I want to tell you about my father, John Anthony Sankey PhD CMG. Dad was a staunch Roman Catholic – ‘cradle to grave’ is the phrase. Today, 1st November, is celebrated as ‘All Saints Day’ by Catholics, so it seemsContinue reading… Sankey’s suggestion and other stories
Category: Design
How to edit anything – pro tip
I’ve been doing a lot of editing recently. Here’s how I do it. Think about who will use the thing and for what. Write a temporary headline for each chunk.* Each headline must be a full sentence that summarises theContinue reading… How to edit anything – pro tip
An app that reads alt-text from pptx
We think that it’s really important to make PowerPoint presentations accessible. And that means: writing alt-text for all the images. The PowerPoint Checker app reads a file in .pptx format, extracts all the alt-text, and gives you a slide-by-slide report on what itContinue reading… An app that reads alt-text from pptx
Thought for the day by Tim Paul: a diagram about forms
On 5th August 2021, Tim Paul (head of interaction design at the UK Government Digital Service) posted a thought for the day on Twitter with a diagram (below) that resonated with a lot of people, including me, so Tim agreedContinue reading… Thought for the day by Tim Paul: a diagram about forms
Examples of co-design: Janet Hughes gives evidence to a Select Committee
It can be a little nerve-wracking when a Select Committee of the UK Parliament takes an interest in our work. On 20th July 2021, I listened with pride as Janet Hughes, Programme Director for the Future Farming and Countryside Programme,Continue reading… Examples of co-design: Janet Hughes gives evidence to a Select Committee
What does low literacy mean in practice?
Hi! You’re reading this, correct? What about someone who has low literacy? What does that actually mean for them? Low literacy means ‘not good at reading’ There’s a lot of low literacy about. One major investigation in the UK discoveredContinue reading… What does low literacy mean in practice?
Creating presentations for stakeholders: contributing to an article for UXmatters
Janet Six asked me to contribute to an ‘Ask UXMatters’ panel discussion on the topic of how to create presentations for development teams versus executive teams. I shared my thoughts, which focus on how the teams will want to knowContinue reading… Creating presentations for stakeholders: contributing to an article for UXmatters
Live and live differently – an Effortmark poster
Back in January 2020, I did a thing we don’t do any more: go to a conference. It was New Adventures 2020 in Nottingham and I chose it for two reasons: Andrew Travers recommended it, and I wanted to hearContinue reading… Live and live differently – an Effortmark poster
What is a design system?
Recently, Amy Hupe asked this question on Twitter: Who’s got a really clear and concise explanation of what design systems are, that would make sense to someone who’s never come across one before? We had a good discussion and IContinue reading… What is a design system?
“Write good questions for forms” advice in the NHS Digital service manual
Someone asked me about writing good questions for forms. As usual I recommended the NHS Digital service manual page as a favourite resource – and then I thought “have I put that on my website?” And I hadn’t. So hereContinue reading… “Write good questions for forms” advice in the NHS Digital service manual