Avoid These 3 Mistakes When Pitching Design to Leadership

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________Gerry finally sits down with one of his design heroes, Leisa Reichelt: research leader at GDS, Australia's DTA, and Atlassian. They dig into why scaling research is never a copy-paste job: how Leisa set her terms at GDS, why the DTO lost its way when the political "why" walked out the door, and what it cost to reset the research culture at Atlassian. Plus: why politics is the work, and why every researcher should know their top three things for the lift ride with the CEO.Things we cover in this episode: Building the research practice at GDS and GOV.UK; setting your terms as a leader; research recipes and resourcing patterns; blogging as public accountability; posters and phrases designed to be nicked; why GDS outlasted political change; the DTO/DTA and the cost of losing political sponsorship; scaling versus impact; legible versus illegible bureaucracy; resetting research culture at Atlassian; consent and research ethics; being opinionated with skin in the game; and podcasting as a research superpower.Links:Leisa's podcast: The School Can't ExperienceFind Leisa on LinkedIn________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. 

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________Gerry sits down with Juan, co-founder of Unit 1, the company behind the smart helmets Gerry's whole family now wears. They cover the pandemic pivot from ski helmets to cycling, why people don't wear helmets (and how design fixes that), what MIPS actually does, teaching drivers to read turn signals on a cyclist's head, and the newly announced Bosch partnership connecting helmet and e-bike. Plus the 35-minute customer support call that convinced Gerry this is what human-centred business looks like.The conversation digs into what "smart" really means — and why Juan is trying to retire the word. They unpack MIPS and rotational impact protection in plain language, the logic of putting turn signals and brake lights above the roofline of cars so riders speak the driver's language, and the mental-model shift required before motorists instinctively read a signal on a cyclist's head. Gerry raises the questions his friends actually asked: do we need a smart helmet? Are they tracking you? (No, they're not.) And what about speakers for music — how does a safety company decide which customer requests to act on?Gerry also tells the story that sparked this episode: a 35-minute Zoom support call with Anna from Unit 1 after an app update, and the philosophy behind it — "we don't see this as a problem, we see it as an opportunity." Juan explains why the founders still hop on customer calls themselves, and how those conversations turn customers into the brand's best salespeople, one traffic-light conversation at a time.Unit1 have kindly given you, the listener of This is HCD, a 10% discount ($100 minimum) HCDPODCAST-10https://www.unit1gear.com/________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. 

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________Gerry sits down with Dr. Gary David — design sociologist at Bentley University and host of the Experience by Design podcast. They explore what sociology brings to design that psychology can't: from finding common ground with people who see the world radically differently to why a beloved "Approve All" button in a medical records system is a patient-safety risk hiding behind great UX. Plus: AI as a monkey with a hammer, the classroom's return to analogue, and what designers should do when leadership isn't convinced their work matters.https://garycdavid.com/linkedin.com/in/gary-c-david________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________Just me this week, no guest, and two quick asks before you get on with your day.First, I'm collecting case studies for the book This is Human-Centred Design. I'm after real projects with real constraints, the messy middles and the bits that nearly fell over, not the polished version. You don't need to be well-known; you just need to have done the work. There's a simple form linked below.Second, there are a few spots left in the This is HCD community, and when they're gone, they're gone. What makes it different: all the courses are included in one place, a WhatsApp group so you get answers the same day rather than posting into a forum nobody checks, plus coaching and support from actual humans. The whole lot is €299. And if you're a student, or you're somewhere the euro is just too strong against your currency, get in touch and we'll agree a price that's fair for where you are. I don't want money to be the reason you're not in the room.Submit a case study: https://tihcd-casestudies.netlify.app/Join the community: https://www.thisishcd.com/circle-community________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. 

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________Ben Reason co-founded Livework in 2001 with the bold claim that service design was a thing worth building a company around. Twenty-five years later, he is the last original founder standing and still pushing the discipline forward. In this conversation, Ben and Gerry (yes, we know, just like the ice-cream) trace the arc from those early days of helping brands figure out the internet, through to a landmark engagement with the UK Parliament where a service operating model replaced a chaotic, project-driven backlog and delivered transformation two years ahead of schedule. They explore what it takes for organisations to recognise they deliver services in the first place, how journey management plugs design into operations, and why the current moment feels like punk: stripping away the noise to focus on what actually works. Ben also shares reflections on scale, why mid-sized organisations often get the most from this approach, and what it would look like if governments truly designed the services they provide to citizens.3 key takeawaysThe UK Parliament replaced a broken project-led approach with a service operating model, organising around customer journeys and cutting a five-year transformation down to three.Before you can sell journey management, an organisation needs to recognise it delivers services in the first place. Skip that step and you are wasting your time.Service design is countercultural by nature. It cuts across silos and vested interests, and right now the discipline is in its punk moment: stripping back to the grassroots of what actually delivers value.Links from the episodeBen on LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/breasyhttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-disability-benefits-policy-had-been-well-designed-ben-reason-u7pwf/?trackingId=iFRycmcxR9%2B47n9uWGK%2F8A%3D%3Dhttps://liveworkstudio.com/insight/gonzo-service-design/UK Parliament case study: https://liveworkstudio.com/case/a-service-operating-model-for-high-profile-customers/Take a free course on Journey Management with Gerry and Marc Stickdorn: https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. 

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________Every year, I get asked which podcasts I listen to. This year, I'm flipping the question. I've built a community vote for the top 100 HCD, service design and UX podcasts - and we're making it annual. Vote by the end of May at https://2026-podcasts.thisishcd.comHave a great week!________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. 

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________Forms expert Caroline Jarrett joins Gerry to talk about why the rush to AI is colliding with something most organisations haven't fixed - their own data. A conversation about errors, forms, and the unglamorous work that actually moves the dial.Three Key TakeawaysWell, 6 in this episode, as Caroline is bloody amazing. Pick the three that land hardest for you :-)Forms are the only compulsory part of a service. Everything else in user experience is the mountain - forms are the tiny red peaks poking up above it. Get them wrong and the rest of your design doesn't matter.AI doesn't fix bad data - it propagates it faster. Before any organisation hands work over to a model, the honest question isn't "how do we use AI" but "do we even know how bad our data already is?"Most teams can't tell you their error rate. E-commerce calls it conversion. Government barely tracks it at all. If you can't see where people are dropping out - or being quietly forced into wrong answers - you can't design your way out of it.Forms don't just collect data, they shape behaviour. Every time a website rejects an apostrophe in O'Connor, or hides "other" as an option, it's forcing people to lie - and then treating that lie as truth.You don't have to be a statistician to find errors. Graph the data. Spikes, gaps and outliers will tell you where the wrong question is hiding faster than any spreadsheet ever will.The designer's job is to notice what everyone else has normalised — the broken form field, the impossible question, the dataset everyone distrusts but nobody fixes.https://www.effortmark.co.uk/uk.linkedin.com/in/carolinejarrett________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. 

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________When you walk into an organisation that does not understand what design really does, your first instinct might be to set up a research phase or propose a design system. But that can wait. In this episode, Gerry Scullion shares three things that actually build credibility in those critical early weeks: being useful to the people around you before advancing your own agenda, adapting your language to fit their world instead of leading with jargon, and documenting every small improvement so you have real evidence when it counts. Credibility is not built on a single presentation. It is built through consistent, visible contributions that make people want to involve designers more often.________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. 

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________The metrics-driven leader isn't your enemy — but they might be your biggest unlock. Gerry shares a practical approach to translating qualitative insights into the language of KPIs, OKRs, and cost savings, and why winning over this type of leader can amplify your impact across the whole organisation.________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting. Creators & Guests Gerry Scullion - Host

We are building an independent global network of people doing human-centred work.Create an account, join our newsletter, learn, listen, connect and network - for free → https://www.thisishcd.com/signup________________________You've done the research. You have the insights. You walk in confident — and it falls flat. In this episode, Gerry unpacks three mistakes designers make when pitching to leadership, including why leading with your methods kills buy-in before you've even started, and what to do instead.________________________BRING THIS IS HCD INTO YOUR ORGANISATION→ Train my organisation https://www.thisishcd.com/training→ Video Courses https://www.thisishcd.com/courses→ Coaching Community (Coaching, Courses, WhatsApp) https://www.thisishcd.com/members→ Gerry's consultancy (Service Design and Design Research) https://humana.design/________________________BECOME A DIRECTORY MEMBER (IT'S FREE!) and get all of this→ FREE Introduction to Journey Management course with Marc Stickdorn & Gerry Scullion (Sign up for free with an email)https://www.thisishcd.com/dashboard/learning/introduction-to-journey-management→ Discover & Connect with others https://www.thisishcd.com/directory→ Claim partner discounts https://www.thisishcd.com/partnersGerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...________________________All episodes have been produced by This is Podcasting.