Duncan Stephen

Article — 18 January 2017 — 601 words

UX book review — A Project Guide to UX Design

I probably wasn’t the target audience for this book introducing UX design concepts. But there are some good reasons for me to keep this on my bookshelf.

Article — 20 December 2016 — 627 words

Implementing HTTPS

Digital — Web

I put off making my website more secure because I dreaded it would be difficult. In the end it was a ten minute job.

Article — 18 November 2016 — 1,310 words

Ten years of twitting about

Digital — Media

In ten years, Twitter has transformed from a geek enclave to a mainstream form of communication. But I find it difficult to imagine signing up to Twitter today.

Article — 7 November 2016 — 1,092 words

The perils of the ‘launch and leave’ approach to project management

Architecture — Digital — User experience

Our perspective on how a digital product should be managed is strongly influenced by our background and our role. That certainly helps explain some of the difficult conversations I have had over the years.

Article — 19 October 2016 — 795 words

North Coast 500 – days 9 and 10 – Dunnet Head, Castle of Mey, Duncansby Stacks and the journey home

Travel

The odd thing about John O’Groats is that you would imagine it being like the edge of the world the way people talk about it. But once you get there, it doesn’t feel like the edge of anything.

Article — 16 October 2016 — 803 words

North Coast 500 – day 8 – Durness to John O’Groats

Travel

We covered the whole northern coast of Scotland in one day.

Article — 14 October 2016 — 964 words

The vital lesson digital designers must learn from architecture’s postwar mistakes

Digital — User experience

Like the mid-century modernists, today’s digital designers are creating the future. Some digital designers are making the same fundamental mistakes.

Article — 29 September 2016 — 1,269 words

Running themes from Scotland’s first accessibility conference

Accessibility — Digital

Accessibility Scotland was a high quality event with a diverse range of speakers. Find out what I took away from the event.

Article — 25 September 2016 — 857 words

North Coast 500 – day 7 – Stoer, Drumbeg and Durness

Travel

On a glorious day we saw a beautiful lighthouse, walked to a natural wonder and stayed at a campsite with the most incredible view.

Article — 22 September 2016 — 1,950 words

The fight we face for the web’s future

Digital — Web

The web is facing many challenges from new technologies, threatening the open culture that made it such a success. We need to fight for its survival.

Article — 15 September 2016 — 621 words

North Coast 500 – day 6 – Corrieshalloch Gorge, Knockan Crag and Lochinver Larder

Travel

The next stage of our journey took us to the North West Highlands Geopark, where the landscape was at its most dramatic.

Article — 14 September 2016 — 714 words

North Coast 500 – day 5 – Applecross peninsula, the beach at Redpoint and Badrallach

Travel

This day’s drive was a long one. In total, we spent over four and a half hours driving. But we just had time to stop off at a legendary beach before heading to the wonderful Badrallach campsite.