Design Overtime: The Design Process Is Not Dead — It Just Feels That Way (with Pavel Samsonov)
From Design Downtime by Guy Segal
June 2, 2026 · 1h 16m
About this episode
Guy Segal and Pavel Samsonov discuss the misconceptions surrounding the design process and advocate for a more flexible, iterative approach to design.
In this conversation, host Guy Segal and returning guest Pavel Samsonov challenge the recurring claim that the design process is dead — arguing that for many, it was never really alive in the first place. Pavel makes the case that process isn't a rigid framework imposed from above, but a set of self-imposed, iterative constraints that help designers make better decisions. The conversation explores how factory-era management thinking and agency-world deliverable culture have distorted our understanding of what process actually means, and why most "process transformations" fail because they serve managerial control rather than the people doing the work. Pavel and Guy also dig into the social dimension of design — how effective process is as much about managing stakeholder relationships and intake as it is about creating a decision-making framework that allows you to say "no". Guest Bio Pavel Samsonov (he/him) is a Principal Experience Designer at Justworks in New York. His approach to product & UX draws from his research at Nielsen Norman Group, experience building design practice at AWS, and managing product teams at Bloomberg. Pavel often describes himself as a Problem…
People in this episode
Host: Guy Segal
Guest: Pavel Samsonov
Topics covered
- design process
- stakeholder relationships
- decision-making framework
- iterative constraints
- managerial control
- social dimension of design
Keywords
- design process
- iterative constraints
- stakeholder management
- decision-making
- managerial control
- design thinking
- product design
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Justworks, Nielsen Norman Group, AWS, Bloomberg, Active Voice HQ
Places: New York, Philadelphia
More episodes of Design Downtime
- Design Overtime: Agile, Design, and the Gap Between Promise and Practice (with Pavel Samsonov) · March 24, 2026 · 1h 31m
- Vitaly Friedman Loves Techno · February 12, 2026 · 33 min
- Sera Tajima Loves Movement · February 5, 2026 · 33 min
- Erika Flowers Loves to Write Novels · January 29, 2026 · 45 min
- Priyanca D'Souza Loves Outdoor Swimming · January 22, 2026 · 30 min
- Sidra Mahmood Loves Bluegrass · January 15, 2026 · 24 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Design Downtime podcast page.