Show Notes
Gavin Elliott, a senior design leader, shares his personal struggles, sharing his vulnerability, and how he has navigated his own journey with autism while building a long and demanding career in design.
Gavin is currently Chief Design Officer at Scrumconnect, where he leads user-centred design across major government and private-sector programmes, including the £19m MHCLG account. Previously, he was Senior UX Manager at Shopify, overseeing multiple UX teams and helping deliver key product launches such as Domains and Hydrogen 2.0. Before that, Gavin headed UX at UK Health Security Agency, leading design for the NHS COVID-19 app and related services during the pandemic recovery phase. At Department for Work and Pensions, he progressed from Interaction Designer to Head of Service Design, managing more than 70 designers across 40+ projects, including Universal Credit. His career also spans Traveljunction, Sky, UserZoom, and Stats Perform, alongside founding Industry Conf. All of this rests on an unexpected early foundation as a British Army mechanic and gaming editor.
Together, we explore topics ranging from AI and the future of design to the more personal realities of the industry, including mental health, vulnerability, and the importance of support. Gavin speaks candidly about the often-overlooked need for personal and professional care, particularly for those early in their careers.
We also discuss how to create environments that genuinely foster growth and what it might take to make the design industry more humane and sustainable for everyone.
Gavin Elliot Web - https://gavinelliott.co.uk/ LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-elliott-x/
Danny Hearn Substack - https://deeplyhumandesign.substack.com Web - https://www.dannyhearn.me LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyhearn/
Chapters 00:00 Have We Reached “Peak Designer”? The Hiring Boom and Slowdown 01:08 Introducing Andy — Designer, Founder, Investor, Pilot, Diver, “Shark Wrangler” 01:42 Origin Story — Geeky Kid, Early Web, and Falling in Love with the Internet 04:35 From Dive Instructor in Asia to Self-Taught Web Designer 07:26 Discovering UX and Helping Bring User Experience Design to the UK 10:34 Meeting Rich and Jeremy, Web Standards, and the Birth of Clearleft 18:43 Inside Clearleft — Culture, Community, and a Different Way to Run an Agency 22:15 Burberry, “Hyper-Alignment,” and How Clearleft Actually Worked Day to Day 32:24 UX London, Leading Design, and the “Accidental Design Leader” 47:16 Broken Web, AI, the Future of Design — S-Curves, Uncertainty, and Learning to Flow
More from the deeply human design podcast
“You cannot innovate if you don't have diverse thinking.” Summary In this episode, we explore the winding creative journey of Meg Porter, a designer turned product leader and founder, who shares how her artistic roots evolved into a passion for solving complex human problems. She candidly opens up about navigating corporate environments as a neurodivergent woman, facing systemic biases, and the exhaustion of trying to fit traditional workplace molds. Meg discusses her work with The Female Product Lead community, advocating for truly inclusive leadership and psychological safety across tech. She also details the creation of Unfold, her new app designed to help neurodivergent individuals manage executive dysfunction through nervous system and emotional regulation. Throughout the conversation, Meg highlights the immense value of radical self-knowledge over conventional career frameworks. Guest Meg Porter LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/megporter Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/_meg_porter/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@_meg_porter_ Unfold Website – https://getunfold.app Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/_unfoldapp_/ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@_unfoldapp_ Female Product Lead Website – https://femaleproductlead.com Events – https://luma.com/femaleproductlead Host Danny Hearn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyhearn/ Website – https://www.dannyhearn.me Podcast – https://www.deeplyhumandesign.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:38 Meg's Origins in Physical Graphic Design 04:43 Navigating Subjectivity and Finding Structure in Design 08:23 Expressing Personal Empathy Through Art Projects 10:17 Transitioning into Corporate Tech and Healthcare Design 14:12 Clashing Values and Systemic Politics in Enterprise Roles 18:35 Fostering Psychological Safety and Diverse Perspectives 22:57 Empowering Underrepresented Voices with Female Product Lead 26:27 Experiencing the Glass Ceiling and Micro-Behaviors 32:25 Finding Core Purpose and Showing Up Authentically 37:14 Building Unfold for Neurodivergent Emotional Regulation 43:58 Developing the MVP and Co-Founding with Family 46:23 Tackling Executive Dysfunction and Rejection Sensitivity 51:21 Prioritising Self-Knowledge Over Skill Sets in Leadership
"People massively overestimate the amount of change that's going to happen in two years, and they underestimate the amount in five to 10 years."
"The pressure to move faster in the tech industry creates an environment where presence and mental well-being are often sacrificed for speed.”
Reclaiming the Heart in Design “There’s so much heart in some of these things that you’re putting in heart in that space and I find it very hard to detach some of those.”
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is just be the kindest person in the room.”