This post introduces the cross government research ethics network, Home Office and GDS kicked this off with an unconference meetup in the Spring of 2019
Listening to the language people use in an organisation is an important way to understand the organisation's culture. In this post we consider the difference between thinking and talking about IT systems, and thinking and talking about government services.
We’ve learned that user researchers do their best work when they focus on one thing at a time. In this post I explain how this is the foundation for making user research a team sport, and of putting the people who use our services at the heart of what we do.
Being resilient isn’t about toughing it out, or suppressing or ignoring your emotions. It’s about taking care of ourselves.
We look at how GDS defines usability and why we think effectiveness is more important than efficiency or satisfaction.
Being a good user researcher involves thinking about a variety of subjects, like psychology, business, communication and science. Here's a list of books to help you do that.
An important part of my job is supporting user researchers across government. This year GDS will be introducing: new guidance and resources, a new job family and an improved assurance process.
This week I visited the Swiss government to talk about how we do user research for GOV.UK. And to explain how we foster a user-centred culture in GDS and across government by getting everyone involved in user research.
Last year we ran a short workshop with the user researchers who assess government services against the digital by default service standard.
In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway tells this story. One day, Santiago goes out to sea, much further than other fisherman go. He engages in a herculean struggle to catch an enormous marlin. He thrashes all day …