From Sales and Recruitment to UX Leadership
In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, host Anthony Sapountzis sits down with Joe Woodham, CEO and Founder of Torii Consulting. Joe shares his entrepreneurial journey from door-to-door sales and recruitment to building one of Australia’s leading UX and service design consultancies. He reflects on the lessons learned from failed ventures, like importing kitchen sinks from China, and how he leveraged those experiences to successfully pivot into recruitment and later into human-centred design. Today, Torii Consulting partners with some of the biggest enterprise brands in Australia, including Australia Post, NAB, Telstra and Coles, helping them improve digital experiences, streamline customer journeys, and maximise ROI through thoughtful design.
Spotting Market Gaps and Redefining Recruitment Through Design
Joe explains how his recruitment business evolved into a consultancy by spotting gaps in the market and staying ahead of industry trends. Unlike large consultancies that dominated the development space, he recognised that design remained relatively under-served and offered opportunities to deliver more tailored value. By building strong connections and maintaining a people-first approach, he positioned Torii as a specialist in UX and service design. He emphasises that design is not just about aesthetics but about improving usability, reducing friction, and creating digital products that deliver measurable business outcomes.
Human-Centred Design: The ROI of Removing Friction
A key theme in this conversation is how poor design drives dependency on customer support and chatbots, while great design eliminates these problems entirely by enabling users to self-serve. Joe illustrates this with examples such as Amazon’s one-click purchase, which removes friction in the buying journey and boosts conversions at scale. He contrasts the rapid but often short-sighted approach of startups, which rush products to market without sufficient design research, with enterprises that eventually circle back to fix these gaps. Both he and Anthony agree that designing upfront is far more cost-effective than retrofitting fixes later in the process, which is also the foundation of the DevReady methodology.
AI, Training, and the Future of Design
The discussion also explores the role of AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... in design and product development. Joe highlights how many enterprises treat AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... as a tick-box exercise, adding tools like chatbots without a real strategy or measurable value. To address this, Torii Consulting has partnered with Gen AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... Labs to provide AI-led training for design teams, giving them the knowledge and confidence to integrate AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... effectively into workflows. He argues that without training and proper adoption, businesses risk falling behind, as employees cannot deliver meaningful results with AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through.... This focus on education, accessibility, and adoption reflects Torii’s commitment to preparing both enterprises and smaller businesses for an AI-first future.
Continuous Learning and Staying Ahead of Industry Change
Finally, Joe shares how he personally keeps up with the pace of AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... innovation by actively learning, experimenting, and cascading insights to his team. He acknowledges that resistance to change is common but stresses the importance of fostering a culture of continuous upskilling. Anthony reinforces this point by describing his own approach to consuming hours of AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... content each week and using automation to share key takeaways with his team. Together, they underline the urgency for businesses to adopt AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... thoughtfully and train their teams effectively. Torii Consulting’s strategy of evolving with SMEs and scale-ups ensures they stay ahead of enterprise adoption cycles, positioning themselves as trusted partners when larger organisations inevitably accelerate their AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... adoption.
Topics Covered
- Joe Woodham’s entrepreneurial journey
- Lessons from early ventures
- Recruitment and startup growth
- Spotting market trends
- Human-centred design in business
- UX and service design examples
- Outsourcing vs insourcing challenges
- Startups vs enterprise design approaches
- AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... in design and upskilling teams
Important Time Stamps
- From Door-to-Door Sales to UX Consulting: Joe Woodham’s Entrepreneurial Leap (0:07 – 4:14)
- Why Recruitment’s “Bums on Seats” Model Needed a Rethink (4:15 – 7:04)
- The Real Value of UX: Cutting Costs & Boosting Conversions (7:05 – 9:32)
- Why Great UX Can Save Millions in Customer Service Costs (9:33 – 14:44)
- From ChatGPT to Apple: How Design Transforms Tech Adoption (14:45 – 22:08)
- Why Good AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... Design Starts with Educating Your Team (22:09 – 28:04)
- Keeping Up with AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through...: Why Daily Learning is Non-Negotiable (28:05 – 34:05)
Useful Links
FAQs
Who is Joe Woodham?
Joe Woodham is the CEO and Founder of Torii Consulting, a leading Australian UX and service design consultancy. With a background in recruitment and entrepreneurship, Joe helps enterprises and scale-ups improve digital experiences through human-centred design and AI-led solutions.
What is Torii Consulting known for?
Torii Consulting specialises in UX and service design for large enterprises and scale-ups. The company helps brands such as Australia Post, NAB, Telstra, and Coles identify friction points, optimise user journeys, and improve ROI through design strategy and innovation.
What does Joe Woodham discuss in this DevReady Podcast episode?
In this episode, Joe talks about his entrepreneurial journey, how he built Torii Consulting, and why human-centred design and AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... adoption are transforming business performance. He also explains how planning and research before coding save time, money, and resources, a core principle shared with the DevReady Process.
Why is human-centred design important for businesses?
Human-centred design focuses on how people interact with digital products. Joe explains that this approach helps businesses reduce support costs, remove friction, and increase ROI, creating seamless and more profitable experiences.
How is AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... changing the future of UX design?
Joe highlights that AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... is making design more accessible and efficient. From automating research to assisting in prototyping, AI-led design tools allow teams to deliver smarter, faster, and more consistent user experiences which is a competitive advantage in today’s market.
