All Things Design

This week, I sat down with Riley Coleman — design leader, ethical AI strategist, and founder of AI Flywheel — to explore what it really means to build AI literacy inside design teams and organizations.

We unpacked the real risks of waiting, what “trustworthy AI” actually looks like, and how design leaders can guide their teams responsibly through this transformation. This one’s packed with actionable takeaways for designers, product leaders, and execs navigating AI today.

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#AILiteracy #DesignLeadership #FutureOfWork #ResponsibleAI #AllThingsDesign_Torii #JoeWoodham #RileyColeman

This week, I sat down with Brad Alphonso, Senior Manager of Service Design at Bupa, to talk about what design leadership really looks like today.

We went deep on the shift from generalist to specialist, how to communicate design’s value in business terms, and the role leaders play in creating space for real innovation.

Brad brings a brilliant perspective on strategic design, and this one’s packed with takeaways you can apply straight away.

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Join me in this insightful episode featuring Abi Iyer, a leading expert in design leadership and UX team management. We explore practical strategies for scaling UX design teams, building ownership-driven cultures, and hiring critical thinkers over mere problem solvers. Abi provides invaluable insights on why successful scaling isn't about headcount but about cultivating the right mindset.

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- For more information about Torii: https://toriiconsulting.com.au/

(0:00) - Introduction

#DesignLeadership #UXDesign #ProductDesign #TeamManagement #ScalingUX #DesignTeamCulture #UXHiring #DesignStrategy #UXManagement #CriticalThinking

AI is moving fast... but that doesn’t mean designers are done. In today's episode, I sit down with Sharbani Dhar, to unpack what designers must do to stay relevant. We explore human-centred AI, the skills that still matter, and why great design goes way beyond UI.

If you’re a designer wondering how to future-proof your career, this one’s for you.

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Produced by Reidentify.co

In this episode, I chat with product design leader Lisa Jacquiot about a topic that hits close to home, burnout. Lisa shares her personal story of hitting the wall and how a toxic environment nearly ended her career in design. 

We unpack how burnout shows up in creative teams, why designing for stakeholders (not users) is a red flag, and how leaders can spot the early warning signs before it’s too late. 

This episode is real, raw, and full of takeaways for any design leader!

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Produced by Reidentify: https://reidentify.co/

In today’s episode, I chat with Simone Attansio about the real shift designers face, moving from doing it all solo to thriving in a team environment. We dig into the pressure startups place on designers to wear every hat, why that’s unsustainable, and how true impact comes from collaboration. 

In today's episode, Scott Howard and I dive into one of the trickiest parts of design leadership, how to measure the impact of your work...

Whether you’re a junior designer or a senior working on strategic initiatives, this chat unpacks how to think commercially, define success metrics, and track real ROI, especially when you’re working as an enabler, not an owner. So many good takeaways in here!

💡 Key Themes

- Commercial thinking for junior designers

- Strategic design in B2B vs B2C

- Enabling metrics vs business metrics

- How to track internal adoption

- Proving ROI without owning the product

🔗 Resources

- For more on Torii Consulting: https://toriiconsulting.com.au/

- Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joewoodham/

- Follow Scott Howard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthowarddesign/

This podcast is produced by Reidentify.co

⏱️ Timestamps

(0:00) – Introduction

(1:20) – Tying design back to business objectives as a designer

(5:45) – What “design maturity” really means in orgs

(8:30) – The role of a design team when you’re not customer-facing

(12:15) – B2B vs B2C: Why metrics get messier in enterprise

(15:10) – Enabling design vs owning product design

(18:45) – Internal adoption metrics and what they mean

(22:50) – Advice for junior designers on thinking strategically

(25:30) – Defining success before you even start a project

(27:00) – Measuring outcomes when you’re not directly customer-facing

(29:40) – Final takeaways and where to connect with Scott

#DesignLeadership #UXStrategy #BusinessDesign #ProductDesign #DesignThinking #UXMetrics #DigitalTransformation #ScottHoward #AllThingsDesign

What if aiming for failure was the secret to breakthrough innovation?In this episode of All Things Design, Joe Woodham sits down with Shane Burford, Head of Design at Car Group (parent company of carsales.com.au), to unpack how Shane's team builds risk into their design process to unlock global-scale growth.Shane shares the four-step framework his team uses to validate ideas, why they shoot for a 50% fail rate, and how they turn risky ventures into scalable solutions across markets like Australia, Brazil, and South Korea. 🌏We dive into: ✅ How to align design with C-Suite decision-making✅ Building internal trust and alignment with stakeholders✅ Crafting pitches that win executive buy-in✅ Real-world lessons from launching a payments product in under 7 months✅ Why designers must learn to "speak business" to get their ideas across🔔 Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you never miss an episode.👉 Connect with Shane Burford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaneburford/#DesignLeadership #ProductDesign #BusinessDesign #AllThingsDesign #CarGroup #Innovation #StartupMindset

In this episode of All Things Design, host Joe Woodham sits down with Andy Warboys, VP of Design at Learnosity, to unpack the real journey of turning design teams into strategic business assets.

From starting as a solo designer to leading a globally distributed team, Andy shares how to build alignment between design and business goals, navigate leadership transitions, foster psychological safety, and harness the power of AI in product development. Plus, you'll hear practical insights on creating a culture of continuous learning and why understanding your team's personalities makes all the difference.

If you're a design leader, an aspiring one, or just curious about how design drives real business outcomes — this episode is packed with actionable takeaways.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• How to speak the language of business as a designer

Connect with Andy Warboys:

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow All Things Design for more conversations with top design leaders driving digital transformation.

In this episode, Joe sits down with strategic service designer Glenn Veugen to explore the deeper purpose of design in business—and why it’s so much more than pushing pixels. From his early days experimenting with 3D modeling to helping businesses understand the return on design investment, Glenn shares how designers can (and should) speak the language of business.

Expect insights on:

• Aligning user needs with business goals

Whether you’re a junior designer, a product leader, or just curious about how design shapes better businesses, this convo is packed with practical wisdom and a few laughs too.

💡 “Would you pay yourself to do this for your own business?” — a question every designer should ask.