Power of Ten with Andy Polaine

Hosted by Power of Ten with Andy Polaine

Business Management Arts Design EducationInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

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.

Listen to episodes

57 recent

October 23, 2026Episode 648 min

S5 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, 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 Links Catt 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=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/@apolaine

July 8, 2026Episode 541 min

S5 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 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. Links Lisa - Lisa's writing and newsletter: https://lisabennett.substack.com - Lisa's website: https://lisabennettwrites.com - Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabennettwriter 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/ Blueksy: https://bsky.app/profile/andypolaine.bsky.social YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine

June 9, 2026Episode 459 min

S5 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 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 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/@apolaine

May 4, 2026Episode 31 hr 12 min

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 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 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 education Show Links Martin - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/designled - Web: https://liminaldesignoffice.com - Podcast https://beingliminal.com 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/@apolaine

March 25, 2026Episode 252 min

S5 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 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... Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Service Design and AI 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 Links Joel ==== - 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/@apolaine

February 16, 2026Episode 156 min

S5 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 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/@apolaine

December 23, 2025Episode 1450 min

S4 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 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/@apolaine

November 26, 2025Episode 1343 min

S4 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 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/@apolaine

October 24, 2025Episode 1245 min

S4 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 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/@apolaine

May 15, 2025Episode 1136 min

S4 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 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/@apolaine