What leadership teamwork did I see? As we discuss new ways of working for our product development directorate, I had catch-ups with several of our senior leaders who are figuring out what this means for their own areas. We have many demands on us as a directorate, and are working within constraints, but everyone wants … Continue reading Weeknote: 3 to 7 February 2020
Author: mattedgar
Product strategy and design leadership in web and mobile media. Before that I was a newspaper journalist and history student
Weeknote: 27 to 31 January 2020
What inspired me this week? The design team away day brilliantly produced by Brie, Becca and Andrew. I couldn’t stay for the whole day, but it was lovely to see the community assemble, and to hear head of design Tero and practice lead Dean outlining their vision for design at NHS Digital and beyond. Starting … Continue reading Weeknote: 27 to 31 January 2020
Delivering digital service: this much I have learned
The year is 2000. I am a product manager. I’ve worked with designers and a usability specialist to specify a new feature for a consumer news service for a major telecoms operator. But what comes back from engineering is unrecognisable. It doesn't work as we specified. Worse than that, the engineers have added all sorts … Continue reading Delivering digital service: this much I have learned
Weeknote: 20 to 24 January 2020
What inspired me this week? The discovery team on Book, Refer & Manage Appointments is making progress on user research and mapping at an impressive rate, picking up new team members as it goes. Ideally, teams like this should start together. Having new people join 2 or 3 weeks in can be disruptive, so it's … Continue reading Weeknote: 20 to 24 January 2020
Weeknote: 13 to 17 January 2020
How did I uphold the NHS Constitution? "view the services you provide from the standpoint of a patient" - Staff responsibilities in the NHS Constitution for England I topped up my 2 hours every 6 weeks of exposure to primary user research by listening in on some calls with patients about their experiences of getting … Continue reading Weeknote: 13 to 17 January 2020
Weeknote: 6 to 10 January 2020
What inspired me this week? The team getting started on the book, refer, and manage appointments discovery. Will, the delivery lead, is doing a brilliant job setting up the team for success A couple of new starters and promotions in the Digital Services Delivery profession that I lead. I'm looking forward to catching up with … Continue reading Weeknote: 6 to 10 January 2020
The twenty tens: my lucky decade
Around the start of 2010, I concluded that the next part of my career lay outside the telecoms operator Orange. My decade there had taught me loads. I got a ringside seat for the rise of the smartphones. I learned how to design for service at scale, and saw how technologies are socially constructed by … Continue reading The twenty tens: my lucky decade
