dawnkofie
Written 13 posts
Reflections on content design, Agile and Waterscrumban
3rd December 2019
I recently spent a year on secondment to Scottish Parliament working, as part of its web and online project, on content for its new website. I’m glad I did it and if you’re thinking about a secondment, go for it. As well as learning more about how the Parliament works, my…
8 common content design myths that content designers want you to stop believing
12th November 2019
There are lots of assumptions, misconceptions and myths about content design that just won’t die. Here are just a few and why they’re not true. 1. Content design is about words This is a popular one. Words are one way to present complicated content, but they’re not the only way. Examples of other types of…
Developing content standards for better public services
16th August 2018
We’ve produced a set of content standards to help colleagues in the Scottish Government, and our public sector partners, deliver effective content. Our ultimate aim is to help improve public services. Why content standards are helpful Everything that public sector organisations publish should meet their users’ needs. Our standards will: provide tools, techniques and processes you…
What content designers do when they’re not writing
13th August 2018
This post was inspired by Leisa Reichelt’s excellent summary of what user researchers do when they’re not researching. Content designers: work as part of cross-functional service teams in the Scottish Government support public sector colleagues who are designing new services, or improving existing ones create and maintain content on mygov.scot People who haven’t worked with content designers…
The 6 stages of the content lifecycle
2nd August 2018
This post is by Angela Morrison. Your content isn’t finished once you hit publish. It has a lifecycle which represents the stages each item should pass through, from planning and design right through to publishing and archiving. Sometimes this is called a content delivery workflow, or publishing workflow. Why it’s important Following a consistent content lifecycle helps your organisation create content that: is…
Why collaboration is so important in content design
1st August 2018
This post is by Anne Walker, Senior Content Designer at Disclosure Scotland. I work in Disclosure Scotland (DS), a Scottish Government agency that protects children and adults who can’t safeguard themselves. DS is transforming how it delivers its services. Undertaking digital transformation means understanding how things work across a business. Content designers can only do this…
Sex and/or gender — working together to get the question right
5th July 2018
This is a blog post by Jane Reid, Lead User Researcher at Disclosure Scotland. When someone applies for a government service, government organisations must only ask questions that are essential. Government organisations also have to make sure the citizen: understands the question can answer it appropriately feels respected When Disclosure Scotland, an agency of the Scottish Government, was testing their services…
What the UK Government Interchange is and 3 reasons why you should take part
15th May 2018
If you’re like most people I’ve spoken to about the UK Government Interchange, your first question probably is, what is it? It’s part of the UK Government’s Devolution and You Campaign, a Civil Service learning campaign that’s been running since 2015, and I took part in it earlier this year. It aims to help the UK…
Empathy in user focused design
5th April 2018
Last month, a member of my family was rushed to hospital and needed heart surgery. (Thankfully, they’re doing well now.) I had to make sure that, once they were home, they had the care and support they needed. So I found myself on the receiving end of the kind of content I produce. In the…
The Service Design Champions Programme: what we thought
3rd July 2017
The Service Design Champions event was a 4-day introduction to service and user-focused thinking, run by the User Research and Service Design team. Mark Black-Daniels and Dawn Kofie, content designers from mygov.scot, reflect on their experiences of the programme. Why we wanted to do the training MBD: In the work I’ve been doing for the…