Total Survey Error (TSE) is a crucial concept in survey methodology, but one that I’ve struggled to get my head around myself. Eventually I realised that although the issues in TSE are often presented as linear flows, they are actually allContinue reading… Total Survey Error for non-specialists, Baltimore 2015
Blog
My new favourite form. Really.
I have a new favourite form: HMRC’s Pay your self-assessment online. Enjoy! But maybe before you do, you’d like a little explanation? OK, I’ll back up a bit and explain. Making better forms isn’t easy I’m a forms specialist –Continue reading… My new favourite form. Really.
Design patterns aren’t just for government – UX Cambridge 2015
When Tim Paul and I did a session on design patterns at the 2015 Service Design in Government conference in London, we expected to get a lively, interested group of UK central and local government people, and we did. We also metContinue reading… Design patterns aren’t just for government – UX Cambridge 2015
No more accordions: how to choose a form structure
Government forms are usually complex, asking a huge number of questions.What is the best way to group questions to make completing them as easy as possible for people? This blog post for Government Digital Service considers what we’ve learned about form structure fromContinue reading… No more accordions: how to choose a form structure
Forms studio at UX Bristol
Sometimes conferences are about getting lots of people together in big rooms, often over several days. UX Bristol isn’t like that. It’s one of the hottest tickets in the UK, selling out in minutes, because the organisers deliberately keep itContinue reading… Forms studio at UX Bristol
The form you have or the form you need?
Jonathan Blum of Entrepreneur Magazine asked me for my thoughts on whether build-it-yourself forms tools can help small businesses. I said: “Not just small firms, but all firms make the mistake of believing that because they have been using a formContinue reading… The form you have or the form you need?
Book review: “Practical Empathy” by Indi Young
“Voice of the customer”. “Understand user needs”. “Get out of our silos”. “No more group-think”. It’s no longer news that it’s a good idea to understand, respect, and design for other people’s perspectives. And there are plenty of books aroundContinue reading… Book review: “Practical Empathy” by Indi Young
Slides and thoughts on SDinGOV 2015
Service design in government: it’s a technical way of talking about all the ways in which we have to do government things – and how those of us who work in government can improve them. At Service Design in Government 2015, we welcomed keynote speakers JessContinue reading… Slides and thoughts on SDinGOV 2015
How not to get a job, and how to get one
“How can I get a job in user research?” It’s a question that comes up a lot, and reappeared the other day in one of the forums I belong to. It reminded me of a post I wrote a fewContinue reading… How not to get a job, and how to get one
Five steps to better surveys – training course for EMBL-EBI
Update in 2024: Back in 2014, the European Bionformatics Institue (EMBL-EBI) asked me to do Survey Training for their staff – mainly research scientists and computer specialists working on the complex bioinformatics tools that they create and make available forContinue reading… Five steps to better surveys – training course for EMBL-EBI