Ben Holliday

This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 20 years. You will find posts about digital transformation, design and leadership. You can also find me on Bluesky and LinkedIn. In 2022 I published a book for TPXimpact, Multiplied.

Design

Simple models

The horizon and the next steps

In a design process there are two immediate things that matter: the horizon (immediate goal), and the next steps (immediate steps towards that goal). Read more

Seniority in design: proximity and closeness

Learning to prototype is more important than learning to code

Why prototyping doesn’t mean that you have to write code or build software. Read more

A design state of mind

What it means to move to a design mindset. Read more

Ambiguity and design

Ambiguity is a key part of design. It points us to the uncomfortable gap between ‘what is’ and ‘what could be’ which is where I believe design adds most value. Read more

Prompts for design leaders working with product teams

Sharing prompts and questions I use when working with product teams. Read more

What makes a design education?

All design is strategic

All design is strategic unless you just see it as implementation. Read more

Service mapping and different types of maps

Understanding maps, why we’re making them, and how they’re useful to service teams. Read more

Bias in design

Thoughts about bias in design. Read more

The consultants fallacy

Working forwards and working backwards

What we can learn from the military about mapping backwards, and how this applies to service design. Read more

Working with design detail

Why artefacts are most useful when they become the design, rather than a plan for doing the design or building a product. Read more

Raise your expectations

The strange becoming familiar

How we quickly adapt to unfamiliar service models. Read more

Quality conversations over process

Why the quality of your conversations is as important as your process. Read more

Seniority in design

Are you a senior designer? Here are some of the things I think define seniority in design. Read more

You can’t start with an iteration, you can only start with an idea

The new King’s Cross station in London. A story about the importance of starting with an idea. Read more

Mistakes and cows on the path

Why the mistakes you make are sometimes your biggest opportunities. Read more