HCD News Roundup - AI Reshapes UX Careers plus Canva acquires Affinity and more

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________AI and design — not the hype, not the doom, but the practical reality. Behrad Mirafshar is the founder of Bonanza Design and host of the UX for AI podcast. He's been deep in the weeds using AI in real client projects — from research and data sense-making through to agents, automation and building modern applications. In this conversation, Gerry and Behrad explore why the real value of AI-driven design sits in the research phase, not auto-generated wireframes. They discuss how designers can use AI as a sparring partner and agent ecosystem to move faster through the double diamond, what skills and attitudes will matter most as we head toward 2030, and the tough questions around bias, inclusion, data ownership, and the younger generation using these tools.https://www.bonanza-studios.com/de.linkedin.com/in/behradmirafshar3. Three Key TakeawaysThe real value of AI in design is in research, not wireframes. If you're only using AI to generate screens, you're touching the tip of the iceberg. The power sits in navigating massive datasets, creating blueprints for exploration, and making sense of complexity — but the researcher's instinct and judgement still can't be replaced.AI should make you charge more, not less. Behrad is delivering more value to clients by using AI agents and orchestration tools — and pricing accordingly. The competitive advantage isn't the tool, it's the designer who knows how to wield it with specificity and judgement.In 2030, hiring will be about attitude, not tools. The tools will keep changing every week. The designers who thrive will be the ones with relentless curiosity, a willingness to go deeper than surface-level prompting, and the ability to keep the human in the loop when AI wants to run the show.________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________What does psychological safety actually feel like when it's present? And what quietly erodes it? In this episode, Louise Dennison O'Shaughnessy — Director of Mental Health and Wellbeing at EHS International — joins Gerry to unpack the behaviours that damage teams: unclear roles, poor communication, and toxic high performers who get a pass because of their output. They dig into negativity bias (80% of our thoughts are naturally negative), why busyness can become addictive, and practical ways to build healthier boundaries with work and technology. If you've ever felt overworked, unheard, or stuck in the wrong environment — this one's for you.________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Click here to watch a video of this episode.

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________It's 2026! We are BACK and so bloody excited to kick off this year with one of my favourite conversations from the end of last year. Quite simply, this conversation and connection has changed my life.About this episodeDr. Rami Kaminski, psychiatrist and author of "The Gift of Not Belonging," explores why some people are wired as "otherverts" - individuals who cannot be shaped by group identity. This conversation reveals how otherness isn't a flaw but a genuine gift, offering insights into emotional freedom, empathy, and what happens when we stop trying to fit into systems never built for us.Linkshttps://www.othernessinstitute.com/the-gift-of-not-belonging/Take the Test3 Key TakeawaysWe're all born as non-belongers - Babies have no sense of nationality, religion, or group identity; cultural conditioning teaches us what to belong to, not just that we should belong.True empathy requires eliminating yourself. Real empathy isn't putting yourself in someone's shoes, but temporarily ceasing to exist with your preconceived notions to truly see through another's eyes.The dark side of belonging is tribalism - While community has benefits, the need for group identity enables tribalism, silent majorities, and historical atrocities when people outsource their morals to the group.________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host Dr Rami Kaminski - Guest Serdar Mele - Editor Stef Murphy - Producer

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion is joined (again!) by service design pioneer Marc Stickdorn – recorded right after they both spoke at SD in Gov in Edinburgh.We walk (literally) through the current state of service design, why so many teams feel stuck, and how journey management can help organisations move beyond one-off projects to achieve truly systemic change.We talk about:How to scale service design beyond a single team and embed it organisation-wideJourney management, service architecture and “journey ops” – and why naming really mattersBuilding scaffolding for long-term impact (using the Dublin City Council work as an example)How to speak the language of leadership and show measurable ROIWhy stealth projects can be your best way to build credibilityThe role of AI and tooling – where it helps, and where it’s genuinely dangerousWhy leaders can’t outsource understanding to an algorithmIf you’re trying to move service design from nice decks to real organisational change – in public services or the private sector – this episode is for you.🔗 Links mentioned– Marc’s upcoming book & community: https://www.thisisjourneymanagement.com– Smaply blog & resources: https://www.smaply.com________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Click here to watch a video of this episode. Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host Marc Stickdorn - Guest

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________[00:00] How AI is changing search behaviours - users still defaulting to Google[02:15] The return of the UX generalist - broad skills becoming more valuable[03:45] New tools spotlight: Affinity Suite now free, Ordinary site builder[05:30] Designer exposure and effectiveness connection[06:45] Systems thinking and leadership responsibilities[07:30] Interface patterns: Hamburger menu recognition study[08:15] Disability tech innovations driving broader design solutionsKey Resources:• AI Search Behaviour Research - Nielsen Norman Group study on changing user patterns• Return of the Generalist - NNGroup video on AI's impact on UX careers  • Affinity Suite - Free creative tools via Canva acquisition (from Dense Discovery)• Ordinary - One-page site builder for quick concepts• Hamburger Menu Study - Updated NNGroup research on icon recognition• Disability Tech Innovations - Mashable roundup of breakthrough startupsSources:• Nielsen Norman Group Newsletter• Dense Discovery #365• Sidebar.io Daily Links• MashableLinks:• How AI Is Changing Search Behaviors: https://link.nngroup.com/ai-changing-search-behaviors• Return of the Generalist: https://link.nngroup.com/return-of-the-generalist  • Hamburger Menu Recognition: https://link.nngroup.com/hamburger-menu-icon-recognizability• Ordinary Site Builder: https://ordinary.website• Affinity Suite: Referenced in Dense Discovery• Exposure as a Designer: hvpandya.com• Systems Leadership: hazelweakly.me• Disability Tech Startups: mashable.com________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________We’re on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh for a walking conversation with Lucy Kimbell — engineer-turned-artist-turned-academic, and one of the sharpest observers of how design actually lands in government.Lucy has spent over 20 years moving between design, art, academia, and public administration. She’s worked with the UK Government’s Policy Lab, contributed to the recent Public Design Evidence Review, and now teaches and researches at the intersection of design, policy, and futures. We caught up whilst both of us were speaking at SD in Gov Conference in Edinburgh, in September 2025!In this episode, we get real about three big themes:1️⃣ Public design – what it actually isLucy untangles the messy overlap between policy design, service design, content design, digital, UX and more — and explains why public design centres' legitimacy and accountability to citizens, not just delivery metrics.2️⃣ Conditions for good service design in tough timesWe talk about inclusion, accessibility and co-creation, but also the hard stuff most conferences skip: politics, ideology, austerity, AI “silver bullets” and what scaffolding leaders need so design doesn’t get crushed by budget cuts or tech solutionism.3️⃣ Careers with impact in uncertain worldsFrom appropriate technology and feminist theatre to business schools, labs and policy work, Lucy shares the three habits that have shaped her path: curiosity, experimentalism and critical reflection — and how they help designers work further upstream with policy and senior leadership.🎧 In this episode, you’ll hear:How “public design” emerged as a term and why legitimacy mattersWhy institutions are struggling — and what that means for designersThe uncomfortable role of politics in design for the public sectorHow AI, venture capital and big tech are reshaping government expectationsPractical advice for designers who want more impact in government and civic spacesA preview of Lucy’s upcoming book on futures for design🏰 We recorded this while walking the Royal Mile up to Edinburgh Castle — if you’re listening on audio, jump over to YouTube to get the full sense of place and atmosphere (yes, including a bit of rain!).LinksCabinet Office (2025). Public Design Evidence Reviewhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-public-design-evidence-review Service Innovation Handbook (2014) by Lucy Kimbellhttps://www.bispublishers.com/the-service-innovation-handbook.html Substack for upcoming book Futures for Design: Scenarios for Uncertain Worldshttps://substack.com/@lucykimbell Academic publications (open access) - https://researchers.arts.ac.uk/1178-lucy-kimbell/________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Click here to watch a video of this episode. Click here to view the episode transcript. Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host Lucy Kimbell - Guest Stef Murphy - Producer Serdar Mele - Editor

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________When Chelsea Mauldin began bringing design thinking into the U.S. government, she was met with scepticism — design was still seen as “throw pillows and pretty fonts.”In this deep and fascinating episode, Chelsea — Executive Director of the Public Policy Lab in New York — joins Gerry Scullion to share her journey from urban planning to pioneering human-centered design in federal and municipal agencies.They discuss:✅ How design entered the public sector during the Obama era.✅ Why half the real work happens after the design phase.✅ Building trust, ethics, and change in complex systems.✅ The People Say project — a groundbreaking, public repository for civic research.✅ What AI means (and doesn’t mean) for the future of public services.🎧 A must-listen for anyone working in service design, policy, or civic innovation.________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host Chelsea Mauldin - Guest Stef Murphy - Producer Serdar Mele - Editor Click here to view the episode transcript.

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________Design isn’t just creativity — it’s care. In this episode, Gerry sits down with Ali Fawkes, Head of Social Innovation at Humanly (founded by Jenni Parker) to unpack practical safeguarding and trauma-informed practice in design research. We trace Ali’s unconventional route from fine art and special education into service design, talk honestly about imposter feelings and labels, and get concrete about how to design safely — for participants and practitioners — especially on sensitive, high-stakes work.You’ll learnHow non-traditional backgrounds become real superpowers in designWhat “designing safely” actually looks like (policies, consent, escalation paths)How to prepare teams for disclosures (e.g., hopelessness/suicidality) without freezing the workWhy safer practice reassures clients and improves outcomesGuest: Ali Fawkes, Head of Social Innovation, Humanly (London)Connect with Ali on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alifawkesShout-out to SDinGov for the spark.________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Click here to watch a video of this episode. Click here to view the episode transcript. Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host Ali Fawkes - Guest

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________Gerry Scullion talks with Johanna Lundqvist, a former hospice nurse turned designer, about the wisdom gathered from years of palliative care. They discuss the Swedish memento mori mindset, why Western culture hides death, and how acknowledging mortality helps us live more intentionally. Johanna shares bedside insights on non-verbal care, the power of simple touch, and the consistent themes in people’s final reflections. It’s a compassionate exploration of designing for endings—so we can live better now.Learn more: https://sites.google.com/workplayexperience.com/johanna-lundqvist/home🔑 3 Key TakeawaysDeath teaches us how to live. End-of-life regrets center on time with loved ones—not titles or money.Compassion is practical. Presence, touch, and careful listening often matter more than complex interventions.Design the ending. Embracing endings—of services and of life—creates dignity, choice, and meaning.________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host Johanna Lundqvist, - Guest Serdar Mele - Editor Click here to view the episode transcript.

Interested in training for your organisation with This is HCD? Let's speak by booking a 15-minute call.If you like our content, be sure to sign up to our weekly The Design Compass Newsletter. Design Smarter. Lead Better.________________________In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion sits down with Thea Snow, Director at the Center for Public Impact, to explore the powerful intersection of systems, imagination, and justice in reimagining government.We dive into why imagination matters in government, how systems shape agency, and the role of design in justice and social cohesion. Thea shares practical stories from Australia, New Zealand, and beyond—covering topics like:The hidden connections that make systems workWhy government is not just about doing but also about beingHow physical spaces and design decisions influence justice and community wellbeingLinkslinkedin.com/in/thea-snow?originalSubdomain=auIf you care about systems change, design, and creating governments that truly serve people—this conversation is for you.________________________Like what we do? Make a Tip. Or Leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/hcdSupport the Ukrainian publishing of This is Service Design Doing (To make service design knowledge accessible in Ukrainian)Sponsor 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________________________Click here to watch a video of this episode. Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host Thea Snow - Guest Serdar Mele - Editor