It’s on! @claragt.bsky.social, @karakane-kk.bsky.social & I gathered to regroup our #StrongDesign book writing efforts. We have a fresh topic list, a value proposition for the book, a writing plan, and a next date for each of us to bring a written section. This post is for public accountability.

I've just been reminded of this excellent source of images about AI, created by people: betterimagesofai.org/images thanks to @elmosmoe.bsky.social via her talk at #sdingov last year

Next week, I'll be starting a new role at @publicdigital.bsky.social as a consultant. I'm excited and also apprehensive. I've been thinking about it a lot, and trying to prepare for a good start. Here's my pre-new-job weeknotes claragreo.com/posts/weekno...

“Alistair, do you know what season Pup Pup Boogie is in?” “Season 1, around episode 4” “You are exactly right and I’m so sad that you know that.”

I love facilitating. But lots of people don't. I'm running a 3 hour Workshop facilitation training & clinic online on Weds 8 Oct If you're preparing for a workshop or if you'd like to build skills and confidence in facilitation, I'd love to see you there! www.tickettailor.com/events/clara...

We're running Intro to Service design in Government training online this week and next - it might be the last time we run it for while There's a few tickets left, so grab yours now if you'd like to join Ignacia Orellana and I on the course. www.tickettailor.com/events/ignac...

I had a wonderful time delivering a workshop on Ending gracefully at #sdingov with @imhuyorks.bsky.social this morning. The room was gentle, reflective and intentional. Thank you to everyone who joined us and to Imran for showing me a different mode to facilitate in.

Can we all have a round of applause for @karakane-kk.bsky.social and all the amazing work she does 🌟 Kara delivered 3 sessions at #sdingov this year:

Brilliant keynote from @rdietkus.bsky.social at #sdingov about public services as care. She also talked about hypernormalisation. This world were living in and what were witnessing is not normal. “There's wo truths, what we feel in our bodies and what the world insists we perform”

Fantastic talk from @elmosmoe.bsky.social about AI. "AI doesn't automatically serve the public good because it's new" I'm so glad discussions about equity and justice in AI are in a keynote at #sdingov Also, great link to artist created images of AI: betterimagesofai.org

Loving @maredwards.bsky.social talk at #sdingov. There's some tough lessons in this slide for me.

Friends, using gen AI to create user personas is a *really* awful idea. 🚩☹️🚩 This suggestion comes from the AI Knowledge Hub prompt library on GOV .uk. Here's the problem: AI is designed to give you back only what you already know. It will generate what it thinks you want to hear.

Filling out supplier information forms fills me with such a deep rage. I think suppliers must be the user group that people care the least about designing well for. "you wanna get paid?? deal with THIS, sucker!"

I'm running my course on Advocating for UCD in government online in October. In this course, we will look at the biggest barriers to UCD in government and how to navigate them. www.tickettailor.com/events/clara...

Are you looking to develop your workshop planning and facilitation skills? Do you have a workshop coming up soon that you're not sure about, or you'd like some help with? Come to my new, short, online workshop facilitation training and clinic! www.tickettailor.com/events/clara...

I'm going to run Advocating for UCD training course online in October. If you'd like to attend, please fill in this survey to let me know which of these dates works for you forms.gle/nUVUTxu1Lriz... If you have any colleagues who might be interested, please send it on to them as well.

The new Public Design Evidence Review is interesting and so important We must document and talk about design and research in the public sector, how it works and what it does. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the Case Study Bank in particular! www.gov.uk/government/p...? @karakane-kk.bsky.social

Goodness me, some more interesting race, ethnicity and nationality questions today from the FCA's job website, using myworkdayjobs. What does the (United Kingdom) bit mean? Why do they all say it? What on earth is "Mixed / multiple ethnic group (United Kingdom)" supposed to mean?? 🤯

Leaders: the most important questions will only ever come to you anonymously. Do you truly care about morale? Do you want to know if you've really created a "safe space"? Do you have enough integrity to hear the truth? Thanks for the article Ben 👏🏽

Last week I ran a workshop called Money talks: Estimating the Cost and Value of Service Design with @ignaciaorellana.bsky.social at #campDigital. We've run the workshop 5 times now and it's always really fun and immediately useful for people. Some of biggest take aways from the workshop: 1/4

Thanks also @jukes.ie for putting @vickytnz.bsky.social's name on a slide yesterday 💖 you are missed Vicky

Some excellent ideas for how to use your privilege to make it safer for others to work in the open 👇🏼

Thank you @jukes.ie for your talk at #campDigital this morning! Hera is a tough act to follow but your talk was interesting and funny. Thanks also for acknowledging how much your privilege has allowed you to be open and has protected you from the fallout. I have a question:

DO YOU NEED A MID CAREER MOT Some great slides from Jane Bowyer at A studio called Jane #campDigital

The flipping legend @herahussain.bsky.social kicks off #campDigital with her 3 month old in a pram by her side 🌟💪🏽

Antipodean as an Ethnic background? Well that's a new one. It's weirdly specific and general at the same time, still very othering and totally meaningless 👍🏼 (from Better uk sports centres registration form)

Many factors can become blockers to user-centred design (UCD). Here are 12 common barriers in the public sector. Which are significant for you? Are there any others not listed? 1. Teams and stakeholders lack understanding or awareness of UCD 1/4

I'm excited! Tomorrow I'm running my first in-person training course since 2020. It's a tough industry (and a tough world) for many of us at the moment. Many wonderful people are looking for work. Many training and development budgets have been cut.

There's spaces left on my Intro to User-centred design in government, Friday next week in Brighton ✨ www.tickettailor.com/events/clara... We'll talk about: ✏️ What is user-centred design? ✏️ What is service design? ✏️ How does user research work? ...

I'm sorry, what? Really demonstrates how you can get survey results to prove anything you like.

Advocating for UCD is a big part of our roles as UCD practitioners, but it's not a skill we often focus on learning and building. Looking at the DDAT skills for UCD roles, these are just some of the points that jump out as being directly tied to influencing, convincing and advocating...

I'm developing a training course on how apply a Test and Learn approach in the UK government — something practical, focused on real examples and how to actually do it in day-to-day work. If this sounds interesting to you, please help us by filling in this survey docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

We need to be better at having conversations about the equity and justice implications of our use of AI. I'm working on a set of 10 equity and justice reflection prompts for teams who are using or considering AI. (prompts in thread) claragreo.com/posts/10-equ...

Not sure if one of my current courses is right for you or your team? Please get in touch! I'm happy to have a chat, understand your needs better and work out if they're aligned

Job hunting advice for women and people of the global majority: apply for the job. - You're worried that you don't quite meet the requirements? - That your experience doesn't exactly match what they're looking for? - The conditions aren't quite what you need (part time, location or remote)? 1/3

We hosted a discussion earlier this month about Decolonising service design in government. It was a beautiful chat to be a part of, cathartic and energising. We dove deep and swam wide. claragreo.com/posts/notes-...

What is the purpose of government?  What is gov for?  Answers to questions are the foundations of user-centred design, and of advocating for UCD in your organisation.  Is it to make and enforce laws and regulations? Is it to enact democracy? ...

I am buying a couple of opportunity tickets for people to attend this awesome course. Are you, or do you know, someone who’d like to get into UCD and are from a group traditionally marginalised in the industry? Hit me up!

A training course on Advocating for UCD in government 🌱 1.5 days in July Brighton & online How do we: - Influence decision makers to fund research? - Convince stakeholders that users are important? - Advocate for design throughout a service lifecycle? www.tickettailor.com/events/clara...

I reported a hate crime to the police today. (I'm ok and we're not perusing it) I don't have any big insights or revelations to share, just a reminder that racism is alive and well and all around us. Thanks to @annagoss.co for encouraging me to report it.

A few people have asked me if the Intro to user-centred design (UCD) in government training is good for folks who are already design & research practitioners or leaders There'll only be a few things that are brand new. But lots of practitioners & leaders have found the course very useful because:

My son loves history. Ancient greeks and world wars. He's absorbing everything. Today he asked me "mum, why are you always so negative about history?" I'm always talking about colonisation, exploitation, violence, trauma, women and children etc. How would you respond?

Just imagine all the things I'll be able to do when I'm not spending 3 hours every night putting kids to bed

I'm thinking about AI in the same way I think about plastic. We all know that plastic is hugely damaging to our environment, our bodies and our world. In many areas of our lives, we don't need to be using as much plastic as we do. There are alternatives that are better.

Advocating for design and research is part of every user-centred design (UCD) practitioners role. Convincing people allocate time and resources to UCD Getting your team to pay listen to research findings Influencing stakeholders Here's 5 ways to advocate for UCD in government:

I'm running a new in-person course! Introduction to User-centred Design (UCD) in Government 1 day, Brighton, 20 June £275/£350 Perfect for: 🌱 People new to user-centred research or design 🐝 Designers new to gov 🪻 Folks who want to work better with UCD people

Join us for Money talks: Estimating the cost and value of service design 1 day (5 hour) course. Early bird tickets are available now for £275.00 This was a popular session at SDinGov 2024, and @ignaciaorellana.bsky.social and I have run for the OU and MoJ www.tickettailor.com/events/ignac...

I've just come across Tatiana Mac's excellent speaker rider for conference organisers. I want to be more intentional about what I give my time and labour to. It's a hard shift to make when saying yes is my default. gist.github.com/tatianamac/4...

🌱 Decolonising service design in government - an open discussion - Friday 2 May 🌞 In government service design in the UK and across the world, colonial legacies shape everything from our contexts and practices to tools and language. www.tickettailor.com/events/clara...

We need a Bechedel test for race in talks and presentations. Is every quote you've included from a white person? Fail.