In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion is joined by Dr. Gary David, professor of sociology at Bentley University, self-described design sociologist — possibly the only one on LinkedIn — and host of the Experience by Design podcast. Gary explains why sociology is a tool we all use whether…
In this episode of This is HCD, Gerry Scullion is joined by Dr. Gary David, professor of sociology at Bentley University, self described design sociologist — possibly the only one on LinkedIn — and host of the Experience by Design podcast. Gary explains why sociology is a tool we all use whether we know it or not, and what it takes to use it well: engaging directly with people, adapting to context, and having the people skills to get outside the usability lab. He shares his framework for working across deep difference — moving from an "us and them" orientation to a "you and I" orientation, and finally to "we" — drawing on his research with software development teams across the US, Ireland, and India, where he flipped the usual question from "how are we different?" to "what do we hold in common?" The conversation turns to the workplace itself, where Gary has had a front row seat for 26 years. He traces the full circle from Bentley branding itself on "a port per pillow" and laptops in every classroom, to professors banning screens and returning to in class handwriting — and argues the same reckoning is coming for AI. His test is simple: what's the right tool for the right job, and ho
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