Power of Ten with Andy Polaine
- Episodes
- 58
- Released
- monthly
- Latest episode
- Nov 11, 2026
About the podcast
In the Power of Ten podcast, Andy Polaine talks to guests from a broad range of disciplines about the intersection of design, technology, psychology, organisations, culture and society. The show looks at how design operates at many levels and in many forms, from thoughtful detail through organisational transformation to the changes in society and the world.
Episodes 58
S5 Ep7: Chris Noessel – Designing Assistant Technology
Power of Ten: design at every level of zoom, from thoughtful detail to organisational and societal change, hosted by Andy Polaine.In this episode, Andy speaks with interaction design veteran Chris Noessel …
Show notes
Power of Ten: design at every level of zoom, from thoughtful detail to organisational and societal change, hosted by Andy Polaine.
In this episode, Andy speaks with interaction design veteran Chris Noessel, former design principal at IBM where he ran the worldwide Design for AI Guild, and author of Make It So, Designing Agentive Technology and the new Designing Assistant Technology: AI That Makes Us Smarter. Chris and Andy discuss how AI assistants risk de-skilling us and what designers can do about it. Chris explains why his books came out in the “wrong” order, why handing off the cognitive work of understanding is different from earlier waves of automation like phototypesetting and desktop publishing, and how he trained Claude Design to pair design with him rather than dump screens. They discuss the See, Think, Do loop and his five universal assists, the “human goes first” pattern (which turned a 48% performance collapse in a navigation study into a 19% gain), organisational over-reliance, AI as Frankfurt-style bullshitter, and why hydrofluorocarbons deserve far more design attention.
Show Links
Chris
Sci-fi Interfaces: https://scifiinterfaces.com
Designing Assistant Technology book: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/designing-assistant-technology/
Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisnoessel/?isSelfProfile=false
Andy
Website: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/andypolaine.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS5 Ep6: Catt Small – The Staff Designer
Power of Ten: design at every level of zoom, from thoughtful detail to organisational and societal change, hosted by Andy Polaine.In this episode, staff product designer, game maker and developer Catt Small …
Show notes
Power of Ten: design at every level of zoom, from thoughtful detail to organisational and societal change, hosted by Andy Polaine.
In this episode, staff product designer, game maker and developer Catt Small, author of The Staff Designer: Grow, Influence, and Lead as an Individual Contributor, talks with Andy about what it takes to keep growing as a designer without moving into management. Drawing on sixteen years at companies including Asana, Etsy, SoundCloud, and Dropbox, Catt explains where the staff role came from, how it differs from senior, and why communication became the “final boss” of her career. They discuss defensive calendaring and focus, swapping “no” for “yes, and”, letting go of glue work, managing up, where AI helps and hinders at the staff level, and why taking agency rather than waiting to be told made the biggest difference.
Show LinksCatt
Catt's website: https://cattsmall.com/
The Staff Designer book: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-staff-designer/
Catt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cattsmall/?isSelfProfile=falseAndy
Website: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/andypolaine.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS5 Ep5: Lisa Bennett – Savor The World
Power of Ten: design at every level of zoom, from thoughtful detail to organisational and societal change, hosted by Andy Polaine.In this episode, journalist and author Lisa Bennett, Harvard Fellow, co-author …
Show notes
Power of Ten: design at every level of zoom, from thoughtful detail to organisational and societal change, hosted by Andy Polaine.
In this episode, journalist and author Lisa Bennett, Harvard Fellow, co-author of Ecoliterate, and author of the forthcoming Savor the World: Why Wonder, Not Worry, Will Save Us, talks with Andy about restoring human agency in an overwhelming world. Drawing on a career spent studying how people rise to crisis, Lisa unpacks the E.B. White line that underpins her book: the daily tension between wanting to save the world and choosing to savor it. The conversation moves through the psychology of overwhelm and the "polycrisis," why humans aren't wired to care at global scale, AI's effect on trust and authentic communication, and why savoring with real presence and attention might be a more sustainable and more effective form of care than constant fighting.
LinksLisa
- Lisa's writing and newsletter: https://lisabennett.substack.com
- Lisa's website: https://lisabennettwrites.com
- Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabennettwriterAndy
Website: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Blueksy: https://bsky.app/profile/andypolaine.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS5 Ep4: Josh Clark & Veronika Kindred - Sentient Design
My guests in this episode are Josh Clark and Veronika Kindred, co-authors of the book, Sentient Design: Crafting Intelligent Interfaces with AI, published by Rosenfeld Media.Our conversation ranged across the …
Show notes
My guests in this episode are Josh Clark and Veronika Kindred, co-authors of the book, Sentient Design: Crafting Intelligent Interfaces with AI, published by Rosenfeld Media.
Our conversation ranged across the history of interaction design (Zork, MUDs, branching narratives), Josh and Veronika's "four postures" of AI systems (tools, chat, agents, co-pilots), the dangers of leaning too hard on physical metaphors, the idea of "casual intelligence" as a counter to AI maximalism, and the responsibilities designers have right now to shape how this technology gets implemented before money and Big Tech make all the decisions for us.
Listeners can use the code SENTIENTPOT for 20% off the book at at rosenfeldmedia.com from June 9th to July 9th.
Josh Clark is principal of Big Medium, a digital agency that helps complex organizations design for what’s next. Josh has over 30 years of experience in emerging technology, user experience, and design innovation. His projects include future-friendly interfaces for AI, connected devices, and websites for many of the world’s biggest companies.Veronika Kindred is designer and researcher at Big Medium, where she defines and solves design problems alongside some of the world’s biggest companies. She travels internationally to lead Sentient Design workshops and speak to teams at startups and Fortune 100 companies alike. Her research has ranged from AI’s effect on user experience to mobile technology’s impact on African political engagement to the nuances of congressional climate hearings.
Show Links Josh & Veronika- Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshclark/
- Veronika on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vkind/
- Sentient Design at Rosenfeld Media: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/sentient-design/
- Big Medium: https://bigmedium.com
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Bluesky: https://andypolaine.bsky.social
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine
S5 Ep3: Martin Dowson – Service Design & Lobsters
My guest in this episode is Martin Dowson, a design and transformation leader who’s passionate about elevating the role of design as a strategic force for business growth.With over two decades of experience …
Show notes
My guest in this episode is Martin Dowson, a design and transformation leader who’s passionate about elevating the role of design as a strategic force for business growth.
With over two decades of experience across Financial Services, Telcos, Media, and more. He’s built and led design teams, established Centres of Excellence, and guided organisations through complex transformations that align design with commercial outcomes.
Martin went from reading our service design book hoping to solve a logistics problem (you couldn’t order lobsters on a Wednesday at Sainsbury’s) to spending six years leading design strategy at Lloyd's Banking Group.
We talk about what happens when consultants go in-house, why experienced internal voices often get heard less than external ones saying the same thing, and whether AI has the same fundamental scaling problem as the car.
Timestamps
Show Links
00:00 Intro — Martin's background across financial services, telecoms and media
01:00 How Martin and Andy first met at RBS in 2015, and reading Service Design to solve a lobster logistics problem at Sainsbury's
04:30 Going in-house after consulting — why your voice gets heard less the moment you cross the threshold
07:30 The question organisations never ask: why isn't this happening spontaneously already?
14:00 What it actually takes to embed design capability in a large organisation versus leaving behind blueprints and concepts
28:00 Measuring design's contribution to business outcomes — the gap between outputs and impact
45:00 Design leadership in the AI era — what changes and what doesn't
55:00 Why organisations mistake motion for progress, and how incentive structures block transformation
01:05:50 AI has the same fundamental problem as the car — it doesn't scale cleanly, and success makes the resource problem worse not better
01:10:30 The one small thing with outsized impact: our definition of success in educationMartin
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/designled
- Web: https://liminaldesignoffice.com
- Podcast https://beingliminal.comAndy
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Bluesky: https://andypolaine.bsky.social
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS5 Ep2: Joel Bailey – The Role of AI in Social Media Management
My guest in this episode is Joel Bailey, product and service director at Arwen.ai, a four-year-old marketing technology startup that uses AI to help brands to manage and moderate their social media comments at …
Show notes
My guest in this episode is Joel Bailey, product and service director at Arwen.ai, a four-year-old marketing technology startup that uses AI to help brands to manage and moderate their social media comments at scale.
Joel brings 25 years of experience working in service design roles, leading change and building new stuff for a diverse range of organisations. We talked about his journey into Service Design, Service Design and AI, navigating AI and social media, the future of design and much more.
Note: Given the fast pace of developments in AI, I should point out that we recorded this in June 2025. I had a big backlog...
Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Service Design and AI
Links Joel
04:50 The Journey to Service Design
10:00 Understanding Service as an Outcome
15:08 The Role of AI in Social Media Management
20:11 Challenges of Moderation on Social Media
25:32 The Evolution of Business Models
26:36 The Role of AI in Startups
29:13 Navigating AI and Content Moderation
30:20 Understanding AI Bias and Ethics
31:43 Engaging with AI in Social Media
35:11 The Future of Design and AI
40:21 Creativity in a Fast-Paced Environment
44:56 The Importance of Service in Design
====
- Arwen: https://arwen.ai
- Joel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelbaileyuk/
Andy
====
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Bluesky: https://andypolaine.bsky.social
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS5 Ep1: Alan Colville – Embracing Conflict
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.In this episode …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
In this episode Andy Polaine speaks to design leader, Alan Colville, exploring the nuances of design leadership, the importance of embracing conflict, the dynamics of communication, and how small changes in how we communicate can lead to significant positive outcomes.
Links
====Alan
========
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alancolville/Andy
====
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Bluesky: https://andypolaine.bsky.social
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep14: Chui Chui Tan — Cross-Cultural Insights
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.In this episode …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
In this episode Andy speaks with Dr. Chui Chui Tan a specialist in culturalisation strategies tailored for international growth. She leverages cultural insights to craft winning global business strategies, guiding clients to navigate international markets successfully. She is also the author of a new book, "Research for Global Growth: Strategies And Guidance For Cross-Cultural Insights".
Links
====
Chui Chui
========
- Website: https://beyo.global
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuichuitan/
- Book: https://beyo.global/books
Andy
====
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Bluesky: https://andypolaine.bsky.social
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep13: Carissa Carter — Assembling Tomorrow
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.In this episode …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
In this episode Andy speaks to Carissa Carter, a designer, geoscientist, and the academic director at the Stanford d.school. She is the author of The Secret Language of Maps: How to Tell Visual Stories with Data, and the co-author of Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future. Carissa teaches design courses on emerging technologies, climate change, and data visualization. Her work on designing with machine learning and blockchain has earned multiple design awards.
Links
Carissa
===
- Assembling Tomorrow book site: https://dschool.stanford.edu/book-collections/assembling-tomorrow
- Carissa Carter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carissalcarter/
- Scott Doorley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdoorley/
- Armando Veve online: https://levineleavitt.com/artist/armando-veve/
Andy
====
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Bluesky: https://andypolaine.bsky.social
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep12: Francesa Cortesi — Passionate Product Leader
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.This episode's …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
This episode's guest is Francesca Cortesi, a passionate product leader with over a decade of experience in scaling digital products that users love and that drive sustainable growth. She has worked with Europe’s fastest-growing companies, from startups to IPOs, delivering tangible results. Her most recent role was as Chief Product Officer at Sweden's leading property platform, Hemnet, and has just started her own consultancy.
LINKS====
Francesca
====
- Francesca's Website: https://www.francescacortesi.com
- Francesa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-cortesi/
Andy====
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Bluesky: https://andypolaine.bsky.social
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep11: Meltem Naz Kaso - UX Career Coach
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.My guest in this …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest in this episode is my friend Meltem Naz Kaso, a Barcelona-based UX Career Coach with a background in UX Research. Her last full-time position was at Glovo, where she served as a UX Research Manager and Staff UX Researcher.
She works with Senior UX professionals to unblock their careers by boosting their leadership and communication skills.
LINKS=====
Mel====
- Career With Mel: https://careerwithmel.com
- Mel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meltemnaz/
- Mel's Newsletter and Coaching Services: https://melbarcelona.substack.com/
- Leadership Atelier, BCN: https://leadershipateliers.com/facilitators/meltem-naz-kaso-coskun
- World Usability Congress: https://worldusabilitycongress.com/agenda-2025/
Andy====
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep10: Lisa D. Dance – Unpaid Customer Labour
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.My guest in this …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest in this episode is Lisa D. Dance, an experienced UX Researcher whose 10+ years of work has spans UX Research & Strategy to Interactive Prototyping & Usability Testing. She has created award-winning work for enterprise organizations and also helped small to mid-sized businesses improve their websites and apps so they do not frustrate or harm customers.
LINKSLisa- Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ldance/
- ServiceEase: https://serviceease.net
- Today Is the Perfect Day book site: https://todayistheperfectday.com
- Newsletter: Tell a Friend tinyurl.com/TellaFriendTuesdaySignUp
Andy- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep9: The Materials of Service Design
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.My guests in this …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guests in this episode are Johan Blomkvist and Stefan Holmlid who, along with Simon Clatworthy, wrote the book The Materials of Service Design, which discusses materials (broadly framed) as a means to explore what service design is and could be.
LINKS==Guests==
The Materials of Service Design: https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/the-materials-of-service-design-9781802203295.html
Stefan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-holmlid-b402683/
Stefan on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stefan-Holmlid
Johan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blomkvist/
Johan on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Johan-Blomkvist
== Andy ==
Website: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep8: Marzia Aricò - Design Leadership Maverick
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.My guest in this …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest in this episode is Marzia Aricò, an independent consultant for organisations seeking to integrate design strategically, and works as a design leadership coach for individuals aiming to advance in their design careers.
We talked about her journey to where she is now, service design and organisational change, the importance of diversity within organisations and how her guests on Design Voices Elevated have navigated their own journeys. And we talk about her new book, The Design Leadership Chronicles.
== Show Links ==
== Marzia ==- Marzia’s personal site: https://marzia.studio
- Marzia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marziaarico/
- Design Mavericks: https://designmavericks.substack.com
- Design Voices Elevated podcast: https://designmavericks.substack.com/podcast
- Design Voices Elevated on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@marziastudio
- The Design Leadership Chronicles book: https://www.bispublishers.com/design-leadership-chronicles.html
- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine
S4 Ep7: Julian Simpson: The life of a screenwriter and director
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.Andy's guest in …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
Andy's guest in this episode is Julian Simpson, a London-based writer and director who has worked in film, TV and audio for the past 25 years. He made his directorial debut annoyingly young in his mid-20s with The Criminal and more recently worked on Spooks, New Tricks, Doctor Who and more. He created the Lovecraft Investigations, the Aldrich Kemp audio series and the Pleasant Green Universe. He runs a writer-led company called Storypunk and writes an excellent newsletter about the screenwriting life called, Development Hell.
== SHOW LINKS ==
== JULIAN ==
- Development Hell: https://developmenthell.substack.com
- Julian on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0801065/
- Pleasant Green: https://www.pleasantgreen.co.uk
- The Lovecraft Investigations: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06spb8w
- Cartoon Gravity https://www.cartoongravity.com
- The Virtual Production of The Mandalorian Season One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUnxzVOs3rk
== ANDY ==
* Website: https://www.polaine.com
* Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
* Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
* Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
* Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
* Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep6: Hansi Singh: AI-accelerated environmental forecasts
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine. My guest in this …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest in this episode comes from a very different field to design. Dr Hansi Singh is a former Professor of physical climate science, University of Victoria. A US Department of Energy Office of Science fellow and awardee. Specialist in Earth system modeling and high performance computing. Working group co-chair of the Community Earth System Model, funded by NSF.
And she uses all those amazing skills as CEO of Planette, a company specialising in AI-accelerated environmental forecasts to help inform decision making.
== LINKS==
== HANSI ==
- Planette: https://www.planette.ai/forecasts
- Hansi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansi-singh-phd/
== ANDY ==
Website: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep5: Indi Young - Mental Models and Thinking Styles
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine. Indi Young is a …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
Indi Young is a solution strategist who uses purpose-focused qualitative data science. She created her method over a 30-year span, and teaches that method in courses, coaching, workshops, books, talks, and through working with teams on research studies.
Indi discusses how people are complex and nuanced and their mental models and thinking styles are not fixed personas or personalities. They changed based on context and it is essential that organisations listen to and consider different ways of thinking and addressing user needs.
Indi was a joy to speak with and this is a long episode, but she articulates her thinking and insights so well I could not bear to edit out more.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
01:25 Indi's background
04:12 Origin's of design and strategic research - before UX research existed!
08:50 Persuading stakeholders to trust research
18:25 On Netflix, bias and unintentional harm
26:42 On Mental Models and interior cognition
33:20 The gobstopper/jawbreaker model
40:01 Thinking Styles
47:35 Why do companies still get this wrong all the time?
55:07 One small thing
56:52 Where to find Indi online
57:45 Outro
SHOW LINKS
INDI
Website: https://indiyoung.com/
Indi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/indiyoung/
Indi on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/indiyoung.bsky.social
Indi's Newsletter: https://indiyoung.substack.com
Indi on Medium: https://indiyoung.medium.com
Time to Listen - https://indiyoung.com/books-time-to-listen/
Practical Empathy - https://indiyoung.com/books-practical-empathy/
Mental Models: https://indiyoung.com/books-mental-models/
ANDY
Website: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine
MENTIONS
Lisa Dance's Today is the Perfect Day to Improve Customer Experiences: https://serviceease.net/bookS4 Ep4: Keeping it real when writing with AI – iA Writer's Oliver Reichenstein
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.While every app …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
While every app rushes to add an AI assistant, iA Writer's Oliver Reichenstein asks, "Why should I bother reading what you haven't written?"
Here he talks tells about the deep thinking behind the latest version 7 of IA Writer and the new feature that dims the text you paste from AI tools, keeping track of what is yours and what isn’t.
SHOW LINKS
OLIVERiA - https://ia.net
iA Writer - https://ia.net/writer
iA Presenter - https://ia.net/presenter
Writing with AI - https://ia.net/topics/writing-with-ai
Oliver on Mastodon - @[email protected]
iA on Mastodon - @[email protected]
ANDYWebsite: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep3: Jaimes Nel - Do design frameworks lead to boring products and services?
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.Has the product and …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
Has the product and design obsession with frameworks and process led to everyone working on autopilot, churning out a bland monoculture of design? When are they useful and when do they simply become a crutch? Have we hit "peak framework"?
My guest is Jaimes Nel, founder of Path, a consultancy that helps organisations play the long game through design-led strategy. Jaimes was Head of Insight for pioneering service design agency Livework in the early years of service design practice. He’s worked on service transformation for brands such as the NHS, BBC, Aviva, Johnson&Johnson, Ebay, GOV.UK / HMRC and led a transformation design team at Westpac in Australia, delivering their digital mortgage service.
SHOW LINKSJAIMES• Path Ventures - https://pathventures.io
• Jaimes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimesnel/
ANDY• Andy's website - https://www.polaine.com
• Andy's coaching practice: https://www.polaine.com/coaching
• Subscribe to Power of Ten - https://pln.me/p10
• Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note - https://pln.me/nws
• Andy's YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine
• Andy's online courses - https://courses.polaine.com
• Andy on Mastodon - https://pkm.social/@apolaine
• Andy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
• Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch! - https://www.polaine.com/contactS4 Ep2: Peter Merholz - State of the Design Nation
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.My guest in this …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest in this episode is Peter Merholz. We talked about the state of the design nation, the burst bubble of the Cambrian explosion of design from the last 10-15 years, product, business and the issue of mediocrity.
Peter has worked at the intersection of design, technology, and humans for over 25 years. Currently, he’s an independent consultant focused on improving the effectiveness of design organisations.
He was a co-founder of Adaptive Path, acquired by Capital One in 2014 and he co-wrote Org Design for Design Orgs, still the premier book on building in-house design teams. He co-hosts the Finding Our Way podcast exploring design leadership along with another Adaptive Path co-founder, Jesse James Garrett.
He also coined the word “blog.”
Show Links
PeterPeter’s website: https://www.petermerholz.com
Org Design for Design Orgs: https://www.petermerholz.com/writing/#orgdesign
Finding Our Way podcast: https://findingourway.design/
Peter on Mastodon: https://sfba.social/@peterme
Peter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermerholz/
AndyWebsite: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS4 Ep1: Linn Vizard - Service Design for Real World Outcomes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine. My guest in this …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest in this episode is Linn Vizard, one of Canada’s leading advocates of service design who co-founded Service Design Toronto in 2013.
She’s the founder of, Made Manifest, a service design consultancy on a mission to make services better for Canadians, whether that’s getting a blood test done, visiting City Hall to pay your property tax bill or buying the perfect luxury jewellery gift.
Linn and Andy discussed the state of Service Design in a Product world. She argues the case that service design needs to focus on services for real world outcomes — services that actually get made and out there for people to use.
Show LinksLinn- Linn Vizard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnvizard/
- Made Manifest: https://www.made-manifest.com
Andy- Website: https://www.polaine.com
- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
- Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine
S3 Ep9: Aparna Rae — Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the workplace requires deep structural change
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the workplace should be driven by data and transparency. But, says Aparna Rae, it is not enough. The real work is deep structural change to the organisation if we are to make …
Show notes
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the workplace should be driven by data and transparency. But, says Aparna Rae, it is not enough. The real work is deep structural change to the organisation if we are to make our systems more equitable, more fair, more just, and not take dignity and humanity away from people.
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest in this episode is Aparna Rae, an educator by training, innovator by chance and disrupter by choice who loves to solve problems, connect people and build power.
She is an award-winning multi-startup founder and founder of Moving Beyond, leveraging data to create workplaces that work for everyone, building products that solve complex DEI and people challenges using real-time Employee Voice & Impact data, grounded in human-centered design.
In 2021, she joined a cadre of female founders - just 2% of all women-owned businesses whose companies reach $1M in revenue.
SHOW LINKS:
APARNA
Aparna's website: https://www.aparnarae.com
Aparna's newsletter: https://aparnarae.substack.com
ANDY
Website: https://www.polaine.com
Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws
Podcast: https://pln.me/p10
Courses: https://courses.polaine.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
Mastodon: https://pkm.social/@apolaine
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaineS3 Ep8: Sara Wachter-Boettcher – Breaking the Gaslighting Cycle of People Pleasing & Overwork
If you're a designer who has been told to “Prove your value.” “Justify your presence.” “Demonstrate impact.” only to find yourself throwing yourself against the wall of immutable organisational structure and …
Show notes
If you're a designer who has been told to “Prove your value.” “Justify your presence.” “Demonstrate impact.” only to find yourself throwing yourself against the wall of immutable organisational structure and culture, what do you do?" asks Sara Wachter-Boettcher
Power of Ten is a show about design operating at all levels of zoom, from thoughtful detail to changes in organisation, society and the world, hosted by design leadership coach, Andy Polaine.
My guest is author, strategist, facilitator, speaker and coach Sara Wacther-Boettcher recently wrote on Medium an insightful essay called "Hey designers, they’re gaslighting you". She explains why these phrases have convinced designers that they’re the problem — that if they just worked harder, they’d be taken seriously. But if just doing more we're going to fix the problem… it’d be fixed by now.
SHOW LINKS
SARA
- Sara's website - https://www.sarawb.com
- Sara on Medium - https://medium.com/@sara_ann_marie
- Sara on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraboettcher/
- Hey designers, they’re gaslighting you. - https://medium.com/nice-work-from-active-voice/hey-designers-theyre-gaslighting-you-e02e5a4d9cff
- Design for Real Life - https://abookapart.com/products/design-for-real-life
- Content Everywhere - https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/content-everywhere/
- Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech - https://bookshop.org/p/books/technically-wrong-sexist-apps-biased-algorithms-and-other-threats-of-toxic-tech-sara-wachter-boettcher/11186625
- Per My Last E-Mail podcast - https://pmleshow.com
ANDY
• Andy's website - https://www.polaine.com
• Subscribe to Power of Ten - https://pln.me/p10
• Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note - https://pln.me/nws
• Andy's YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine
• Andy's online courses - https://courses.polaine.com
• Andy on Mastodon - https://pkm.social/@apolaine
• Andy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/
• Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch! - https://www.polaine.com/contactS3 Ep7: Alison Coward – Workshop Culture
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
This episode's guest is Alison Coward, a strategist, workshop facilitator, coach, and an author with 20 years' experience in leading creative teams. Alison speaks about her professional journey, her perspective on collaboration in the creative industries, and the importance of workshops in a business environment. We discuss her book, "Workshop Culture: A Guide to Building Teams that Thrive", and the five pillar system it presents - alignment, cohesion, communication, design, and change.
Show LinksAlisonAndyS3 Ep6: Kate Tarling – The Service Organization
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.My …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Kate Tarling, a service leader and specialist who helps large organisations create successful services, by changing their working practices. She does this through consulting, training and writing, and regularly advises boards, executives and teams. She’s managing director of a services consultancy she founded in 2012 and previously held senior leadership roles in government and the private sector. She is the author of best-selling book The Service Organization.
Here we speak about her must-read book, ways to enable change and service design within large organisations, how to understand and help people get aligned, and the relationship of service design to product design. I really enjoyed our conversation and could have gone on much longer. I hope you enjoy it too!
Show LinksKateAndy- Subscribe to Power of Ten
- Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
- Andy's online courses
- Andy on Mastodon
- Andy on LinkedIn
- Polaine.com
- Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!
S3 Ep5: Dr Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon – The Space Between Transformation and Liberation
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.My …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Dr Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon, known as Doctor OG, an innovation catalyst, researcher, facilitator, and evaluator, based in Botswana. Pierce is impassioned by the space between transformation and liberation, and researches the complexity, evaluation, and emergence of design and innovation across the world.
Here we explore what that space between transformation and liberation actually is, the issues of power dynamics of politics in design, and why Human-Centred Design (HCD) can often exacerbate problems as opposed to being their solution.
Show LinksPierceAndy- Subscribe to Power of Ten
- Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
- Andy's online courses
- Andy on Mastodon
- Andy on LinkedIn
- Polaine.com
- Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!
S3 Ep4: Sheryl Cababa – Systems Thinking for Designers
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.My …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Sheryl Cababa, author of Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers. Sheryl is a design researcher and strategist, and is the chief strategy officer at Substantial, a research insights and development studio based in Seattle. Her practice is focused on systems thinking and equity center design, and she’s worked with a diverse base of clients, including the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Ikea, and Khan Academy.
Show LinksSherylAndyS3 Ep3: Alex Schmidt – Deliberate Intervention
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.My …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Alex Schmidt, author of Deliberate Intervention: Using Policy and Design to Blunt the Harms of New Technology.
Alex has pursued interests in public service and design through different avenues over her career. As an award-winning reporter and producer for NPR and others, she covered arts, business, technology, and urban development. Alex has published work in The New Yorker and The Los Angeles Times , among other outlets. Her writing about UX, privacy, and other design topics has appeared in A List Apart and The Columbia Journalism Review.
As a researcher, strategist, and UX designer, Alex has worked both for agencies and in the public sector. Her greatest interest lies in the wicked problems inherent in enterprise design and the mysterious ways of large systems.
Show LinksAlex- Alex on LinkedIn
- Alex on Twitter
- Alex’s personal website
- Deliberate Intervention book
S3 Ep2: Abby Covert – Stuck? Diagrams Help.
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.My …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is the wonderful Abby Covert, an author, teacher and community leader in the field of information architecture who aims to make information architecture and sensemaking skills accessible to everyone.
Abby’s first book, How to Make Sense of Any Mess, demystified information architecture into a practical skillset that anyone can apply to any context where sense might need to be made. She recently published her second book, Stuck? Diagrams Help a field guide for the trek from diagram novice to diagram nerd.
Show LinksAbbyAndyS3 Ep1: Natalie Dunbar – From Solo to Scaled
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.My …
Show notes
Power of Ten is a podcast hosted by Andy Polaine about design operating at many levels, zooming out from thoughtful detail through to organisational transformation and on to changes in society and the world.
My guest in this episode is Natalie Dunbar, UX-focused content strategist with a unique blend of skills as a journalist, content writer, and user experience researcher. Natalie excels in balancing the creation of delightful user experiences with strategic content that supports the needs of a business or organization. She is author of the newly released Rosenfeld Media book, From Solo to Scaled: Building a Sustainable Content Strategy Practice.
Here Natalie talks about the various flavours and roles of content, the challenges and key inflection points as content teams scale.
Thanks to Rosenfeld Media, listeners can get Natalie’s book at 20% off the purchase price when you purchase directly from them using the code, POWEROFTENSTS.
Show LinksNatalie- Natalie's website
- Natalie on Twitter
- Natalie on Instagram
- Natalie on LinkedIn
- Natalie's Newsletter
- Women Talk Design
- The Content Strategy Los Angeles meetup group.
- Natalie's book - From Solo to Scaled: Building a Sustainable Content Strategy Practice.
- Subscribe to Power of Ten
- Subscribe to Andy’s newsletter Doctor’s Note
- Andy's online courses
- Andy on Twitter
- Andy on LinkedIn
- Polaine.com
- Suggestions? Feedback? Get in touch!
These are the latest 40 of 58 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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