My Bluesky profile includes a quote from a poem (probably) by St Teresa of Ávila which I discovered a few years ago. One of the stanzas goes: With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all; but You know, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.… Continue reading Weeknote 11: on being in love with the sound of your own advice
Category: weeknotes
Weeknote 10: 6 months in
This week was the start of month 6 as Head of UCD in Digital Screening in NHS England. Here are some things I am thinking about: The NHS is not one place, it’s a network of businesses and trusts held together by a common understanding of risk. The closest I ever came to this was… Continue reading Weeknote 10: 6 months in
Weeknote 9: on drawing dragons
Design is one of the most authoritarian and annoying practices that modernity has created. – Antonio Caronia in ‘What Design Can’t Do’ by Silvio Lorusso Had a big week at work last week. It was overwhelming to see how much press our work on HPV self-testing at home got. My comms colleagues are geniuses really.… Continue reading Weeknote 9: on drawing dragons
Weeknote 8: what it means to be a designer in the NHS
I’m on holiday so I shouldn’t really be writing a weeknote but I’m getting lots of designers reaching out to me on Linkedin who have never worked in the NHS, wanting to work there. This is my personal view and not my employer’s. Being a designer in the public sector might not mean a public… Continue reading Weeknote 8: what it means to be a designer in the NHS
Weeknote 7: design truisms
I was in the first day of a two day away day at work and I was thinking of Jenny Holtzer’s truisms. They feel true (even if they might not be), which is what’s so cool about them. I think it’s the same for some myths about the NHS and what it is and isn’t… Continue reading Weeknote 7: design truisms
Weeknote 6: is it really that complicated?
There’s a new tech leader in the NHS which means whatever he thinks about design, UCD or designers will probably trickle down at some point. I am listening closely to the signs and this week, he said that things were not as a complicated as he was expecting. I thought that was interesting because it… Continue reading Weeknote 6: is it really that complicated?
Weeknote 5: on singing behind the beat
I had two classic ‘behind the beat‘ moments this week. The first involved taking the reigns in relation to a runaway situation. The second involved seeing something happen and letting it happen (temporarily). My two Deputy Directors were on leave at the same time for a few days so that temporarily exposed me and other… Continue reading Weeknote 5: on singing behind the beat
Weeknote 4: there may be an I in design but don’t let that fool you
I’ve been reminding myself of what Jane Jacobs wrote: “[…] there must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street. The buildings on a street equipped to handle strangers and to insure the safety of both residents and strangers, must be oriented to the street.… Continue reading Weeknote 4: there may be an I in design but don’t let that fool you
Weeknote 3: finding a pattern
I’ve figured out that my weeks are like sandwiches. Mondays and Fridays are quiet, while Tuesdays to Thursdays are back to back meetings. With a sample of 3 weeks, is it really a work pattern or a short term trend? That question lingered as I was drawn into a couple of conversations about service patterns.… Continue reading Weeknote 3: finding a pattern
Weeknote 2: unapologetic admin
Second week was a short week again. I thought about Ed Ruscha a lot. I sat in some more team check-ins and by virtue of repetition, words start to float up to the surface. I’m spotting patterns but it doesn’t mean they’re service patterns, they’re just activities each team has to develop in a… Continue reading Weeknote 2: unapologetic admin