Rachel A.Wood MSc GMBPsS
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rachelawood.bsky.social
Rachel A.Wood MSc GMBPsS
@rachelawood.bsky.social
👩‍💻Human Centred Design Leadership | 👩‍🎓 PhD Researcher and Pracademic | Member of the British Psychological Society | Hodgkin’s Lymphoma ‘aliver’
Pinned
I am looking for volunteers to help me with with my research. This year I am running focus groups. Please get in contact if this is of interest 🙏

#PhD #Design #DesignResearch #ServiceDesign #CoDesign #ParentingEducation #PrisonEducation
The ninth day of the 24 day countdown of ‘mindful by design’. Day 9 - Language matters Tip: Use words that empower, not distance, avoid jargon and authority barriers Reflection: Language shapes belonging 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #phdlife #design #research #psychology
December 9, 2025 at 6:15 AM
So pleased to have the opportunity to give a virtual talk again this year. This time I will be talking about my PhD Research and #DesignPsychology on Monday 9th Feb at the Festival.
You can find out more about the full programme here:
www.bps.org.uk/event/bps-ps...

Hope to e-see you there 💎😊
December 8, 2025 at 6:21 PM
On the eighth day of the 24 day countdown of ‘mindful by design’. Day 8 - Focus on how people feel Tip: track emotional touchpoints Reflection: Services are experienced emotionally, not mechanically 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #phdlife #design #research #psychology #24DayCountdown
December 8, 2025 at 5:55 AM
The seventh day of 24 days of ‘mindful by design’ (and my usual service co-design week-notes 136). Day 7 - Prototype progress, not perfection Tip: Test small. Iterate fast. Learn often Reflection: Early imperfection opens the path to real improvement @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research
December 7, 2025 at 8:41 AM
The sixth day of the ‘mindful by design’ 24 day countdown. Day 6 - Be curious not certain. Tip: Enter workshops with theories, not certainty Reflection: Certainty blocks learning, curiosity invites it 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #24DayCountdown
December 6, 2025 at 7:12 AM
On the fifth day of the ‘mindful by design’ countdown. Day 5: Making thinking visible. Reflection: Ideas become clearer when they’re made tangible 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #24DayCountdown #ServiceDesign #CoDesign
December 5, 2025 at 6:37 AM
The fourth days of 24 days of ‘mindful by design’. Tip: Map the service journey and context, see how the parts connect (like in a ecosystem). Reflection: Complexity is not a barrier, it is the context we design within 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #24DayCountdown
December 4, 2025 at 6:41 AM
On the third day of the 24 day countdown of ‘mindful by design’. Day 3 - Value lived experience Tip: Prioritise expertise from those who benefit from a service, not just those who run it 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #phdlife #design #research #psychology #24daycountdown #livedexperience
December 3, 2025 at 5:24 AM
Day 2 of the 24 day countdown of ‘mindful by design’. Day 2 - Create psychological safety Tip - Set norms that make it safe to speak, safe to question, safe to be wrong. Reflection - When people feel safe, they offer their truth 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychologicalsafety
December 2, 2025 at 6:37 AM
December 1, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Service Co-design research and practice week-notes 135. Today I’ve been remembering Fernando Pessoa whose work on heteronyms has made a real impact on personas 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #designleadership #servicedesign #codesign #ux #cx #hcd #humancentreddesign
November 30, 2025 at 7:04 AM
A big warm welcome into Thursday. This week I’ve been down a surprisingly productive ‘rabbit hole’ of looking at how informatics works within service design. Have a good rest of your week everyone 😊🎢💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #designleadership #informatics
November 27, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Service co-design practice and research week-notes 134. The one where I finished my #phd round 2 focus groups. Now I’m planning for the interviews. Have a good week ahead everyone and don’t forget to ‘feed the birds’ 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #design #research #psychology #servicedesign #weeknotes
November 23, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Welcome to Thursday. This week I’ve been really thinking about the difference between an artefact and a boundary object in service design. This has really got me focused on how a map can have joined ownership including design. Have a good rest of your week 😊🎢 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design
November 20, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Service co-design research and practice week-notes 133. Today is the international day of tolerance. This is a healthy reminder about empathy and understanding 🤝 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #designleadership #servicedesign #codesign #ux #cx #hcd #weeknotes
November 16, 2025 at 6:37 AM
A big warm welcome in to Thursday. This week in both practice and research I’ve really been thinking about the importance of ‘moments of truth’, ‘gain points’ and ‘pain points’ in service design. Hope you have a good rest of the week 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #PhD #design #research #psychology
November 13, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Service co-design research and practice week-notes 132. It’s been a productive and reasonably good week. A lot to move forward on, including academic writing and focus group prep. Have a good week everyone 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #designleadership #servicedesign
November 9, 2025 at 7:22 AM
A big warm welcome into Thursday. This week among other things I’ve been inspired by the Pygmalion effect, in other words design for belief. Have a good rest of the week 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #phdlife #design #research #psychology #servicedesign #designleadership #ux #cx #humancentreddesign
November 6, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Service co-design practice and research week-notes 131. The one when it’s the anniversary of the birth of John Loud who was the originator of the ballpoint pen. Talking about writing it’s also Academic Writing month. Have a good week 😊 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #phd
November 2, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Happy eve of ‘Servoween’. This week I’ve been focused on, and inspired by Social Ecological Theory. This reminds us of the interplay between individuals, communities and societal systems. Have a good rest of the week everyone 🎃 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #phdlife #design #research #psychology
October 30, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Service Co-design practice and research week-notes 130. The one where we get one extra hour in bed (in England due to the clocks going back) 😴 Have a great week being a ‘radiator’ 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #phdlife #design #research #psychology #servicedesign #codesign #weeknotes
October 26, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Goodness Thursday has come around quickly. This week I’ve been thinking about how service and growth design can work together. Have a good rest of your week 😊💎 @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design #research #psychology #servicedesign #codesign #growthdesign #servicedesignthursday
October 23, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Happy National Parenting Week 2025
I am looking for participants to take part in my service co-design PhD research project, in which I am exploring the use in parenting education for women who are justice experienced. Please get in contact at: [email protected] @ougradsch.bsky.social #PhD
October 20, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Service co-design practice and research week-notes 129 😊🎢. Today is the anniversary of the birth of Walter Cannon in 1871. His work has given us much including in behavioural design and ‘fight or flight’ in terms of trauma informed practice. Have a great week everyone 💎🤩 @ougradsch.bsky.social
October 19, 2025 at 5:52 AM
A big warm welcome to Thursday. This week I’ve been focused on service design, change and memory theory. It’s also the birthday 🎂 of Elizabeth Loftus who I continue to be inspired by. I wrote about her work a while back www.robertsbrain.co.uk/post/my-insp... @ougradsch.bsky.social #phd #design
October 16, 2025 at 5:47 AM