Stephen GillGovernment digital platforms: some questions to askIf you work in UK government digital, you probably know that it’s Services Week again — and you’ll be watching as teams from all over…Mar 18Mar 18
Stephen GillGive help now, get feedback laterGetting users’ feedback is an important part of improving a service, but when is the best time to ask for that feedback?Jan 18Jan 18
Stephen GillDoes your government digital service need terms and conditions?Obviously I’m not a lawyer: these are just some things I’ve picked up over the years. Talk to a properly qualified legal adviser if you’re…Jul 21, 2023Jul 21, 2023
Stephen GillIs the ‘Start now’ button an antipattern?Anyone who’s worked on a UK government will be familiar with the ‘start page’ pattern. It’s the pattern we use to move users from the…Jul 10, 2023Jul 10, 2023
Stephen GillGovernment should solve problems for people, not participate in ‘life events’The idea that government should organise services around citizens’ ‘life events’ is one that comes up fairly regularly. So based on a…Nov 28, 2022Nov 28, 2022
Stephen GillSmall acts of kindness: writing microcopy for humansValidation is really important when you’re creating a website form.May 15, 2020May 15, 2020
Stephen GillFailure demand: a definitionFailure demand is a really powerful idea for those of us working in and around the public sector. But I couldn’t find a definition that…Apr 17, 20201Apr 17, 20201
Stephen GillWriting for experts: the same, but differentExperts — people with a professional interest in the thing you’re writing — like things to be simple. Maybe even more so than the rest of…Oct 6, 20191Oct 6, 20191
Stephen GillUser needs and business requirementsThis post came from an interesting Slack discussion about the first of the UK government design principles — ‘start with user needs’.Mar 29, 20181Mar 29, 20181
Stephen GillFour ways to make the case for simplicityIf you’re a designer, content person (or someone from an adjacent discipline) working in a large organisation, it’s unlikely that everyone…Mar 28, 2018Mar 28, 2018