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Duncan Stephen

Human-centred decisions

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Tag: Government Digital Service

Article — 26 June 2025 — 1,082 words

Services are verbs combined with nouns

Information architecture — Service design

Illustration - a white square with a teal triangle attached to its right edge, with the point of the triangle to the right

Information architecture normally focuses on the objects that need to be represented in a system. Some human-centred practitioners focus instead on the tasks users need to do. These approaches are sometimes framed in opposition. But combining these techniques can make services and systems easier to use as well as more efficient to manage.

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Article — 25 February 2025 — 1,679 words

Object-oriented approaches in action

Information architecture — User experience — Web — Work

An abstract diagram containing food-related icons connected together, mimicking an ontology diagram

There are several benefits of building a content model in an object-oriented way. This post walks through those benefits, and demonstrates a real-life example of how this approach works on a well-known website.

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Article — 29 March 2021 — 1,110 words

Beginner’s guide to content design

Design — Digital — User experience

Double diamond icon, with a people icon in the first diamond, and an article icon in the second diamond

Many people are intrigued by content design but unsure if it’s the right fit for them. So here is my beginner’s guide to being a content designer. Find out why it might be a better fit for you than you might think — and why it might not be.

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Article — 12 December 2018 — 376 words

Resources for becoming a better speaker

Work

Microphone

I already thought I was quite good at presenting, but recently I’ve had to up my game. These two resources have helped me do that.

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Article — 19 February 2015 — 1,351 words

Is the Register right about Gov.uk and the Government Digital Service?

Digital — User experience — Web

Gov.uk: Digital by Default

Gov.uk is the darling of the digital profession. But now it has been described as the most hated website of all time. So what’s going on?

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