There's lots of talk of what AI means for design. The real impact will be felt in everyday customer experiences.

AI is artificial but so are most services. Screens, clicks, logins. Done well, AI could remove these barriers so experiences fit more naturally into life.

public.digital/pd-insights/...

Our latest @publicdigital.bsky.social book, competitive advantage by design, is here.

Today, design approaches shape how modern businesses are run.

This is a collection of stories that remind us of the joy of design and its transformative potential.

Get your copy public.digital/pd-design-book

#CampDigital - Meet our speakers!

We're delighted to announce that @kwastell.bsky.social and @blangry.bsky.social will join our lineup on 3rd July, with their talk 'Getting things moving in a system that doesn't want to!' 🥳

Grab your tickets today at: tinyurl.com/mw4bcyb9

In my latest weeknote:

👊🏻IWD internet shitposting, wrapped: 42 submissions. 33 companies called out for IWD hypocrisy. No responses. So what did we learn?

Also: HR Tech Europe (big on AI but not so much on experience), gigs (1 good, one meh), AMS looking fiiiine.

sharonodea.com/2025/03/09/w...

Flexible working isn’t just about when you work. And work-life balance isn’t just about start and finish times. The reality is that work doesn’t fit neatly into a 9 to 5, and life doesn’t fit neatly outside it. Outcomes are more important than hours.

www.katherinewastell.com/blog/2025/3/...

“This evolution of tap design serves as a prime example of where capitalism and design have gone wrong.”

There's been recent focus on hiring designers from big-name tech companies (lnkd.in/eEjxq8EQ). Their skills are impressive, no doubt.

But in today’s climate of cost-saving, organisations need designers with the hard-earned experience of a transformation.

www.katherinewastell.com/blog/designi...

What a beauty 😍

www.ithoughtaboutthatalot.com/product/itat...

@amymcnichol.bsky.social @allconsuming.bsky.social

Why do so many strategic initiatives fail?

Too often, organisations focus entirely on the target customer experience, without thinking about how they’ll make it real. They want to create a new experience, but their operating model holds them back.

Could anyone recommend a high quality fast turnaround place to get stickers printed in London?

Diginate isn’t fast enough for what we need.

In an organisation that delivers services, it’s crucial to prioritise the effort you put into them. You need to focus where you’ll see the best return on investment. That could be for operational efficiency or a better customer and colleague experience. www.katherinewastell.com/blog/2024/5/...

Doing user research is about looking for clues. And while user research can’t provide certainty, it will inform the bets you place in your organisational strategy.

Doing user research to inform strategy: public.digital/2024/02/21/d...

This is making me very happy today… the start of a design community of practice at @publicdigital.bsky.social

The journey to establish design in an organisation is not a straight path, but a cyclical process. Working across different organisations, I've noticed some common phases. As you navigate through these phases, it's crucial to adapt your leadership approach.

www.katherinewastell.com/blog/2023/11...

There’s an old saying, the best designer isn’t the best manager. While that’s true for some people, it’s unambitious.

For design leadership to be effective, we need a player-coach approach. We need to combine people leadership and design leadership.

www.katherinewastell.com/blog/2023/10...

To identify user research findings, you need to distill lots of information into meaningful patterns.

Do it with your team, and do it iteratively.

And you'll rapidly synthesise your way to clear findings that the entire team has helped shape.

www.katherinewastell.com/blog/2023/co...

Appreciation is an important practice for everyone, and thankfully is much more common across teams in recent years.

Whether you're a small team of 3 or a team-of-teams, showing your appreciation for one another can work wonders for building connections.

www.katherinewastell.com/blog/2023/9/...