Service Design Podcast
- Episodes
- 73
- Released
- irregularly
- Latest episode
- Oct 23, 2026
About the podcast
Driven by curiosity, we engage in conversation with everyone involved in service design. We bring positive stories about big or small topics, from innovation to UX, design thinking and system design,… We aim to ignite and inspire listeners in their own path of creating human-centred services around the world.
Episodes 73
Never climb the tower twice with Alissa Millenson
In this episode, we talk to Alissa, now Director of Experience Strategy and Design at T1 Energy, about the SDN award winning project in 2025 on spare parts management in wind energy.
#69 - Less paperwork, more family with Katrina Lanahan and Sonya Silva
What happens when a system designed for external foster-family’s is applied to kin-specific family’s? We talk with Katrina Lanahan and Sonya Silva about the fostercare system in the USA and learned a lot about …
Show notes
What happens when a system designed for external foster-family’s is applied to kin-specific family’s? We talk with Katrina Lanahan and Sonya Silva about the fostercare system in the USA and learned a lot about the essence of timing, the power of simplicity, how financial incentives move systems, and the most important thing find the allies who have been waiting for exactly this moment!
#68 - Service design ninja in gov: Clementina Gentile
We talk with service design ninja Clementina Gentile about proactive public services and building a community of practice across government agencies. How do you design for 100% of citizens, build an …
Show notes
We talk with service design ninja Clementina Gentile about proactive public services and building a community of practice across government agencies. How do you design for 100% of citizens, build an architecture of trust, and break down bureaucratic silos?
#67 - Going punk on human-centred design with Gerry Scullion
What if going punk is the most human-centered thing you can do right now? 🤘 We sat down with Gerry Scullion to talk HCD, AI, and why discomfort might actually mean you're on the right track. Did we make you curious?
#66 - Meet our new host: Eva Faes
A new voice, same Service Design Podcast! Laurens Somers is passing the mic to Eva Faes, service and social designer at Knight Moves.
#65 - Modernising digital services at scale with Hefen Wong
What does it take to modernise a live government system? Hefen Wong from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower shares how an 18-year-old Employment Pass platform was transformed into a user-centred digital service …
Show notes
What does it take to modernise a live government system? Hefen Wong from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower shares how an 18-year-old Employment Pass platform was transformed into a user-centred digital service: through prioritising user value, smart use of research, and agile ways of working.
#64 - Building customer experience with Sheila Kesselaers and Tomas De Preter
We visit Sheila Kesselaers and Tomas De Preter at Reynaers Group HQ: how do they grow the shift to a Customer Experience mindset at a systems company in the world of building elements?
#63 - Service Design for NORCS with Mia Mo, Robyn Carino, and Samiha Essakhi
We talk with Mia Mo, Robyn Carino, and Samiha Essakhi as they take us through the innovative model they co-created to integrate health, social, and physical supports directly within Naturally Occurring …
Show notes
We talk with Mia Mo, Robyn Carino, and Samiha Essakhi as they take us through the innovative model they co-created to integrate health, social, and physical supports directly within Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCS).
#62 - Making waves with Maarten Raemdonck and Lien Dewitte
We talk with Maarten Raemdonck, Head of Innovation at Aquafin, and Lien Dewitte from Leap Forward, about how innovation takes root in a large, technical organisation. From bold early experiments to building …
Show notes
We talk with Maarten Raemdonck, Head of Innovation at Aquafin, and Lien Dewitte from Leap Forward, about how innovation takes root in a large, technical organisation. From bold early experiments to building lasting change, they share honest lessons from Aquafin’s journey to make innovation part of everyday work in a company that treats the waste water of 5 million people daily.
#61 - Innovating healthcare with Brian Desplinter and Jurgen De Klerck
In this episode, we visit AZ Groeninge in Kortrijk to meet Brian Desplinter and Jurgen De Klerck, the duo behind a unique collaboration between healthcare and telecom. From private 5G networks to co-designed …
Show notes
In this episode, we visit AZ Groeninge in Kortrijk to meet Brian Desplinter and Jurgen De Klerck, the duo behind a unique collaboration between healthcare and telecom. From private 5G networks to co-designed care services, we explore how design thinking is driving real change in a clinical setting.
#60 - Digitizing Buildings with Sun Ah Hwang
What if your home had a memory? In this episode, PhD researcher Sun Ah Hwang joins us to explore Digital Building Logbooks — the “health cards” of buildings. From DIY dreams to data-driven renovation advice, we …
Show notes
What if your home had a memory? In this episode, PhD researcher Sun Ah Hwang joins us to explore Digital Building Logbooks — the “health cards” of buildings. From DIY dreams to data-driven renovation advice, we discuss how DBLs are reshaping our approach to sustainability, ownership, and building design across Europe.
#59 - Prototyping for the planet with Dr. Samuel Huber
Dr. Samuel Huber shares his takes on how to design better futures from a planetary perspective. Being both a design entrepreneur and researcher, he utilises his academic side for real-life prototyping of strategies.
#58 - Building strong local communities with Djoera Eerland
How do you engage active neighbours in saving energy together with the rest of their neighbourhood? How can you improve social cohesion in local communities? Djoera Eerland shares the challenges and learnings …
Show notes
How do you engage active neighbours in saving energy together with the rest of their neighbourhood? How can you improve social cohesion in local communities? Djoera Eerland shares the challenges and learnings of kickstarting neighbourhood collectives at scale, with Buurkracht.
#57 - Regenerating the future with Coral Michelin
“All of Latin America is on fire at the moment. We’re losing thousands of hectares of ecosystems…”This is how Coral brings us to Brazil at the start of our conversation. She is currently working for re.green …
Show notes
“All of Latin America is on fire at the moment. We’re losing thousands of hectares of ecosystems…”This is how Coral brings us to Brazil at the start of our conversation. She is currently working for re.green, an organisation that restores tropical forests at scale, and she recently published her book on Ecosystemic Design.
#56 - Experiments for inclusion with Tom Van Hoey and Yalenka Mariën
How to make your services more inclusive and accessible? Tom Van Hoey from District09 and Yalenka Mariën from Knight Moves share insights from Flanders' City Deal 'E-inclusion by Design,' where they focus on …
Show notes
How to make your services more inclusive and accessible? Tom Van Hoey from District09 and Yalenka Mariën from Knight Moves share insights from Flanders' City Deal 'E-inclusion by Design,' where they focus on crafting accessible digital tools for 13 Flemish cities. Together, we discuss the importance of small-scale experimentation, encouraging city officials to adopt user-centred approaches, and using storytelling for sustainable collaboration.
#55 - Finding Nemo: transforming Finland’s maritime logistics with Sanna Vainionpää
How can service design revolutionise maritime logistics? Sanna Vainionpää gladly answers that question as she shares how their 10 years vision concept for Finnish Maritime “Single Window” - named NEMO …
Show notes
How can service design revolutionise maritime logistics? Sanna Vainionpää gladly answers that question as she shares how their 10 years vision concept for Finnish Maritime “Single Window” - named NEMO - enhances efficiency, reduces environmental impact, and optimises port operations. Don’t hesitate to dive into this engaging discussion on the power of service design in the maritime industry. A lot of opportunities lie ahead!
#54 - Save Time, Save Lives with Ashleen Nee And Linda Klotzbach
In this episode, we have a thoughtful conversation with Ashleen Nee and Linda Klotzbach going int-depth into their project “Save Time, Save Lives”, winner the 2023 Service Design Awards for Best Student Project …
Show notes
In this episode, we have a thoughtful conversation with Ashleen Nee and Linda Klotzbach going int-depth into their project “Save Time, Save Lives”, winner the 2023 Service Design Awards for Best Student Project executed together with YuYu Sun.
#53 - Designing rituals with Adam B Cochrane
Adam B Cochrane is a Senior strategic designer at Lufthansa Innovation hub where he facilitates meaning, purpose and future visions through service design. Throughout his career - with previous employers such …
Show notes
Adam B Cochrane is a Senior strategic designer at Lufthansa Innovation hub where he facilitates meaning, purpose and future visions through service design. Throughout his career - with previous employers such as Zalando, Taxfix, IXDS and Telekom - he developed a keen interested in ritual design and guiding new business ventures. Now, he ‘s also the co-director for the 2024 Service Design Global Conference in Helsinki - having been already a driving force for the 2023 conference in Berlin.
#52 - Imagining collective futures with Khushboo Balwani
Khushboo Balwani is a designer, creative researcher, and futurist active in Brussels through her socio-artistic citizen lab BrusselAVenir. Enjoy this hopeful and inspiring conversation about Khushboo’s work …
Show notes
Khushboo Balwani is a designer, creative researcher, and futurist active in Brussels through her socio-artistic citizen lab BrusselAVenir. Enjoy this hopeful and inspiring conversation about Khushboo’s work, her approach for understanding and visualising future needs and the power of collective future building.
#51 - Do No Harm with Giulia Bazoli and Pardis Shafafi
As designers, we assume a lot of responsibility when it comes to involving users. How can we do better, and how can we stay kind to ourselves? Giulia and Pardis share good laughs and serious answers on using …
Show notes
As designers, we assume a lot of responsibility when it comes to involving users. How can we do better, and how can we stay kind to ourselves? Giulia and Pardis share good laughs and serious answers on using the Do No Harm Framework in their daily practice at Designit.
#50 - Transforming healthcare with Jiri Vermeulen en Lola Bladt from Minze Health
Join us as we dive into the wonderful world of healthcare innovation with Jiri Vermeulen and Lola Bladt from Minze Health. Jiri and Lola share their personal experiences as entrepreneurial designers, narrating …
Show notes
Join us as we dive into the wonderful world of healthcare innovation with Jiri Vermeulen and Lola Bladt from Minze Health. Jiri and Lola share their personal experiences as entrepreneurial designers, narrating the transformation of a visionary idea in 2015 into an established digital healthcare company today with multiple products in the global market. Enjoy this honest and fun conversation about transforming healthcare through design.
#49 - Innovating public transport with Lotta Julkunen
Finnish strategic and service design agency Hellon has been working together with the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) for the past 6 years to ensure the sustainable future of Helsinki’s public …
Show notes
Finnish strategic and service design agency Hellon has been working together with the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) for the past 6 years to ensure the sustainable future of Helsinki’s public transport. For their productive partnership, they received the Service Design Award 2022 Best Non-Profit project!
We speak with Lotta Julkunen - design director and partner at Hellon - to discuss their well earned award, the philosophy of their partnership with HSL and many more interesting elements for doing successful service design at scale.
#48 - Designing for trust with Sarah Drummond
Leading up to her captivating talk at Knight Moves' Arena last month about ‘Trust Falls: catching users when they fall', we welcomed design strategist Sarah Drummond in our studio in Ghent. We talk about how to …
Show notes
Leading up to her captivating talk at Knight Moves' Arena last month about ‘Trust Falls: catching users when they fall', we welcomed design strategist Sarah Drummond in our studio in Ghent.
We talk about how to build trust in the design process, innovation vs. familiarity and the value of predictable actions for users in order to trust the systems they use. Get immersed in this fascinating topic and learn how to design for trust.
#47 - Empowering Empathy with Sydney Johnson and Kristofer Kelly-Frere from J5 Design
We welcome Sydney Johnson and Kristofer Kelly-Frere from Canada-based studio J5 Design. They shared their experience working on the project ‘Braver Training Grounds: Customer Experience Design & Social Housing …
Show notes
We welcome Sydney Johnson and Kristofer Kelly-Frere from Canada-based studio J5 Design. They shared their experience working on the project ‘Braver Training Grounds: Customer Experience Design & Social Housing Organizations’ which earned them the global service design award best commercial project 2022.
#46 - Nudging Sustainability with Chu-Yi Vuong
Chu-Yi Vuong — winner of the Service Design Award 2022 for Best Student Project — came up with a service to nudge sustainable choices to consumers. We welcome her in our studio in Ghent to talk about her …
Show notes
Chu-Yi Vuong — winner of the Service Design Award 2022 for Best Student Project — came up with a service to nudge sustainable choices to consumers. We welcome her in our studio in Ghent to talk about her thesis, her journey into the world of service design and her job as a service designer at IBM iX. Learn how her innovative solution, "Save," can make it easier for consumers to shop for groceries with sustainability in mind.
#45 - Activating agency with Leyla Acaroglu
We continue the keynote talk of Dr. Leyla Acaroglu backstage at the Service Design Global Conference in Copenhagen. We discuss sustainability, systemic change and most of all, actionable steps for us, service …
Show notes
We continue the keynote talk of Dr. Leyla Acaroglu backstage at the Service Design Global Conference in Copenhagen. We discuss sustainability, systemic change and most of all, actionable steps for us, service designers and humans to make a difference. Take in her inspiration for activating your agency.
#44 - Courage to design for good with Christina Melander and Peter Nørregård
In this episode, we share a heartfelt chat with two amazing people from the organising team of the Service Design Global Conference: Peter Nørregård from Playful Innovations and Christina Melander from the …
Show notes
In this episode, we share a heartfelt chat with two amazing people from the organising team of the Service Design Global Conference: Peter Nørregård from Playful Innovations and Christina Melander from the Danish Design Center.
Tune in to discover what designing for good means for them, and why having courage as a designer is so important—now maybe more than ever.
#43 - Time for a change with David Morgan and Stina Vanhoof
Tune in to this special episode where Stina and David pass the torch to Laurens and Jeroen and welcome them as new hosts of the Service Design Podcast. Listen to them reflecting on how Service Design has …
Show notes
Tune in to this special episode where Stina and David pass the torch to Laurens and Jeroen and welcome them as new hosts of the Service Design Podcast. Listen to them reflecting on how Service Design has changed since the beginning of the podcast. We also talk about the change in hosts and what challenges Stina and David are taking on instead!
Service Design Global Conference 2021 coming soon
Next week the Service Design Global Conference 2021 will take place with again a great line-up! This years’ theme is ‘taking a stand’, we talked about the theme and other exciting stuff with two great people …
Show notes
Next week the Service Design Global Conference 2021 will take place with again a great line-up! This years’ theme is ‘taking a stand’, we talked about the theme and other exciting stuff with two great people from the organising team: Ullah Jones and Agusta Callaway. Get excited about the conference and listen to the episode! Or let us convince you to still buy a ticket with a 25% discount (code: SDGC21_attendee_25%off)
EPISODE 41 Service Design Award Winner 2019 Best Non-Profit
Twisted studio won the ‘professional non-profit’ service design award for their lean approach to service design and prototyping. The project they won the award for is called LaMA, short for Laboratoria Mobiele …
Show notes
Twisted studio won the ‘professional non-profit’ service design award for their lean approach to service design and prototyping. The project they won the award for is called LaMA, short for Laboratoria Mobiele Alternatieven. A co-creative design process developed to find creative and simple solutions with great impact on mobility issues in small cities.
We spoke with the two founders of Twisted studio; Marlies Deforche & Elisabeth Verhetsel. Because they are our Belgian colleagues, we invited them to our studio!
Read the whole story here: https://www.service-design-network.org/community-knowledge/lama-laboratoria-mobiele-alternatieven
Twisted studio website: http://twistedstudio.be
These are the latest 40 of 73 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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