WHY DESIGN?

The hardware and deep tech industry does not do much to tell talented people how to get in, when to make a move, or how to build a career that lasts. Over twelve episodes of Why Design, Chris Whyte has spoken with founders, CTOs, and senior design and engineering leaders who worked all of that out for themselves, often without a roadmap. This compilation is the result. Featured guests - Tess Cosad...

What if the most important thing a designer can do has nothing to do with making? In this episode of Why Design, Shaun Fynn shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that observation, not making, is the true foundation of design. That culture defines meaning. That before you build anything, you have to understand who will receive it including, eventually, who will receive it when it is...

What does twenty years of serious product work actually look like from the inside? In this episode of Why Design, Marco and Mark, co-founders of Pensa, share the belief that sits at the heart of their work: that the best products come from designers and engineers working through the same problems at the same time, not handing work over fences and telling each other what can't be done. Rather than...

Are you designing for the middle of the bell curve, or for the people who need it most? In this episode of Why Design, Stephan Clambaneva shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that industrial design's greatest contribution is at the front end of product development, where 80% of environmental impact is determined, where material choices get locked in, and where the decisions that a...

What if the science works, the market is ready, and your company still dies? In this episode of Why Design, Bill Liao shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that the stories we co-believe in are our civilisation, and that the words you choose, the values you name, and the futures you speak aloud determine not just what you build, but whether it survives. Rather than following a conv...

What does it take to build brand presence for one of the world's most rigorous design institutions in a market that barely knows it exists? In this episode of Why Design, Lisa Gralnek shares the belief that sits at the heart of her work: that design is not just products and packaging, but platforms, places, and policies and that if designers cannot speak the language of business, they will always...

When was the last time a car company asked you what you actually wanted in the car before they built it? In this episode of Why Design, Mark Tapscott shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that lightness is not a compromise. It is the design. That an electric sports car under 900 kilograms, built in Britain, engaging to drive and priced within reach of ambitious buyers, is not just...

How do you spend thirty five years inside hardware giants, take 22 IDEA medals out the door, and still end up best known as the guy who refused to chant “I am GE”? In this episode of Why Design, Bob Schwartz shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: design without a strategy is just decoration, and strategy without trust and respect is just paperwork. Rather than waving his hands above...

What does it take to solve a problem that everyone experiences and nobody has fixed? In this episode of Why Design, Floyd Freeman shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that the most obvious problems are sometimes the hardest to solve not because the technology does not exist, but because no one has connected the pieces. FlushLocks a smart lock and unattended tap payment system for...

What does it actually take to get something you designed onto a supermarket shelf at scale? In this episode of Why Design, Matt Batchelor shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that the best design does not stop at the render. It runs all the way through the material choice, the tooling, the supply chain, and the factory floor and the designer should know all of it. Rather than stay...

What does it actually cost to build a hardware brand from inside a design agency? In this episode of Why Design, Phil Staunton shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that product design is only as good as the honesty you bring to it. Not just the honesty with clients about what their product needs, but with yourself about what you do not know yet. Rather than staying comfortable in...

What do you do when the work you're best at starts to feel like the problem? In this episode of Why Design, Felicity Boyce shares the belief that sits at the heart of her work: that understanding how something is made, at factory scale, under pressure, with the wrong release agent and a cycle time that doesn't add up, is more valuable than any theory you carry out of university. As Head of Materia...

What does it take to solve a problem nobody else is willing to attempt, in a country 10,000 miles away, with a 15-person team and an active fundraise running in the background? In this episode of Why Design, Sid Shaikh shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that the hardest engineering problems are the right ones to go after, and that the difference between a startup that scales and...

What if the biggest gap in the clean energy transition isn't technology or politics, but simply who the products were designed for ? In this episode of Why Design, Rob Hallifax shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that half the country has been left behind by clean energy, and that the right physical product can change that. Rob is co-founder of Windfall Energy, a company building...

What does it take to redesign a surgical instrument that nobody has touched in sixty years? In this episode of Why Design?, Liz McGloughlin shares the belief that sits at the heart of her work: that hardware problems worth solving are the ones nobody has bothered to solve yet, and that the best place to find them is not a trend report but an operating room. Rather than following a conventional rou...

What does it take to walk into a deep tech startup as the only industrial designer... Earn the trust of thirty engineers, and... Build a design identity so thoroughly baked into the product that no one can ever cost-optimise it out? In this episode of Why Design, Dan Salisbury shares the belief that sits at the heart of his work: that design isn't a layer you apply at the end, it's the structure y...

What if the most important fertility treatment of the last decade wasn’t invented in a clinic, but built from scratch, during a lockdown, by someone who had never worked in medicine? In this episode of Why Design, Tess Cosad shares the belief that sits at the heart of Béa Fertility: that compassionate, clinical-grade care should be available to everyone, not just those who can afford a private cli...

What connects a folding bicycle, a kitchen tool, and an electric ultralight aircraft? For Mark Sanders, the answer isn’t the category, it’s the thinking. In this episode of Why Design, Mark joins host Chris Whyte to reflect on a career that spans more than four decades of designing, engineering, and inventing across radically different industries. From his early work as a mechanical engineer at Ro...

In an industry that often celebrates rapid growth, visibility, and bold ambition, there’s a quieter reality that rarely gets attention: The design businesses that last aren’t built through speed. They’re built through discipline. Through showing up consistently. Through making careful decisions when shortcuts are tempting. Through taking responsibility for outcomes, not just ideas. In this episode...

What if design wasn’t just a function… but a way of thinking about the world? In this episode of Why Design , Tylan Tschopp shares a belief that sits at the heart of his career: that design, when combined with engineering rigour and ownership, has the power to shape better products, better teams, and ultimately, better outcomes for people. Rather than choosing between design or engineering, Tylan...

What connects offshore engineering, inkjet printers, molecular diagnostics and a small workshop in a church in Newcastle?  For Paul Marshall , it’s all part of the same journey: a lifelong fascination with how things work, and a belief that good engineering can solve meaningful problems.  Paul is the co-founder of Rapid Fluidics , a UK consultancy and prototyping company specialising in...

What happens when you mix engineering instinct, a folding bike prototype built by an eccentric inventor, and a chance conversation with a stranger on a London bus?  For Will Butler-Adams, it became the start of a 20-year journey transforming Brompton from a tiny, chaotic workshop into one of Britain’s most recognisable global brands.  Today, Brompton bikes are commonplace in cities acros...

What do furniture exhibitions, glowing tables, and digital design have in common?  For Rémi, founder of Diplik, they’re all stops on a creative journey that ultimately led to Bitpong; a tech-enhanced, interactive ping-pong table that feels equal parts sport, art installation, and arcade.  From early ambitions in car design to studying industrial design in northern France, to guest lectur...

What connects electric bikes, mobility systems, high-end wellbeing devices and robotics?  For Joachim, it’s the same mission: design technology that feels intuitive, human, and full of possibility.  With a career spanning Brussels, Copenhagen and London, and now as co-founder of FutureWave, Joachim has spent the past six years building a 25-strong design and engineering studio working ac...

What connects toy blasters, beauty tools, and musical instruments?  For Rich Thrush , it’s all part of the same mission: to make products people love to use.  With a career spanning Hasbro, Motorola, Helen of Troy, and now Guitar Center , Rich has led design and innovation teams across some of the world’s most recognisable brands. From developing Braun’s non-contact thermometer to Revlon...