Big News + A Human-Centered Conversation You Don’t Want to Miss
Human-Centered Experiences with Gerry Scullion
✨ A Big Milestone (and First Look for You)
I’ve got some exciting news—and you’re hearing it here first.
I’ve officially completed my book manuscript, tentatively titled:
The Un-WOW: A Guide to Experience Designs of All Kinds
If that subtitle sounds familiar, it’s because it’s inspired directly by this podcast—Experience by Design—where we’ve spent years exploring how experiences take shape across industries, contexts, and communities.
This book is deeply influenced by the many conversations I’ve had with guests on the show (including the one featured in this episode). One of the biggest takeaways?
Experiences don’t need to be big, flashy, or orchestrated to matter.
We often think great experience design means creating spectacular, memorable “WOW” moments. But the truth is:
Most of life is lived in the “Un-WOW.”
These are the everyday, unscripted, human moments:
The small gestures
The subtle interactions
The spontaneous connections
They’re not staged. They’re not fully controllable. And that’s exactly why they matter.
As experience designers, we can shape the conditions for meaningful moments—but we can’t (and shouldn’t) try to control them entirely. The “Un-WOW” is where authenticity lives.
📘 What to Expect from the Book
The manuscript blends several elements:
🧠 Philosophy of experience design
🛠️ Practical strategies
📍 Real-world insights from conversations like the ones you hear on this podcast
…and hopefully, it’s an engaging and entertaining read along the way.
I’ll be sharing more soon as I move into pre-publication and launch planning—so stay tuned!
🎧 This Week’s Episode: Gerry Scullion
This episode perfectly captures many of the themes in the book—and in fact, parts of this very conversation made it into the manuscript.
Today’s guest is Gerry Scullion, a true leader in human-centered design:
Founder of Humana Design
Host of the globally recognized This is HCD podcast
Organizer of the Human Centered Design Network
Consultant, speaker, and practitioner with 20+ years of experience
🔍 What We Dive Into
This conversation is rich, honest, and deeply practical. Here’s some of what we explore:
🚀 The DIY Path into UX
Gerry shares how he entered the field as a self-taught practitioner, embracing a “fake it till you make it” mindset—and what that looks like in practice.
🎯 The Impact of Small Details
We discuss how tiny, thoughtful touches can make a disproportionate impact on people’s experiences.
🏛️ Designing Within Government & Social Services
Gerry brings powerful insight into working inside complex, bureaucratic systems—and how real change can happen even there.
❤️ Designing for Vulnerability
One of the most compelling parts of the conversation:
How do we create more humane experiences for people when they need it most?
From healthcare to public services, Gerry emphasizes the responsibility—and opportunity—experience designers have to show up meaningfully in those moments.
🌱 Why This Conversation Matters
At its core, this episode (and the upcoming book) is about a simple but profound idea:
Experience design is not about control—it’s about care.
It’s about noticing the overlooked. Designing for humanity, not just efficiency. And recognizing that even the smallest moments can have the biggest impact.
🔗 Explore More from Gerry Scullion
Website: https://gerryscullion.com/
Humana Design: https://humana.design/
Podcast: https://www.thisishcd.com/
🎙️ Final Thought
There’s so much packed into this episode—and like many of the conversations on this show, it shaped how I think about experience design enough to include it in the book.
Give it a listen, and start noticing the “Un-WOW” moments around you this week.
They might just be the most meaningful ones.
LISTEN HERE: https://experiencebydesign.simplecast.com/episodes/human-centered-experiences-with-gerry-scullion
