We are pleased to introduce the team who will be central to making the EPCAS – Improving Equality and Empowerment through Person Centred Energy Advice Services – Project happen.
Mydex CIC have employed a Project Manager, Jenni, and the University of the West of Scotland have employed two Research Associates, Steve and Natasha. This core team will be working alongside our project partners and with the oversight of Mydex CIC’s Chief Executive and Platform Architect, David Alexander.
David asked the team to introduce themselves and their early thoughts about the importance of the project:
Jenni Inglis- EPCAS Project Manager
“I am really excited to be working on the EPCAS project. It’s great living in Scotland where there is growing awareness and action around making services person-centred and building in citizen-centred data-flows are a crucial, but usually missing, piece of that jigsaw. EPCAS changes that.
Over the last 15 years I have been working with the public and third sectors to help them involve citizens in evaluation and service design. In the course of this work I have heard so many tales of frustration from citizens about sharing the same information over and over again with different services. It leads to people feeling they aren’t trusted and to them having to endlessly revisit all the problems they face. Organisations’ systems currently make people jump through agonising and unacceptable hoops.
The EPCAS project will demonstrate the difference that an easy to use interface- like an app - working together with existing secure personal data store services can make to citizens in Renfrewshire. It will also build a platform capable of enabling further apps to be set up easily by other services so that citizens can choose to re-use the data in their data store in other contexts. I’m confident it will reduce effort and upset for citizens and the people that support them. I’ve been working on facilitating design of initiatives, including a digital inclusion initiative, since completing a Masters in Design for Services in 2014. So I have a good grounding in how the 20% of Scottish Society who don’t use the internet approach technology.
As Project Manager, my role is primarily to ensure that the resources that the project needs are in place at the right time, trouble shooting and bringing people together where needed. I am also taking the lead on working with citizens and front-line workers to shape a demonstration app. It is fantastic to be bringing my prior ESF programme management experience together with my co-design skills.”
Steve Quinn – Research Associate (Software Development)
“Working on the EPCAS Project is an opportunity to both engage with core web technologies and deliver excellent user experiences which have the potential to make a significant impact to people’s lives. At the core of the project is the principle aim of tackling poverty in Renfrewshire, which is one of the main reasons I chose to work on the project.
Software can often be unnecessary or even seen as a threat to how we go about our daily lives but, used well, it can make a positive difference. The EPCAS project is one of opportunities to use software well, which is what excites me most about it. Similarly, working with open source technologies means my work can be shared and used for the benefit of others. I believe in the core principles of open source technology so taking away the restrictions of in-house proprietary software solutions are very much a step towards a free and open digital future, one which I keenly look forward to being realised.
I gained my MSc in Software Development from the University of Glasgow in 2017. Previously, I served four years in the British Army then studied for, and graduated with, an MA in English Language. Whilst unusual, the varied accomplishments and experiences on this path places me in a strong position to contribute to the EPCAS project on all levels.
I chose to go down the route of Software Development as I am very much a ‘tech’ enthusiast and have always been involved with computing and technology in some capacity as a hobbyist; a career in Software Development is a natural progression. I’m particularly interested in web application development and working to enhance the overall user experience to craft software that is both person-centred and understandable for non-tech users.”
Natasha Ford- Research Associate (Software Development)
“I applied for the role because I wanted to be socially responsible in my new career. The focus on making the project open-source and reusable attracted me.
I have had a varied career with companies including Scottish Power and Aggreko and, most recently before retraining as a Software Developer, I was a service advisor at Police Scotland. So I have lots of relevant experience of how citizens interact with services and what some of the barriers and problems are. I trained in software development with CodeClan Glasgow. I’m building on a background in science having graduated with a BSc in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Glasgow in 2012.
My work on the project will mainly be focussed on the design and testing of a software – like an app – that works on any device and enables a citizen to use the Mydex CIC platform for personal data storage. Part of the process will include making wireframes – mock-ups of how the software might work – to show to citizens and get feedback to ensure the finished software meets their needs.
I hope to make the software I develop as accessible as possible. I believe that developers should take responsibility for making their software accessible and inclusive for all users and this should be an integral part of the design process.”
