Simon Penny
LightNews LightNews
banner
simonpenny.bsky.social
Simon Penny
@simonpenny.bsky.social
71 followers 78 following 35 posts
Design Lead at BJSS specialising in Service Design and Design Thinking. Passionate about social impact through design.

Blog: simonpenny.wordpress.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
simonpenny.bsky.social
Simon Penny @simonpenny.bsky.social · Feb 20
We receive a #notification roughly every 10 minutes.

A ping.
A vibration.
A banner.

I've written six 2-minute #microfiction stories about the moments when #technology collides with something deeply human.

Do Not Disturb 👇
simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/02/20/d...

#HumanConnection #Storytelling
Six story tiles. Minimalist mid-century modern flat vector illustrations, geometric layered shapes, muted earthy retro color palette (mustard, burnt orange, brick red, deep teal, sage), warm cream background, large negative space. Tile 1 - Low Battery: Illustration of a sun. Tile 2 - Goal Achieved: Illustration of a pair of running shoes. Tile 3 - New Memory Illustration of a TfL Roundel. Tile 4 - Motion Detected: Illustration of a carton of almond milk. Tile 5 - Parcel Delivered: Illustration of a parcel. Tile 6 - New Message: Illustration of a pair of jeans and t-shirt.
simonpenny.bsky.social
Leaders don't buy "design".

They buy better services.

Better decisions.

More successful change.

I've written more about this here:

👉 simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/06/17/l...

#HumanCentredDesign #ServiceDesign #BusinessTransformation
Leaders Don’t Buy Design. They Buy Outcomes.
I used to think in terms of “selling” design. As a service designer working in-house in local government and housing, I spent a significant amount of time trying to get leaders to &#822…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
June 18, 2026 at 8:52 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
AI won’t fix your broken service.

Too many organisations use AI to automate around service problems instead of redesigning the systems causing them.

I wrote about it here 👇

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/05/06/a...

#AI #ServiceDesign #DigitalTransformation #CX #Transformation #SystemsThinking
AI Won’t Fix Your [Broken] Service
It seems that every organisation these days is either asking the question, “Where can we use AI?”, or thinking about it. Odds are they will go on to use some form of AI to transform their services.…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
May 8, 2026 at 8:12 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Parkinson’s Law of Triviality suggests we give greater attention to things that are easy to understand and less to more complex issues.

With AI making more things feel easy, this effect isn’t going away. It’s scaling.

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/03/31/b...

#AI #Bikeshedding #ParkinsonsLaw
Bikeshedding and Parkinson’s Law in the Age of AI
Have you ever noticed that big, complex decisions are sometimes agreed surprisingly quickly, while smaller, lower-risk details are debated again and again? You know the pattern. A team gathers to d…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
May 4, 2026 at 11:45 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Transformation isn’t just about delivery it’s about creating the conditions for people to thrive - where they feel safe, heard, and empowered

👉 simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/04/29/c...

#Transformation #ChangeManagement #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #CapabilityBuilding
Creating the Conditions for an Engaged, Thriving Workforce in Times of Transformation
Transformation success isn’t just about what you build. It’s also about what you leave behind and what you enable to grow The pace of change today is relentless. Transformation is no lo…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
April 30, 2026 at 3:57 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Yesterday’s London Marathon result got me thinking. Could Sawe have broken the record without Kejelcha pushing him all the way?

It reminded me of my post on Isaac Newton and Robert Hooke. First place is remembered, but it’s never just the winner’s result.

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/t...
The Long View on Innovation Labs
I’ve been giving some thought recently to the old adage that ‘there is no such thing as a new idea’. I guess I’ve been thinking about how perhaps in the past I’ve tend…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
April 28, 2026 at 2:23 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Too often, transformation programmes optimise for systems, not people.

I wrote about why that's not good 👇

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/04/20/d...

#HumanCentredDesign #UXDesign #DesignEthics #AIDesign #PlatformDegradation #Enshittification #FutureOfDesign #DesignForHumans #ServiceDesign
Designing for Humans: Why Thoughtful Design Matters More Than Ever
Design isn’t neutral. It shapes how we think, feel and navigate everyday life. Yet much of the software we encounter today is optimised for systems – reducing the burden for organisations whi…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
April 22, 2026 at 10:28 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
When uncertainty rises, organisations get cautious.

But playing it safe can actually increase risk.

Human-centred design helps leaders slow down, test early, and avoid expensive wrong turns.

👉 simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/04/16/b...

#Leadership #Change #Strategy #HCD
Bold Leadership in Uncertain Times: How Human-Centred Design Helps Us Take Smarter Risks
At the end of 2025, I was working with a group of senior leaders who had been tasked with answering a question that feels especially relevant given today’s global climate of uncertainty: How can we…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
April 16, 2026 at 1:03 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Are we optimising for outputs or outcomes?

Have we become too focused on design artefacts at the expense of design outcomes?

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/04/10/b...

#UXDesign #ServiceDesign #DesignThinking #ProductManagement
Beyond Artefacts: Designing for Outcomes
In his 2013 Service Design Global Conference keynote, Lee Sankey (then Director of Innovation and Customer Experience at Barclays) challenged the service design community to “be more in love with t…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
April 12, 2026 at 11:48 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Parkinson’s Law of Triviality suggests we give disproportionate attention to things that are easy to understand and less to more complex ones.

With AI making more things feel easy this effect isn’t going away, it’s scaling.

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/03/31/b...

#AI #Bikeshedding #ParkinsonsLaw
Bikeshedding and Parkinson’s Law in the Age of AI
Have you ever noticed that big, complex decisions are sometimes agreed surprisingly quickly, while smaller, lower-risk details are debated again and again? You know the pattern. A team gathers to d…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
March 31, 2026 at 7:21 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
When the programme ends, when consultants step away, when the playbooks no longer fit the situation, what happens next?

Digital transformation shouldn’t be defined by what you launch. It should be defined by what remains when everybody leaves.

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/01/19/b...
Building Internal Capability as Part of Digital Transformation
Technology modernises systems. Capability reshapes organisations. Digital transformation programmes focus on delivering new platforms, tools, and operating models, but they often overlook the inter…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
March 31, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Simon Penny
mynameismartin.co.uk
It's not the role of design to make complex things simple, it's to make complexity clear.
February 26, 2026 at 11:08 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Your service isn’t isolated.

Your users don’t exist inside your service. Your service exists inside their lives.

Thinking about the wider ecosystem can lead to better designed products & services, and better outcomes.

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2023/10/07/u...

#DesignThinking #HCD #ServiceDesign
Unlocking the Potential for Ecosystem Thinking in Service Design
When you hear the word ‘ecosystem,’ you’re perhaps most likely to think of a biological ecosystem, such as a tropical rainforest or a coral reef; a network of interdependent organ…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
February 23, 2026 at 12:28 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Are constant digital micro-tasks saving us time or stealing our presence? In a world lived increasingly through screens, some thoughts on how digital immersion reshapes our lives and wellbeing

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2023/12/14/l...

#DigitalLife #Wellbeing #Design #TechCulture #HCD #ProductDesign
Living Between Worlds: Navigating Our Virtually Digital Reality
Are we truly present in the moment, or are we merely observers through the lens of our screens? Back in the early noughties, as part of the final year of my undergraduate degree, I took a class on …
simonpenny.wordpress.com
February 20, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Simon Penny
barrykhan.co.uk
Shiny but problematic - The pitfalls of leading with technology

From touchscreens in cars to AI in everyday products, it's easy to get swept up in shiny, new technology. But are we solving real problems, or just creating new ones? #ucd #servicedesign #technology

barrykhan.co.uk/posts/tech-b...
Shiny but problematic - The pitfalls of leading with technology – Barry Khan
Inspired by a Telegraph article, this post explores how touchscreens in cars are reshaping the driving experience—for better or worse
barrykhan.co.uk
January 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
We receive a #notification roughly every 10 minutes.

A ping.
A vibration.
A banner.

I've written six 2-minute #microfiction stories about the moments when #technology collides with something deeply human.

Do Not Disturb 👇
simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/02/20/d...

#HumanConnection #Storytelling
Six story tiles. Minimalist mid-century modern flat vector illustrations, geometric layered shapes, muted earthy retro color palette (mustard, burnt orange, brick red, deep teal, sage), warm cream background, large negative space. Tile 1 - Low Battery: Illustration of a sun. Tile 2 - Goal Achieved: Illustration of a pair of running shoes. Tile 3 - New Memory Illustration of a TfL Roundel. Tile 4 - Motion Detected: Illustration of a carton of almond milk. Tile 5 - Parcel Delivered: Illustration of a parcel. Tile 6 - New Message: Illustration of a pair of jeans and t-shirt.
February 20, 2026 at 11:10 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
In the age of algorithms, the real danger may not be that Big Brother is watching us.

It may be that we no longer notice who, or what, is shaping what *we* see.

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/02/12/b...

#DigitalCulture #AttentionEconomy #Technology #AI #Orwell #Huxley #Agency
An AI generated photograph of four propaganda-style posters pasted side-by-side on a weathered brick wall beneath a railway bridge. From left to right, the posters read “BE MORE HUMAN,” “BE LESS FROG,” “ATTENTION IS CURRENCY,” and “SPEND IT WISELY,” each in bold red, black, and cream graphics. The paper is creased, slightly misaligned, and layered over remnants of older torn posters. Three commuters walk past in the foreground, motion-blurred and looking down at their smartphones. Street bollards, a utility box, and a CCTV camera mounted high on the wall are also pictured.
February 14, 2026 at 9:41 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
In the age of algorithms, distraction is personalised and choices are guided.

Your attention is currency. Spend it wisely.

A post on #Orwell, #Huxley, and individual #agency in the age of #algorithms.

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/02/12/b...

#DigitalCulture #AttentionEconomy #Technology #AI
February 13, 2026 at 8:27 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
The danger isn’t being dropped in boiling water - it’s in the water heating, notification by notification.

Be more human. Be less frog.

A post on #Orwell, #Huxley, and the age of #algorithms.

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/02/12/b...

#DigitalCulture #AttentionEconomy #Agency #Technology #AI
February 12, 2026 at 5:35 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Aspects of 1984 and Brave New World feel less like fiction than they once did. I've shared some thoughts on algorithms, attention, and modern dystopias: Brave New 1984

simonpenny.wordpress.com/2026/02/12/b...

#Algorithms #DigitalCulture #AttentionEconomy #Agency #Orwell #Huxley #Technology #AI
Brave New 1984: Are Algorithms Rewriting the Dystopian Playbook?
Are we shaping our technology, or is it shaping us? I recently reread George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984, and I followed it up with a first-time reading of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. I chose…
simonpenny.wordpress.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:41 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Sharing a little bit of Monday morning #design inspiration from @sparck.io based on things that have inspired my colleagues and I this past week - www.linkedin.com/posts/sparck... #ServiceDesign #UserResearch #Accessibility
Sparck on LinkedIn: #design #accessibility #servicedesign
What’s inspired the Sparck team in the past week? Everything from accessibility training to The Simpsons to surveys in the post. 👇 1. “After creating a…
www.linkedin.com
February 10, 2025 at 9:15 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Each year, on #BlueMonday, my mind is always drawn to the legend of New Order's 1983 Blue Monday 12" single packaging designed by Peter Saville - a perfect example of the bluring of #art and #design, and a facinating story - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mo...
January 20, 2025 at 10:34 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
Really enjoyed this TEDTalk - High-tech art (with a sense of humor) (Aparna Rao | TEDGlobal 2011) go.ted.com/6W2a
High-tech art (with a sense of humor)
Artist and TED Fellow Aparna Rao re-imagines the familiar in surprising, often humorous ways. With her collaborator Soren Pors, Rao creates high-tech art installations -- a typewriter that sends email...
go.ted.com
January 8, 2025 at 1:41 PM
simonpenny.bsky.social
In a few hours, I’ll be logging off my socials for a few days to spend some quality face-to-face social time with my nearest and dearest. Before I do, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you on the flip side!
December 24, 2024 at 9:59 AM
simonpenny.bsky.social
So, it seems my local Post Office can sell me 4 first-class stamps or a book of 8 second-class—but not 4 second-class stamps, as they’ve run out! Smells like an internal process or policy issue, and definitely feels like bad #ServiceDesign and poor #CX.

What gives UK Post Office?
December 18, 2024 at 2:01 PM