Social science

Article — 27 September 2026 — 1,503 words

The LLM in the room — Going beyond using AI to do someone else’s job badly

Economics — Human-centred approaches — Society — Technology

People mostly use artificial intelligence to do the jobs they didn’t value anyway. But this amounts to cutting our colleagues out. Value must be created through human-to-human exchanges. So we should rapidly focus on uses of AI that go beyond trying to do someone else’s job badly.

Article — 21 May 2026 — 1,127 words

From answer engines to learning engines — Why fast answers are like fast food

Information architecture — Social science — Technology — User experience

People crave fast answers. But the purpose of information systems is to help people gain knowledge. So we should seek better questions.

Article — 19 January 2026 — 1,727 words

Perceiving relationships gives glue people the edge

Business — Information architecture — Social science — Web

Seeing what’s in between as well as what is — in information architecture and in the way organisations work.

Article — 10 February 2025 — 801 words

The object of information architecture

Information architecture — Social science — User experience

Work: Scottish Government

In my job at the Scottish Government, we are understanding the opportunities that can be provided by following an object-oriented approach to structuring our information.

Article — 4 February 2025 — 1,406 words

There’s no such thing as a technology problem

Business — Social science — Society — Technology — Web

Information has become the forgotten half in “information technology”. Tech companies are struggling because they aren’t focusing on the human problems they need to solve.

Linknote — 21 August 2022 — 110 words

Economics — Social science — User experience

Work: The University of Edinburgh

Nudge in user experience — Website and Communications Blog

Over the summer my user experience team at the University of Edinburgh had the wonderful opportunity to work with a Behavioural Insights (Nudge) Intern. There are lots of parallels between behavioural science and human-centred approaches. Nudge models give us the opportunity to bring an extra level of formality to our approaches.

Working with a behavioural science specialist has brought things full circle for me. My first association with the University of Edinburgh was when I studied economics here for my undergraduate degree.

And it really is full circle, because this was my last blog post as an employee of the University of Edinburgh. I’ll publish more about that news shortly.

Article — 10 August 2022 — 1,525 words

Nudge in human-centred approaches

Economics — Service design — User experience

Work: The University of Edinburgh

There are lots of parallels between behavioural science and human-centred approaches. Nudge models give us the opportunity to bring an extra level of formality to our approaches.

Article — 10 February 2022 — 341 words

Could you be our nudge intern?

Economics — Social science — User experience — Web

Work: The University of Edinburgh

We have a fascinating opportunity for a University of Edinburgh undergraduate student to join our team as an intern this summer. The job has a cool title: nudge intern.

Article — 21 October 2021 — 1,758 words

Design approaches aren’t sufficient to be human-centred

Social science — User experience

Many designers talk about user-centred design. But design approaches alone aren’t sufficient to ensure we are human-centred. Design approaches can be used carelessly — or even maliciously — to centre the designer and sideline the user.

Article — 2 July 2021 — 1,431 words

Pace layers in experience design — Stabilise innovation by understanding people’s needs

Social science — Society — Technology — User experience

Innovation falls flat when it doesn’t respond to a human need. Use human-centred approaches to understand people’s fundamental motivations and needs. These are the stabilising forces for innovation.

Article — 18 May 2021 — 1,556 words

How to avoid common mistakes in user engagement

Social science — User experience — User research

Work: The University of Edinburgh

Adapted from a post originally published on the University of Edinburgh Website and Communications blog. Have you ever participated in a user engagement session designed for you to share your views, but felt that you weren’t properly included, or that your views wouldn’t be acted on? Most of us want to engage with our users […]

Breakfast briefing — Behavioural science: Approaches to improve user experience — User Vision

Nudge in user experience — Website and Communications Blog