This is HCD: Human-Centred Design, UX & Service Design

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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-10
https://www.unit1gear.com/

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Gerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...
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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
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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

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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/partners
Gerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...
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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
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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

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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/partners
Gerry wears clothes from Sutsu, and has a coupon code for them, as well as Smaply, Scenario Cards, Unit 1 and more...
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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
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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 takeaways
The 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 episode
Ben on LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/breasy
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-disability-benefits-policy-had-been-well-designed-ben-reason-u7pwf/?trackingId=iFRycmcxR9%2B47n9uWGK%2F8A%3D%3D
https://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/partners
Gerry 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.com
Have 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/partners
Gerry 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.