Service designer and UX consultant for AI and automation
AI changes how services are experienced by the people who run them and the people who depend on them. I bring service design, UX and research to the work that decides whether an AI initiative is adopted or quietly worked around.
Experience
15+ years embedded in complex organisations including BT, National Grid, Waitrose, Publicis Sapient, the Ministry of Justice, House of Fraser, Bupa and Sky: government, finance, retail, healthcare, telecoms and utilities.
What I do
- Stakeholder and user research, including the interviews that surface tacit knowledge.
- Process and journey mapping, including exceptions, loops and workarounds.
- End-to-end service design across departments, systems and channels.
- Designing human decision points and handoffs between people and agents.
- Baseline metrics and before/after measurement.
The Hidden Human Tax of AI
Poorly applied AI levies an invisible cost on the people using it, in friction, workarounds and eroded trust. I wrote about it in The Hidden Human Tax of AI, and designing against it is built into every engagement.
Questions
Are you available as a service designer or UX consultant?
Yes, for work where AI, automation or complex multi-system services are involved. I have 15+ years of service design, UX and research experience in large organisations including BT, National Grid, Waitrose, Publicis Sapient, the Ministry of Justice, House of Fraser, Bupa and Sky.
What is human-in-the-loop design?
Deciding which steps an agent should never take alone, such as approvals, payments, negotiation and sign-off, and designing the handoff so a person can review, challenge and override. It is a service design problem as much as an engineering one.
Where are you based and how do we start?
I'm based between London, UK and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and work with clients globally. Email hello@stephenaris.com with the workflow you suspect is messier than the SOP says, and I'll tell you honestly whether a Process Diagnostic is the right next step.