🎤 A Bit of Everything This Week…

A weekend away in Liverpool “with the lads,” dusting off my HTML prototype skills (forgot how much I love it), navigating some tax code madness, and chatting non-stop design for a future “thing” 🎤.

There’s been loads going on this week — combined with previous thoughts I shared about being more present as a coach and on LinkedIn. I’ve started that adventure again, and turns out: impressions on both LinkedIn and the blog post for last week’s Weeknotes went through the roof. A bit of vanity, sure, but it feels good. I won’t be checking the numbers again though — I know working inside a business that social media likes, do not equal sales!

🙌 Designer Shoutout


I also want to shout out a designer I’m currently supporting on his journey to his next role. We haven’t quite cracked it yet - but he’s so close.

If you’re looking for a product or interaction designer, or know a great place we can submit his CV, let me know!.

💔 Sky Bet / Flutter Redundancies


Plenty of things have caught my eye this week. The big one saw a lot of ex-colleagues being made redundant at Sky Bet/Flutter.
It’s a challenging read seeing this. Those that had the news - I have no doubt - will find themselves in employment quickly, as that company only hires golden eggs.

Is this another sign that the Leeds Digital Community is potentially fading compared to what it once was? I hope not.

🏢 Remote Working vs. Office (Again)


Another was the discussion around remote working against coming into the office - this will never leave us - and one I touched on during a recent podcast I appeared in somewhere (wait and see!).

I won’t discuss my full opinion, but needless to say, I believe it’s incredibly short-sighted to think a request to go back into an office will suddenly improve output at the cost of many things. It lowers access for people (parents, those with accessibility requirements etc). In the last 3 years, I’ve never worked with “my team” in the same county - nevermind in the same office!

🧩 Restructure at Work


This week, work is having a restructure - another one, yes - but they all feel right. They feel like they make sense and, in the future, feel like a big brave move in the interest of users (and not a cost-cutting exercise).

I love working at the DWP; the community and group of designers feel like a place to work. They are incredibly supportive, fun to work with, and very clever.

They’ve just posted a job for a Lead Interaction Designer - I highly recommend applying:
🔗 View the role on LinkedIn

🧪 National Rollout Prototype Progress


I’m still working on the final prototype for a national rollout - a project that will support millions of claimants and hundreds of work coaches.

It’s not easy. I’m in more than one team, and a lot has changed since I last picked it up - from little tweaks to full flow changes. But this isn’t just a “testing prototype” anymore. It’s become:

  • A training platform for Ops
  • A source of truth for documentation
  • A way to promote the service, inform future investment, and show “how to do it”

I always aim to leave the team with a clear, archived “here’s what we delivered” flow - so future teams can understand why and how we did it, without relying on a fragile live prototype (which is currently a nightmare to update due to security blocks!).

🛍️ Bobbin and Bumble Updates


On the Bobbin and Bumble side, I’m making updates as I go - particularly the navigation and core content.

Taking a proper break (without my MacBook!) was the best thing I could’ve done. I switched off completely and came back with a fresh perspective.

The site needs a refresh, yes. But more than that:

  • It needs UX thinking
  • It needs a rethink of the information architecture
  • It needs better content across all pages

It’s e-commerce (or commerce depending on how you view shops), and the end game is to improve conversions continually.

💬 Chats with Ex-Directs


I caught up with a couple of ex-colleagues this week - people I used to line-manage and it was honestly just brilliant to talk.

Not about portfolios.
Not about “what job are you after?”

But about where they are now, as people.

They’re reflecting more on what makes them happy and less on the ladder. I’m here for that. They’ll absolutely smash their next steps.

And if you’re in a similar space and fancy a nudge, I’m always happy to chat - just drop me a message.

🎮 Nintendo Switch 2 is a Hit


Final update — I bought a Nintendo Switch 2, and in short — it’s bloody brilliant.

It was so good that I cancelled my Xbox Game Pass, which I used often for the wind-down. To have such a console on the move is incredible; it feels nice, and the games (if you look around) are not expensive. I haven’t gone for any Switch 2 games yet, but Cyberpunk, I am watching you.

🎧 Listen of the Week


I Prevail is a band I’ve loved for years. They’ve released a new song — gone are the melodies of the other singer (Brian). They’ve gone into their heavy period, which is interesting (I love both styles), but this is heavy!
🎵 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCM2YxDg6OQ

Thanks for reading. Catch you in the next one. ✌️