I’m a big fan of the user-centred agile approach to service delivery that is gradually being adopted by most government departments in the UK, and many other organisations too. I mean – let’s turn those words around. Who would wantContinue reading… All projects (and services) start in the middle
Category: Design
Why Plain Language and Plain English are different
When a user says to you “why can’t they write in plain english?”, that’s a very reasonable request for us to think harder about how we are writing content. What I’m going to discuss here is the difference between “PlainContinue reading… Why Plain Language and Plain English are different
Don’t be afraid of the big long page
This post is co-authored by me and Amy Hupe. Long pages of content can seem daunting, so to make them look shorter, designers and developers often reach for things that hide some of the content, such as accordions, tabs, carouselsContinue reading… Don’t be afraid of the big long page
How to prototype a digital form on paper
Here are three ideas for creating paper prototypes of digital forms. Or any form, really. Print widgets onto stickers Long, long ago – in 1999! – Gerry Gaffney made a paper prototyping kit that is free to download. It’s aContinue reading… How to prototype a digital form on paper
Try a preliminary sift to streamline your card-sorts
Here’s my favourite tip for card sorting. I get each participant to first of all put the cards into four categories: Things I definitely need or would do right now Things I have done or needed in the past ThingsContinue reading… Try a preliminary sift to streamline your card-sorts
Sankey’s suggestion and other stories
I want to tell you about my father, John Anthony Sankey PhD CMG. Dad was a staunch Roman Catholic – ‘cradle to grave’ is the phrase. Today, 1st November, is celebrated as ‘All Saints Day’ by Catholics, so seems likeContinue reading… Sankey’s suggestion and other stories
How to edit anything – pro tip
I’ve been doing a lot of editing recently. Here’s how I do it. Think about who will use the thing and for what. Write a temporary heading to each chunk.* Each heading must be a full sentence that summarises theContinue reading… How to edit anything – pro tip
An app that reads alt-text from pptx
We think that it’s really important to make PowerPoint presentations accessible. And that means: writing alt-text for all the images. The PowerPoint Checker app reads a file in .pptx format, extracts all the alt-text, and gives you a slide-by-slide report on what itContinue reading… An app that reads alt-text from pptx
Thought for the day by Tim Paul: a diagram about forms
On 5th August 2021, Tim Paul (head of interaction design at the UK Government Digital Service) posted a thought for the day on Twitter with this diagram: The diagram resonated with a lot of people, including me, so Tim agreed thatContinue reading… Thought for the day by Tim Paul: a diagram about forms
Examples of co-design: Janet Hughes gives evidence to a Select Committee
It can be a little nerve-wracking when a Select Committee of the UK Parliament takes an interest in our work. On 20th July 2021, I listened with pride as Janet Hughes, Programme Director for the Future Farming and Countryside Programme,Continue reading… Examples of co-design: Janet Hughes gives evidence to a Select Committee