1215 AM. Not quarter past midnight, but a radio frequency familiar to generations (although perhaps not any of the younger ones). Today it has stopped broadcasting. As AM radio slowly disappears, a bit of British folklore goes with it. Read full article
1 commentArchive — Article
20 years of blogging
Today marks the 20th anniversary of my first blog post. Blogging is important to me, but it has seen many changes. The online publishing ecosystem is having a moment right now. So what's next? Read full article
10 commentsOne twit can make a service a dodo
I have complicated feelings about the apparent imminent demise of Twitter in the hands of a reckless owner. Read full article
1 comment12 years in higher education web and user experience management
Today I have started a new job. But while I'm looking forward, I have also been reflecting, as this moment marks my first real move away from higher education. Despite the differing natures of the three organisations I worked for, there were many parallels across them. Read full article
4 commentsOuch to 5k
Yesterday I completed my first 5k run since I broke my ankle exactly one year ago. It was on the first ever Holyrood parkrun. Read full article
CommentHalf a year on parental leave with a broken ankle
Becoming a parent is a huge privilege. But it’s no secret that it’s also hard work. You don’t plan to break your ankle during the first year of your child’s life. Read full article
1 commentCould you be our nudge intern?
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. Read full article
CommentAwooga! The metaverse was better 29 years ago
What’s most surprising about the metaverse is just how lacking in ambition it is. This is a half-hearted rehash of a 30-year-old idea. Read full article
1 commentBe usable, not consistent, not uniform
Consistency is often seen as a slam-dunk argument in favour of an initiative. But if you don’t know what you want to a design to be consistent with — and why — then consistency risks confusing your users. Read full article
CommentDesign approaches aren’t sufficient to be human-centred
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. Read full article
CommentList of things Google Assistant thinks I want to do instead of make oat milk
Occasionally I make my own oat milk. When I run out of oat milk, I ask Google Assistant to remind me later in the day to make oat milk. It normally misunderstands me. Interestingly, it misunderstands me in a variety of different ways. Read full article
3 commentsOverlaps between user experience and other disciplines — a benefit, not a problem
Have you ever been told that by doing human-centred work you're stepping on someone else's toes? I have heard it a number of times. More and more people are exploring the apparent overlaps between human-centred approaches and other disciplines. Read full article
CommentI’ve broken my ankle
At the weekend I broke my ankle while playing bubble football on a stag do. Read full article
4 commentsPace layers in experience design — Stabilise innovation by understanding people’s needs
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. Read full article
CommentWhy I talk about human-centred approaches
It is difficult to find a phrase that exactly describes my work and the way I approach it. I’ve started to talk about human-centred approaches. This post explains what I mean by that. Read full article
1 commentWhy content is more important than code
...and what I don’t mean by that. Read full article
3 commentsBeginner’s guide to content design
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. Read full article
CommentTwo months of parenthood
Isobel is our first baby, so it’s difficult to compare having a baby during coronavirus to other times. But it does seem like a strange time to have a baby. There are many disadvantages to the current situation. But there are also some interesting advantages, particularly for me as a father. Read full article
3 commentsIsobel Skye Oliver Stephen
Two weeks ago our daughter Isobel was born. Read full article
10 commentsSushi School
One year ago today, Alex and I went with our friends Lucy and Richard to a sushi-making class at Yo. Trigger warning: This blog post describes events preceding the coronavirus outbreak. Read full article
CommentA service design approach to improving student experience
Slides from my UCD Gathering talk on Thursday 15 October 2020, about the work we’ve been doing at the University of Edinburgh to improve the experience of students and staff working with course materials digitally. Read full article
1 commentJames Middlemass & Co — Boys’ Outfitters — found under the floorboards
During our kitchen renovation, we found this under the floorboards. It is a “Boys’ Outfitters” catalogue for James Middlemass & Co. We think it dates from around the 1880s. Read full article
CommentUX design’s UX design problem
How a chat at a conference underlined that user experience itself has a user experience problem — and what we can do about it. Read full article
2 commentsKid A at 20
Radiohead’s Kid A, released 20 years ago today, is my favourite album. There are two reasons why. Read full article
CommentSpeaking at UCD Gathering
I’m pleased to be speaking at UCD Gathering, a new virtual conference taking place on 15 and 16 October, about my team’s service design approach to improving the way staff use our virtual learning environment to better meet students’ needs. Read full article
1 commentGetting a kitchen and study renovation done during lockdown
As lockdown eased slightly during the summer, our flat became busy with our delayed renovation. Read full article
3 commentsAc Ae — 5 acoustic cover versions of Autechre tracks
You may think many things when you hear a track by Autechre. But “I could make a cover version of this” is probably not among them. Read full article
2 commentsJupiter Artland 2020
Jupiter Artland has reopened to local members, so last weekend we visited with our friends Louise, Jamie and Elena. Read full article
CommentLockdown projects — Month 3
As lockdown eased, small craft projects made way for some much larger home improvement projects. Read full article
CommentService design and the Mario complex
At Service Design in Government, I discovered that service designers see themselves as Mario. But that is an unrealistic model for what service design should be. Read full article
11 commentsLockdown projects — Month 2
As the lockdown continues, we’re continuing to find ways to keep ourselves busy. Read full article
2 commentsLockdown projects — Month 1
Each weekend during lockdown, we’re trying to make at least one new thing. These are the little projects giving us a reason to get up at the weekends. Read full article
1 commentUnderstanding what students really need from a virtual learning environment — presented at UX Glasgow virtual meetup
This week I presented to the UX Glasgow community about our user research into the needs of students and staff working with course materials digitally at the University of Edinburgh. It was my first real experience of presenting to a live audience remotely. Read full article
CommentAdapting to the new normal
One of the (many) strange features of the coronavirus outbreak is that in many ways I feel busier than I have ever been. It is almost three weeks since I was last in my office, yet I haven’t had the time to commit my thoughts to writing. Read full article
1 commentView from Service Design in Government 2020
Last week I attended the Service Design in Government conference, held here in Edinburgh. It was a hugely thought-provoking event. Almost every session I attended was excellent, sparking new ideas and thoughts that I am still getting to grips with almost a week on. Read full article
4 commentsHey Presto
Sometimes, when I think about my earliest days, I remember Presto. Even as a very young child, in the very early 90s, Presto seemed like a supermarket from a bygone age. Read full article
CommentOur honeymoon in Mauritius (part 2)
After spending a few days in Réunion, the second part of our honeymoon saw us staying in Mauritius. Read full article
CommentOur honeymoon in Mauritius and Réunion (part 1)
In September, Alex and I had our “big” honeymoon, in Mauritius and Réunion. It was a holiday that perfectly balanced adventure and chill. Read full article
1 comment5k 6–X — The next five parkruns
In my blog post about my first five parkruns, I told the story of how I unexpectedly beat my 5k personal best at Highbury Fields parkrun. This post outlines what happened in my next five parkruns, where I got some unexpected personal bests and lost a whole run. Read full article
3 commentsWhy Verstappen’s Red Bull contract extension may drive Hamilton to McLaren
Of the three main teams, two of them have drivers fully committed for the next four seasons. What about Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes? The silence is deafening. Read full article
2 commentsWays forward for the Liberal Democrats? Why winning power is overrated
The last five years in politics show us you don’t need to gain power to achieve your objectives. Read full article
Comment2019/2020
Christmas and new year is a time for reflection for most people. It never seems to work that way for me. Read full article
1 commentPedestrian ways
Town planners in the mid-20th century faced a big problem. The advent of the motor car brought increased congestion and safety risks. Planners wrongly thought that separating pedestrians and vehicles on different levels was the solution. If you know where to look, you can still see remnants of this thinking. Read full article
Comment5×5k — A tale of five Parkruns
I’ve been running on-and-off for about six years. But it was only a year ago that I took part in my first Parkrun. Since then, I have done five different Parkruns in four different locations. My aim was always to run a sub-25 minute 5k. But it somehow always eluded me — until the fifth one. Read full article
7 commentsWhy do so many people turn a blind eye to Labour’s hostility towards minorities?
I’ve not had the chance this year to write in-depth explaining which way I’ve voted. But there is one feature of the commentary online this year that has really bugged me, and I need to get if off my chest. Read full article
1 commentI’ll be speaking at UX Scotland 2020
The session will outline the comprehensive programme of user research the University of Edinburgh’s User Experience Service conducted on behalf of the Learn Foundations project. It will show how, as the project went along, we adopted a service design approach in order to better meet the needs of both students and staff. Read full article
1 commentThe false paradox — accessibility and aesthetics
Accessibility and aesthetics are not in conflict, despite the claims of some. Read full article
2 commentsClive James on Formula 1 — a few highlights
There are lots of things you could say about Clive James, whose death has been announced today. But I was, of course, particularly drawn to his work in Formula 1. Read full article
1 commentPiles of shite
I'm not really a hoarder (he said). But people do accumulate things. The slow, dawning realisation is that it's all been pointless. Read full article
3 commentsGet out of your comfort zone and talk with people
To do good stuff, you have to get out of your comfort zone. 10 years ago, just before I got my first job after graduating, I was a scared person. I still am. Read full article
Comment