I went to see Steve Hilton talk about his new book, More Human at the RSA last night. I was sufficiently inspired to buy his book and I’ve just finished the chapter on government – so only just started really. As I read it I keep flip flopping between feeling hopeless and excited. Hopeless because the future he imagines requires such enormous changes in both…
We need to talk about user needs
Originally published on the GDS User Research Blog ‘Start with user needs’ is the first of our design principles and it’s the first thing we ask teams to demonstrate to meet the Digital by Default Service Assessment. Even Members of Parliament (video) talk about user needs these days. This is all good. But what does it actually mean to understand user needs? How do we do it right? Observe and talk to…
Doing user research in the discovery phase
Originally published on the GDS User Research Blog Here are some things you should know about doing user research in the discovery phase. You should definitely do user research in the discovery phase.Understanding who your users are and what’s going on when they come across your service is one of the most important parts of discovery. Have an experienced user researcher in your discovery team. Plan…
Visa-eve. Anxiety.
I’m taking my kids out of school tomorrow afternoon to go to the Home Office in Croydon to – hopefully – get our Ancestry visa renewed so we can remain in the UK for another four years. I say ‘hopefully’ because, despite having checked and rechecked the paperwork – to the point that it has almost become a nervous tic – and paid an enormous…