Designing the Hero’s Journey with Pádraig Walsh

In this episode of Software Made Human, Garrett Sheridan is joined by behavioural psychologist Pádraig Walsh, founder of ChangeAble Behaviour Solutions.Padraig’s work sits at the intersection of psychology, design, and technology — helping organisations understand how real human behaviour shapes whether products succeed or fail.The conversation explores how behavioural science can inform better software design, from reducing cognitive load and friction, to understanding motivation, capability, and behaviour change. Padraig shares practical frameworks including self-determination theory and the COM-B model, alongside everyday examples from tools like Xero and Strava.A central theme of the episode is the idea of the hero’s journey — and how the best software doesn’t position itself as the hero but helps users feel more capable, confident, and in control.This is a thoughtful conversation for anyone building software, designing products, or thinking deeply about how technology fits into real human lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.