Service Standard The Service Standard helps teams to create and run great public services.

We (GDS) have today updated 4 points of the Service Standard around use of generative AI in services:
www.gov.uk/service-manu...

#govdesign 1/5

You don't have to be a priest to move here. We take all sorts. 😃

1. Understand users and their needs Develop a deep understanding of users and the problem you’re trying to solve for them.

2026 has already been rated red for point 1 of the Standard.

Poor show.

www.gov.uk/service-manu...

I'm in the wrong government department.

Where Is The Comma In "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" Supposed To Go? YouTube video by RamsesThePigeon

The first step of course is to watch this wonderful video by @ramsesthepigeon.bsky.social

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxfx...

>

Nearly 15 years ago on the maternity ward. I was there for 11 days. How do people who go straight home after giving birth cope without a bidet?!

As a public servant, I write #weeknotes to let people see what I do as Product Manager of #GDS ’s Service Standard & Service Manual. Here’s 3 weeks in one go, you lucky so-and-sos!

Please have a peaceful break. Here’s to a user-centred 2026:

1/5 #govdesign

Red graphic with white text reading "2025 In review" and "Day 6" below.

User stories or job stories? This quick explainer helps you choose the right format for your audience. If every user story starts the same way, it's probably time to switch.

buff.ly/n4YskuY

What Helen said, but also structure. Even if there were a CDO, that person would first need to tackle the structural issues that prevent real transformation.

UNRWA has food for the entire population for over three months — stockpiled and ready also in Al Arish, Egypt.

The supplies are available. The systems are in place.

Open the gates. Let UNRWA deliver.
1 million children are waiting.

Held up my phone showing my train ticket to the Burger King chap. Turned out that's not the way to pay for a cheese burger meal. In my defence though, it was in the train station. And I was drunk.

1.2M views · 16K reactions | Visibilidad 🏳️‍🌈 | Este vídeo del Pride 🏳️‍🌈 de Oslo explica perfectamente por qué el orgullo y la visibilidad queer son tan importantes. | By Luis Guzman | Facebook Este vídeo del Pride 🏳️‍🌈 de Oslo explica perfectamente por qué el orgullo y la visibilidad queer son tan importantes.

When we wear rainbow lanyards and allyship pins at work, and put our pronouns in our email signatures, it's not virtue signalling. It's simple, quiet, visible allyship. It's powerful. And deeply appreciated.

www.facebook.com/luisigg/vide...

#Pride #BWithTheT

But if you don't get to make decisions, then you need a strategy focused on what can realistically be achieved and which issues are the most crucial to tackle. And standing any chance of success means doing it in a way that doesn't piss people off. It's hard.

Brilliant helpful thread unpacking a complicated topic and demonstrating - beautifully - that ‘biological sex’ is just not as conveniently simple as some would like to believe 🙌

The supreme court didn’t rule on the definition of ‘a woman’ – this is what its judgment does mean | Sam Fowles The judges had to interpret the law as set down by parliament. But it must be remembered this is not an abstract debate; it concerns real people, says barrister Sam Fowles

The supreme court didn’t rule on the definition of ‘a woman’ – this is what its judgment does mean www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

✨ The Government Design Principles have been updated, adding 'Minimise environmental impact' 🌳

🪨 They are an invaluable cornerstone for government's user-centred digital work.

👀 Blog post: services.blog.gov.uk/2025/04/02/a...

👀 Principles: www.gov.uk/guidance/gov... #govdesign

If you're successful, you'll be joining DWP's active and supportive #UserCentredDesign Practice, made up of content designers, interaction designers, service designers and user researchers.

The interview

We send interview questions to candidates 5 days in advance as standard, and welcome discussions about reasonable adjustments to interviews.

The application

We've put a lot of thought into our essential criteria. To be in the running to get an interview, you must answer the 250 word technical question using one or more examples. You must also fully address all 6 essential criteria in your personal statement to an acceptable standard.

The job

This is not a graphic design or marketing job.

With some relevant experience in content creation, you will need aptitude, potential and an understanding of the role of a user-centred content designer.

A content designer is a user-centred designer who specialises in content, usually words.

#Hiring Associate Content Designers

£37,497 - £38,373
plus 28.97% employer pension contribution

Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield

Apply before 11.55pm on Wed 2 April 2025 at www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

#ContentDesign
#UserCentredDesign
#Junior

#Hiring Senior Content Designers for DWP

£55,557 - £66,058
plus 28.97% employer pension contribution

Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield

Apply before 11:55pm, Sunday 30 March 2025 at www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

#ContentDesign
#UserCentredDesign

This is another good collection of arguments about why #publicServices are fundamentally different from private sector services – and why we need to design them differently.

Leaders need to hear these points whenever they make comparisons to Amazon shopping experiences again.

That's good #UserCentredDesign right there from my excellent colleagues.

Check out this blog post for an insight into the detail we go into to design digital services well.

dwpdigital.blog.gov.uk/2020/07/17/d...

Sue Sanders: 'We need to recognise the full diversity of womanhood' It's crucial for conversations surrounding Women's History Month to include queer women, says Sue Sanders, LGBT+ History Month co-founder.

“As a radical feminist it’s really important to me that there is recognition of the work women have done over the years. In this country we haven’t even had the vote for 100 years.” Powerful words from Sue Sanders, in a 2023 interview. #WomensHistoryMonth www.gaytimes.com/originals/wo...

They make things easy for people to understand and use by designing how information is structured. They use evidence to design the content users need at any point in their journey - a GOV.UK page, a digital application form, button text, error messages, letters.

We send interview questions to candidates 5 days in advance as standard and welcome discussions about reasonable adjustments to interviews.

This is not a graphic design or marketing job.

A content designer is a user-centred designer who specialises in content, usually words.

#Hiring Senior Content Designers for DWP

£55,557 - £66,058
plus 28.97% employer pension contribution

Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield

Apply before 11:55pm, Sunday 30 March 2025 at www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

#ContentDesign
#UserCentredDesign

New German, Swiss, And Austrian Guidelines Recommend Trans Youth Care, Slam Cass Review The recommendations, released by the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany, come at a time when US politicians erroneously claim that Europe is "pulling back" on transgender care.

1. Major news in transgender care.

Germany, Switzerland, and Austria have just released their trans youth care guidelines.

They strongly recommend trans youth care and slam the
Cass Review in England.

Europe is not "pulling back" on trans care.

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Local gov content designers!

Our next meet up is on Thursday 27 March, and features the fabulous guest speaker @niacampbell.bsky.social from @contentdesign.london 🎉

She’ll be sharing what she’s learned working with teams big and small.

If you work in local gov let me know if you'd like to join!