference / https://www.teamingwith.ai/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

May 3, 2023 • 38min
Emily Hamilton ‘Designing Second Chances: Breaking the Cycle’
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 conversation I caught up Emily Hamilton, Senior Strategic Designer at Paper Giant in Australia. We speak about a project that Emily worked on recently that was related to recidivism and working with people who recently left a Justice facility. We speak about the project in detail, the methods used and outcomes achieved. Emily’s awesome, I know you will love this conversation.Learn more: https://www.papergiant.net/workConnect with Emily: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hamilton-7a669094/?originalSubdomain=auCreators & 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