We had another incredibly kind wedding present from some of our friends — a helicopter tour of Edinburgh! Read full article
CommentAlex and I had a great time riding a chopper over Edinburgh
Archive — Article
We cracked the Crystal Maze in Manchester
My expectations were already high. But they were surpassed. Let me emphasise this: The Crystal Maze Experience was way better than I expected. Which was already very good. Read full article
CommentThe Formula 2 paradox
Questions are being asked about whether Formula 2 is doing enough to support young drivers to make the transition to Formula 1. But exactly the same arguments were made about the predecessor to F2/GP2 — Formula 3000. Read full article
CommentF1’s changing of the guard, both on-track and off-track
Charles Leclerc’s arrival signals a new era. Not only is he asserting himself at the front of the field, he is also taking a leading role in defining new rules of engagement. Read full article
CommentWhat to do if a user talks about faster horses
It turns out Henry Ford never said that quote about faster horses. That's not to say we shouldn't pay attention to the sentiment of the quote, however. Read full article
1 commentUnderstanding what students really need from a virtual learning environment
Slides from my Edinburgh UX meetup talk on Monday 2 September 2019, about the user research we have been conducting around the needs of students and staff working with course materials digitally at the University of Edinburgh. See the more detailed blog posts about this project over at the Website and Communications team blog. Read full article
1 commentAnthoine Hubert
An incident like this makes me face up to the realities, and question what it is I enjoy about the sport. Read full article
CommentBruges and Flanders — our final few days in Belgium
Having spent a couple of days in Brussels, our time in Belgium was fast coming to an end. So on our road trip, we began to make our way back towards the west. We had two days to visit two areas. Read full article
CommentBBC not so sound
Radio broadcasters are battling each other to be the Netflix of radio. None of them seem to have asked themselves why any of their listeners would want that. Read full article
CommentAfter the Belgian Grand Prix — Days out in Spa and Brussels
After our weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix last year, Alex and I stayed on for a few more days to explore other parts of Belgium. Read full article
1 commentAn unusually good experience with British Gas
Usually when people post online about customer service, it's to report a bad experience. But I had an unusually and unexpectedly positive experience with British Gas yesterday. Read full article
CommentSkye high
Straight after our wedding in February, Alex and I spent a week on the Isle of Skye for our mini moneymoon. Read full article
1 commentAppraising W Series
In just six short races, W Series has silenced its critics and made the motorsport world revise its approach towards increasing women’s participation. Read full article
CommentAtmospheres and soundtracks
When I was a child, 25 years ago, landing on the moon not only seemed cool --- it seemed like a totally normal expectation. 25 years on, my feelings are more mixed. One thing I haven't changed my mind about is the brilliant Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. Read full article
CommentFour epic races are the beginning of F1’s changing equilibrium
Since 2014, Formula 1 has been in a state of equilibrium, with Mercedes in full control. But these past four exciting races suggest that equilibrium is shifting. Read full article
3 comments‘What’ means nothing unless you know ‘why’
Your organisation really needs to value qualitative data more than it probably does. Read full article
1 commentWedding health and safety nightmares
On our wedding day I discovered that getting married is actually quite a dangerous business. Here are a selection of the health and safety nightmares we encountered that day. Read full article
Comment33 adventures in The Designers Republic
“On July 14th 1986 The Designers Republic was declared.” Celebrating 33 years of Brain Aided Design. Read full article
1 commentMemories of our wedding day
When people ask me how our wedding was, I say two things. It was a very stressful day. But it was also the happiest I’ve ever been. Read full article
4 commentsManaging your professional decline
It is suggested that a decline in our careers is inevitable, and comes earlier than you might expect. So what should we do about it? Read full article
CommentWhy did Verstappen have to push it so far?
Max Verstappen’s comeback from a poor start will surely go down as one of the great drives. Yet, the threat of a penalty hung over him for hours after the race — and it didn’t really need to. Read full article
6 commentsRenault needs to stop focusing so much on its drivers
Since Renault re-entered F1 as a full works team in 2016, they have exhibited a disturbing trait. They focus too much on their drivers. Read full article
1 commentHow do service design approaches need to improve, and what is the next step?
How do service design approaches need to improve, and what is the next step? Read full article
CommentVettel’s unsurprising penalty
Given the furore that surrounded Sebastian Vettel’s penalty, I wasn’t surprised about any aspect of it. But more worryingly for F1, I can just as easily imagine the furore if he hadn’t received the penalty. Read full article
CommentBrewing Alex & Duncan Black IPA — our wedding beer
We went to Stewart Brewing’s Craft Beer Kitchen to brew our own beer for our wedding. Read full article
CommentMcLaren’s Indy 500 failure was even worse than it looked from the outside
This incredible interview with Zak Brown goes into excruciating detail about the team's embarrassing failure to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Read full article
CommentHas Formula E accidentally stumbled on the thing that can improve Formula 1?
Pundits feel frustrated following the dull Spanish Grand Prix. But did Formula E's race in Monaco the day before provide a massive clue as to how to improve F1? Read full article
1 commentMaking our wedding rings
In September, Alex and I made each other's wedding rings with Scarlett Erskine. Read full article
CommentIt’s time to lose focus
Focus groups are probably the user research method that most non-specialists are familiar with. They are also still among the most common user research methods used. This, despite their many flaws. Read full article
CommentDoes Hamilton’s target-based approach mean 2019 is his year off?
Four races into the Formula 1 season, patterns are being set. For instance, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix continued the trend of Valtteri Bottas turning up the heat on Lewis Hamilton. Read full article
CommentBuilding bridges, not boundaries
Two things this week have given me a big reminder of why I'm a Liberal Democrat. Read full article
CommentComing face to face with real life at the Service Design Academy user research bootcamp
I've had a great time over the past two days on the Service Design Academy's user research bootcamp. These bootcamps are truly intensive. We were working with a live brief in a serious problem space. Read full article
CommentFormula E’s unpredictability is becoming a double-edged sword
At this weekend’s Rome E-Prix, Formula E saw its seventh different driver, for a seventh different team, win the seventh race of the season. While on paper this sort of unpredictability is a good thing, there comes a point where it lacks credibility. Formula E is reaching that point. Read full article
1 commentAre users rational? It depends on what you mean by rational
It’s fashionable to dismiss rational choice theory out of hand. But contrary to what you may have been told, aspects of rational choice theory can still be helpful in understanding the world. And I find it a useful way to think about user experience. Read full article
CommentBarcelona
This time last year, Alex and I went on holiday with our friends Louise and Jamie to Barcelona. Read full article
CommentWhat does Charles Leclerc’s success tell us about Daniel Ricciardo?
Formula 1 has its new wunderkind in Charles Leclerc. His performance has immediately raised questions about Sebastian Vettel. Should this in turn make us ask questions about Daniel Ricciardo. Read full article
CommentDuncan Stephen .net
Welcome to my new home. Read full article
2 commentsScott Walker
Every so often I hear a piece of music that turns my understanding of music upside down. Scott Walker made one of those tracks. I knew I had to investigate further. Read full article
CommentThe more things change, the more they stay the same — Why power units don’t have too much influence in F1
For all the intrigue, the evidence of winter testing and the first race of the season actually suggests that not much has changed in F1’s pecking order. This shows how the influence of power units over a team’s performance has been grossly overstated. Read full article
2 comments30 years of the world wide web
Today the world marks the 30th birthday of the web. I could have said ‘celebrates’ instead of ‘marks’. But despite — or perhaps because of — the fact that it’s the most revolutionary advance in communications of our lifetime, the mood seems reflective rather than celebratory. Read full article
CommentWilliams have hit a new Lowe
It would have been an embarrassing start to the year by anyone’s standards. But for a team like Williams, it has been utterly mortifying. Formerly known as Williams Grand Prix Engineering, this team has always taken a great pride in its engineering excellence. In the past couple of years, that reputation has been shattered. Read full article
6 commentsAlex and I are now married!
Last Saturday, 16 February 2019, Alex and I got married. Read full article
3 commentsGetting married
Alex and I are getting married this weekend, so the blog is going on the back burner for now. I'll be back later in February. Read full article
2 commentsWhy emails and meetings are good
I’m tired with arguments that email is a productivity destroyer, and meetings are a waste of time. Or that they somehow prevent you from doing your “real work”. Read full article
2 commentsStag weekend
A couple of weekends ago I had my stag weekend in Aviemore. Read full article
CommentThe limitations of the phrase user experience
The meaning of user experience has changed over time. While it can still be a useful phrase, its limitations are becoming problematic. Read full article
CommentNew year in Marstrand, Sweden
Alex and I took a short break over new year to Marstrand in Sweden. Read full article
CommentHard breakfast
The cards are up in the air in the competition to wake up the nation. Seemingly every major station has seen its breakfast line-up change in the past few months. Read full article
CommentFour perspectives on Brexit wrongness
Here are some recent thought-provoking blog posts about Brexit I’ve seen. The first two particularly relate to the damage being caused by Jeremy Corbyn’s approach. The other two are different perspectives from Liberal Democrats. Read full article
CommentA year of blogging daily
Last year I began a routine of publishing shorter posts on an almost-daily basis. Today marks a full year of blogging on a daily basis. It's also the day I'll stop posting each day. Read full article
4 comments