Do you want real-world, global, enterprise AI product and design experience?

Every design and strategy person on planet Earth will tell you they understand AI. But very few have any real experience, or understand how it works. I have global, enterprise level as a UX UI Lead, and ultra-detailed startup experience

  • Via a great agency, I did the entire UX for HSBC's global flagship AI product, then evolved into a specialist in orchestrated multi-agent workflows
  • This involved looking at how to generate real value in a big company - way beyond general productivity and basic AI hype
  • This ranged from a serious MVP mindset with a small, agile team through to being part of a much bigger setup
  • I have also set up a startup which is a unique 'slop-free' AI powered platform aiming to reinvent therapy and mental health care
  • It does this through a unique, future-proof process which does uses AI as a fantastic distribution layer

Simon Richards

I turn ideas into customer insights, amazing experiences and increased revenue for world-class companies.

Classic roles I look at

Service & Product Design

Agency or client-side. Solving problems, designing products and services. Delivering smarter customer experiences.

Research

I love talking to customers & clients and matching up customer and business needs

Copy/content

Advertising campaigns, big ideas, innovation, branding, company naming, website copy and marketing strategies.

Main skills

  • Stakeholder management

    Exceptionally skilled at communication and managing stakeholders: especially the difficult ones!

  • Product Strategy

    Roadmap strategy and phasing, in combination with detailed specifications and prototypes to make it real.

  • High Speed Design

    I do not believe in standard design processes. Instead, I create results much faster with less people and cost.  

  • Copy and Content

    TV and radio scripts, ad campaigns, branding postioning statements, web copy. 

Numbers you might like to know

21

Years experience in digital

7.4%

Average increase in ecommerce sales conversion

257%

Average increase in online revenue

0%

Unhappy clients 

Honest Answers

Not your typical Q&A.

  • What is the main reason I should work with you?

    I know this sounds somewhat cocky, but I would say it's thinking and acting quickly and intuitively.

    This means two things for you - getting to an awesome solution fast and seeing normally complex deliverables like prototypes and videos delivered earlier and to a higher standard than you might be used to from regular consultants.  

  • What are you bad at?

    Personally, I wouldn't be employing me as a project manager! I can do it but only when I have to. I find it kinda boring and I always just feel like someone else more expert should be doing it.

  • Are you a good team member?

    Absolutely! I love working in teams and don't mind the role I have, no ego here. But, if  I am usually in a leadership position, and confident at helping people understand how to focus time and really engage in what they are doing and feel proud and productive. I am known to step up and create  direction and inspiration to get things moving.

  • What's your best and worst personality traits?

    Both have the same answer, I tend to get super involved in whatever I am doing and really want to do the best I can and have a lot of confidence in my ideas. The downside of that is setting high expectations sometimes for people around me, and every now and then I do find myself thinking somebody just isn't making enough effort and is bluffing things just that bit too much.  

  • You're obviously a big picture person. But what about delivering the details?

    Good question! So I've noticed that many people lose the ability to focus in and deliver serious detail once they get into senior positions. 

    I like the big picture, and love the detail. For example, when I'm designing digital products I think of every possible crazy edge case and make sure the solution is robust and works well. 


01 Innovation

I love to listen.  A strength is hearing  competing points of view, giving everyone a chance to talk, and coming up with something new that everyone buys into. 

02 Research 

Next is to understand what customers want and create a vision of what this looks like. This is a mix of science and art - interpreting the data and insights and creating a better experience.  

03 Design 

When we get to the product itself, I prefer to tell a story - see things from the perspective of the customer in the form of an interactive prototype and videos instead of yet another PPT. 

From C Suite to Coders to Customers

I have extensive experience managing all types of stakeholders in projects, and take pride in speaking in their language: whether that's a CEO who needs to know the big picture to coders down a crackly phone line in Bangalore who need one small thing in all its detail.

Workshops & more

The key is to find a way to get everyone involved and taking part. I love managing workshops and small tighter groups where everyone can have their say and be part of the solution.

Creating agreement through simplicity

Often in larger organisations there is resistance to change and politics. 

In my experience, if you  listen to why those people feel that way, and understand their own personal concerns,  you can find common ground that everyone can sign up to.

Usually, the answer is to boil it down to the most basic and simple requirements  to  reveal an essental truth.

The other key part of the solution is to give everyone ownership over their part of the jigsaw puzzle and make sure they are being listened to.