Post-pandemic design makes for fewer photo opportunities, but the role is ever more consequential. The internet is a utility, a service that works online or offline is table stakes, and now everyone's wondering what the humans involved are actually for.
But we still have to be clear on what services people need, and why. I help organisations make decisions about which problems to solve, as well as how to solve them.
I've spent almost two decades working in user-centred design, primarily for UK consultancies. The job involves working out ways to explore problem areas (that's the research bit), then come up with concepts to resolve the challenges uncovered, to reduce organisational risk and make people's lives easier. And then get those things designed in the right way.
This page describes work I've done since Covid changed the picture.
80% of the end-user research I've done since then has been remote. But even if we've moved beyond walls of Post-Its, I believe that contextual enquiry, being on the ground with users of a product or service, is critical to keeping quality high in the age of AI. This is something I'm actively advocating for with my clients.
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Preparing digital infrastructure and research strategy ahead of the transition to online electoral registration.
Rail Delivery Group
Large-scale discovery into how passengers find, compare and book rail journeys — and where the experience breaks down.
Department for Work and Pensions
Discovery and private beta to reduce friction for applicants and caseworkers handling a key working-age benefit claim.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Rethinking how one of the world's largest law firms presents knowledge and expertise to clients and prospects online.
INEOS
Building a digital community platform to connect and sustain a passionate global customer base for a nascent automotive brand.
Nationwide Building Society
Journey mapping the mortgage application experience to provide strategic direction for design and product teams.
Royal Navy
Redesigning how the Royal Navy recruits — from initial interest through to application — with measurable improvements in conversion.