As the DF programme winds down, this will be my final blog post. It takes some of the ideas that Sharon Davies and I first shared at the Housing Technology 2018 conference, and applies them to the wider field of social care. The acquisition of the Dell Boomi integration platform has opened up a vast range […]
Digital FirstHere are 3 reasons why it’s time for the regulator to actToday, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — the financial markets regulator — published the findings of its mortgages market study. It’s the first regulator to report back its sector-specific findings after we issued a super-complaint on the price loyal customers pay.The FCA found that ‘harm is significant’ for long […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumI’ve blogged this week about the need to look out for Facebook comments on your page. The example given was from a media site getting bombarded with racist comments covering a hammer attack on mosques across their city. You can read it here. But there is little black and white and a lot of shades […]
Dan SleeA final post from me as Digital Development Officer at Bracknell Forest Council. 8 years have certainly flown by and I guess I am grayer and (hopefully) wiser for it. Below are some of the highlights and landmarks over my time at Bracknell. It’s a bit like those annual highlight shows aired around Christmas time […]
Bracknell Forest Digital ServicesRoyal Mail has made redirection fairer — but they shouldn’t have redirected the costNew prices are fairer, but even less affordable than beforeLast year, Citizens Advice called for Royal Mail to fix its outdated pricing for mail redirection. And we’re pleased they’ve now listened.Before, people had to pay a fee per surname — meaning many modern families had to pay more. […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumI’m three months into my new job and that seems a good time to reflect on how things are going. I’ll save the meat of that for another post, because this one is about how I am working within my network, or rather how I’m not very much at the moment. I haven’t posted to […]
Dave BriggsIn which what was sown begins to bloom… #weeknotes S03 EP06 – week ending 24 March 2019 Working on Mainly MusterPoint – I’ve been getting all the bits of the toolkit to work together how I need them too and starting to deliver on the content strategy. There’s been a slow build of social media […]
Sarah LayAs statements go, "technology is easy, culture is hard" is neither original nor totally accurate. It was however the catalyst for the first Digital by Design Day, held yesterday at my place.Technology isn't easy, but it's getting easier.Creating a new digital service is a bit like baking a cake. In the well stocked cupboards below […]
LG/WWWSocial media these days can be a pretty grim place at times. Stephen Fry a while back described the darkening of some people’s attitudes and the more sinister trolling as like seeing a turd released in once beautiful pool. This week I was reminded what he meant when I read comments posted to Birmingham Live’s […]
Dan SleeOne of the great delights of travelling is being able to see at close hand what other people are doing. American writer Henry Miller once wrote that travel was never a destination but a new way of seeing things. This is spot on for this week’s trip to Belfast to speak at the Northern Ireland […]
Dan SleeWe’ve shown people are paying too much on their bills in essential markets, now regulators must act — fastOver the last few years, we’ve researched how people are being stung for their loyalty to a provider, the impact of debt on people’s lives and the rising cost of energy bills.Earlier this week, the National Audit Office (NAO) published […]
We are Citizens Advice - MediumWritten by Dave Ferguson and Angeline Saunderson-HillPhoto by Carl Heyerdahl on UnsplashWe can define it, we can understand why it happens, but it is very difficult to completely address it and do it !We know that some North East Lincolnshire residents do not have the basic digital skills and we know some of this is generational and […]
North East Lincolnshire Service Design - MediumI'm a recovering perfectionist.I used to hate getting things wrong at work and would do anything I possibly could to protect myself from being thought of as anything less than excellent.And I'd beat myself up for days when I got things ‘wrong’.Thankfully those days of self-criticism and self-doubt are long behind me.And yet, it's still […]
SameRoom.As part of our MHCLG funded project we are committed to being open and transparent about the work we are doing. We also have a team of people that are very spread out geographically. This meant that when considering how we could run a Show & Tell for each of the fortnightly sprints, we had […]
North East Lincolnshire Service Design - MediumMy time at Brighton and Hove City Council is almost up. My last day is Thursday 28th March and I’ll be sad to go. I expected to be here for three months working on an account for businesses. But I met some amazing colleagues doing user centred work and decided to stay on. Hats off […]
Digital FirstWritten by Dave FergusonPhoto by Marvin Meyer on UnsplashA term all too often heard in the public sector, resources reducing, doing more with less. But how do we do it?Take for example, trying to transform a car, bus, train or plane while it’s being used. Sounds difficult, but that is what we are doing day in day out […]
North East Lincolnshire Service Design - MediumAlong similar lines, you may be interested in this talk by scientist Dr Leah Fitzsimmons at TEDx Brum 2017 about how research and science are some of the most creative things we can do, and how creative thinking can lead to scientific breakthroughs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9ts2ppWtEE
Stories by Kelly Doonan on MediumIt’s been a while since I sat and wrote a week note up – mainly because life has been happening with more rocks than rolls in on a personal front in the last few weeks. I tend to focus very tightly at these times and sharing isn’t always at the top of my to do […]
Sarah LayThank you so much for this. I’m starting to explore using Medium as a way to develop and improve my writing; and understand my voice and how I can use it most effectively. Medium is great for this, but I don’t really know how to get the best out of it. Your article is clear […]
Stories by Kelly Doonan on MediumI’ve been thinking about whether what we’re doing with SameRoom is just a case of putting ourselves in someone else's shoes. These ponderings have sprung from a conversation with someone who was saying that our approach to user-centred design was not a new concept for them and that it was something they were used to […]
SameRoom.I want to start by saying I’m ok, I’m more aware about myself than I was 3 months ago and I’m on a developmental learning journey towards becoming (hopefully) more human. This post is simply another story within my journey and I share this for my own reflection but hope that you also find it […]
Becoming Human – Carl's Notepad