Jenny Simonds-Spellmann
Jenny Simonds-Spellmann at her desk, smiling, chin resting on her hand, with a mug that reads 'Curiosity makes a better future', a notebook and a laptop. Hand-drawn circles for people, organisations and technology float behind her.
The human checkpoint in the middle of it all.
Jenny at her desk, chin on her hand, smiling, with a tabby cat beside her on a stack of books labelled human-centred AI, AI adoption, learning and change, responsible AI, service and experience design, and AI prototyping. Hand-drawn notes behind her show the people making, working with and experiencing AI around overlapping circles for people, organisations and technology, and the five steps audit, pathway, prototype, test and scale. Her notebook reads: Today: people, questions, prototypes, better decisions, a bit of chaos.
Curiosity, seriousness, a bit of humour, and usually a cat.

About Jenny Simonds-Spellmann

  • Researcher.
  • Strategist.
  • Designer.
  • Prototyper.
  • Facilitator.

I'm Jenny Simonds-Spellmann. My background combines more than a decade of UX and product work with AI research, responsible AI, accessibility, organisational learning and hands-on experimentation with generative AI.

I have extensive experience in human research and workshop facilitation, and I now combine those with hands-on AI prototyping and organisational AI enablement. I use AI-assisted development tools such as Cursor to shorten the distance between idea and evidence.

What has to change around the technology for AI to actually work for people?

Moving between disciplines isn't a lack of focus. That movement is the capability. AI transformation crosses organisational boundaries. So do I.

  • Education. Master's in Design for Responsible AI, with Distinction.
  • Research. Developed the Trust by Design framework through embedded research with more than 14 public sector AI implementation teams.
  • Accessibility at national scale. Conceived and designed i-Kfz, Germany's first BITV-certified government application, with more than a million downloads.
  • Building capability. Built a UX team from zero to six people.
  • Currently. Senior UX and AI Design Specialist at Bundesdruckerei, Germany's federal digital identity provider, alongside an independent practice.
  • Earlier. Fine art, film and visual effects work in London.