

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 27, 2023 • 31min
Scott Jenson ‘Part 2 of 2: Open Source Design Movement: How Designers can help change the game’
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 with the second part to my conversation with Scott Jenson to explore how Designer can actively get more involved with the free and open source software movement. We speak more about why this is of such an interest to Scott, and he gives his awesome advice to others on how they can get involved.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

Apr 25, 2023 • 42min
Darjan Hil ‘The Art of Visualising Complexity’
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/hcdA number of months ago, I was researching for my keynote in Scotland in June this year, and I stumbled across the work of Superdot studio in Switzerland. I was blown away by all the amazing work that they had done and was thrilled to see that they were in the process of publishing their book, Visualising Complexity - A Modular Information Handbook. I purchased it and from the moment it arrived on my desk, it has not been too far away. I show it to people on Zoom calls and any of the trainings that I have been doing. I have recommended it to many of my peers. I feel so lucky to have this podcast, as it allows me to reach out to people I truly respect and connect with them over a conversation, and I did just that with this book.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

Apr 20, 2023 • 39min
Steven Russell 'The Rise of the Autonomous Bus: A Look into the Future of Transit'
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 Steven Russell, a service designer and now Innovation Manager at Stagecoach bus in the UK. We chat about autonomous buses - a project that Steven has been working on for quite some time. Now, no longer in the realms of movies like Back to the Future 2, it’s not too far away. How far I hear you ask? Well at some point this year, Edinburgh will hopefully become one of the first cities in the world to start rolling the service out in a R and D capacity.We chat about all the ins and outs about the process, and discuss what the service might look like, potential service failures and other industry dependencies like insurance (who is responsible in the case of accidents) and also how to prepare society for visual of seeing a bus with people driving down the road, with no human driver at the wheel.Note: Since recording the launch date for the autonomous bus service has been announced. It will open to the public on Monday, the 15th of May.Connect with Steven: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenjrussell/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

Apr 18, 2023 • 48min
Dee Seaver 'The Broken Promise of Design Academia: A Call to Action'
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 Dee Seaver from Philips about the role of the Service Design function within organisations and the interconnectedness towards how academia prepares designers towards either agency or in-house practice. It may seem like a small nuance, but it’s a really interesting conversation to have and reflect.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 28, 2023 • 46min
Oliver Weidlich 'Creating Immersive Experiences with Spatial Computing'
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 caught up with Oliver Weidlich, of Contxtu.al Sydney, formerly known as Mobile Experience.I’ve met Oliver several times over the years whilst living in Sydney, always in passing, and never in detail, but was always hugely impressed when I saw him speak about Design, and here is no different.We focus our conversation on spatial computing, and get straight into the nitty gritty of what this is, and how it will radically change how we design services and experiences. We chat about the complexity of data ownership, and build on the conversation threads that myself and Scott Jenson spoke several months ago.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 21, 2023 • 40min
Perk Pomeyie 'How bauxite mining destroys Nature and communities'
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/hcdPerk Pomeyie is a Ghanaian environmental activist from Accra, who is currently the National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement-a leading youth-led environment and climate advocacy and campaign group in Ghana. I started by asking Perk to tell me more about how the youth movement works.https://gerrymcgovern.com/books/world-wide-waste/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 14, 2023 • 50min
Charlotte Fountaine ‘Service Designing a stigma-free and relevant mental health support to empower the LGBTQIA+ community to lead happier, healthier lives’
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 caught up with Charlotte Fontaine, an incredible service designer in the UK.We speak about Kalda, a service that has really opened my eyes through my own naivety and in exposure to the needs of people within the LGBTQIA+ community.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 9, 2023 • 54min
Roya Azadi ‘Improving Access to Justice at the Supreme Court’
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 caught up with Roya Azadi, strategic director at Paper Giant, a design consultancy based in Melbourne, Australia.I follow a few places on my personal social accounts and really respect the work that the folks at Paper Giant do, and was really excited when I saw a project that they did with the Supreme Court in Victoria around accessing Justice. We chat about the project is detail, how Roya and the fellow team members built trust, worked alongside other consultancies, remained focussed on the analogue, and also what Roya brought to the project themselves, through their own story. It’s a great conversation.https://www.papergiant.net/work/a-user-experience-strategy-to-improve-access-to-justice-at-the-supreme-courthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/royaaazadi/?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

Mar 7, 2023 • 38min
Bronwyn Van Der Merwe ‘Exploring and Scaling Design Culture internationally at Fjord and now Culture Amp’
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 caught up with Bronwyn Van Der Merwe, VP of Design at Culture Amp.We speak about Design Culture and tap into Bronwyn’s absolutely incredible background and personal experience that saw Bronwyn spearhead the evolution of Fjord in APAC regions.What were the key things that Bronwyn did to ensure the scalability of a design culture at Fjord in Australia, and also when it scaled into Asian regions like Singapore and Japan. How did they balance the local culture in each region and touch on how this was handled as the merger between Fjord and Accenture unfolded, that ultimately saw two cultures merge.We speak about Bronwyn’s past, tapping into their Commerce background, and how this ultimately provides them with a brilliant lens to peer through when looking at the commercial impact of Design. We chat about the work that they are doing at Culture Amp, and the special culture that is unfolding within the business.I say this lightly, but this is a must listen to anyone in Design leadership.LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwynvdm/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 2, 2023 • 46min
Kaustubh Thapa 'E - waste : Ultimate Producer Responsibility'
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/hcdPeople like Kaustubh Thapa give me hope. Kaustubh is finishing his PhD at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. His collaborative research in Nigeria, China and Vietnam incorporates justice, equity, and sustainability for a fairer EU waste trade and a just circular economy transition.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