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Design Design Ops Design Systems Mobile Product design UI UX

Style Guides

At the start of the year I took on a new challenge and a new job. I’m now working for a Uk based NHS approved supplier and again find myself as the sole lead UI/UX designer tasked with bringing consistency to an established product suite.

Working in the product team I began this project with a design audit in order to establish the common look and feel for the Workforce division. This is area of the business has a primary focus of working with NHS staff to roster work patterns and allow managers to organise their hospital departments.

I produced a series of screen comparisons in Figma which I went on to build into a style guide. The guide is now in its second version and is based on Atomic Design where UI components build into common, reusable design patterns and then onto page templates.

I enjoy bringing order to agile teams with organised design and having a single source of truth ultimately speeds up software production and creates an efficient production environment. I feel that this is the start of this process and I’m hoping to introduce a design system once the style guide is further along the line.

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Design Design Ops Design Systems Product design UI

Design System Testing

The design system project that I’m currently leading on is moving forward well. We are now in the testing phase after building out our digital product UI components in Figma with a Zeroheight front end.

We are testing with a small group of developers and test analysts which have been made available from our scrum teams. The first round has now been completed and we’re now working on refinements and the next batch of components that will be released for testing.

The design system project is coming together and it feels good to be able to bring detailed, consistent design elements to our product teams!

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Design Design Systems Digital Product design

Zeroheight

I’m building out our new product styleguide using zeroheight, this follows proof of concept work that I carried out using a Figma shared library.

The UI elements and components form the building block for an established digital product. As our teams grow our new system will really help new team members understand and access our product design.

It’s pretty good so far and it means that we can provide a single source of truth for all our collegues across our design, dev, test and product teams. Our UX team are able to add in guidance and usability guidelines to the components as they’re created in the system.

Once I completed the IA the build out has been going well, there are also features built in like release notes that will help us communicate changes and updates to our new system.

I’m happy with this product, to be clear I’m not paid to endorse it, but zeroheight was recommended to me and it seems to be a good fit.

I’m looking forward to completing this project and I hope that it wil form the basis for a new, multi product, design system.

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Design Design Ops Design Systems Product design UI UX

Design System Governance

I’m working on the governance process for our new design system, this sets out how the system will be used by our product teams. We work in agile so this is a key consideration when planning the system’s work flow.

Our system will be based on our digital products that we offer to B2B and B2C audiences and users groups. Using Figma for our design system gives us lots of flexibility with their shared library feature so we can control our components and design patterns look and feel across multiple products.

There are many considerations when designing a governance model which include how our scrums team members access and use the system. Our internal users will be at very different technical levels with different system needs from stakeholders to developers and we aim to engage with all of our colleagues.

I’ve started with a simple flow chart which I’ve developed to illustrate how components and patterns are created and introduced to the system as usable, tested design elements. The goverance process can be adapted as we go, as the system itself will be live and should change as we progress as a company.

I also want to encourage contribution from everyone in the company so making this process as easy as possible is important. My view is that anyone can have a good idea and not being a design team member can give an objective view on how patterns work in the real world on our live websites and apps.

I’m enjoying putting the design system governance together as it will add so much to our design and production process with consistency, accessibility and usability for our end users.

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Design Design Ops Design Systems Digital UX

Design Systems

I’m currently leading on a design system project to help bring consistancy and streamline our design component production. It is the first step in a large project which is going to involve close collaboration with our UX design, development and test teams.

At the end of last year I produced a proof of concept of a design system in Figma using the built in shared library feature. This project is now going on to contribute to the design system project following my research on the industry standard approach to building an in-house system.

It’s exciting times and there are many things to consider including system governance which I’ve written a brief research report on. This will help us implement and maintain the new system and enable us to accept and build on design and product input from the wider business.

Once live our new design system will reduce our concept to launch time with a uniform look and feel to all of our digital products. The development team can build out code in multiple front-end technologies to match our design components to further reduce build time. The new system will also make our test team’s job easier with clear accessible design patterns with use cases and guidance.

Overall the new design system will improve our design to development process, this will help our scrum team members with a modern approach to design with a single source of truth.

I’m happy to be leading on this project and I feel that it is part of the future of commercial digital product design.

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Adventure Travel

Motorbikes

I’ve recently traded my Honda nc750x for a near new BMW, its my first German built bike for some time and I really like the feel of my new GS.

Motorbikes are freedom machines and for me they just make sense. Just some of the benefits are they’re cheap to run, parking is free (in the UK) for the most part. Some inner city areas do charge but they’re rare at the moment and the parking fees are much less than a car. You also don’t have to queue with other vehicles in heavy traffic, most of all they’re fun!

Yes bikers are exposed to the weather and the elements but there is something about being out in the open air and being at one with the landscape that you’re travelling through. Ted Simon, the author of the biker’s travelogue classic Jupiter’s Travels explains at length the feeling of being at one with your environment when you travel by bike. There is definitely something in this, along with the sense of adventure. Simon traveled around the world over four years on a 500cc Triumph tiger back in the 1970s.

If you don’t ride bikes already you’ll need training and also pass a bike test to get a full bike license. If you already ride then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Its past mid winter at the moment and winter always turns to spring with sunny days and warmer weather approaching. So I hope that you enjoy your travels this year as I’m certainly going to be exploring on my motorbike a bit more this year!

Happy travels!!

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Travel

Walking

I’ve always walked and seen the value in walking in general, just moving through a landscape at walking pace is something theraputic and a good feeling in itself.

I recently read “A Philosophy of Walking” which goes into the process in depth, interesting to read how great thinkers have used walking to hone their ideas. The health benefits are a real plus especially with the current lockdown isolation world that we find ourselves in.

If you don’t walk I’d encourage you to get your boots or shoes on and get out there, having a dog helps but its not an essential walking aid.

Whatever you do or wherever you go enjoy!

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Travel

Summer

It’s been hot with little rain but we’ve also been in strange times due to lockdown and a global pandemic.

I hope that what ever you do or where ever you are you are managing to be creative and to take time for yourself and those around you.

The time will come when the new normal is hopefully back to something we know and love. Until then stay safe and look after yourself.

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Uncategorised

Corona Virus

These are strange and difficult times that we haven’t experienced before. It can be hard to stay positive as the UK joins most of Europe with a lock down.

I can only say stay safe and do what you can for your friends and family to keep their spirits up in these social isolation days.

I wish you all the best and I look forward to happier times when a world is something like back to normal.

Stay safe and well.

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Art Creative

Spring

Shoreham harbour, Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex

Spring is coming! Time to get creative as the days grow longer and nature springs back into life!

I will be walking and inspiring myself with a fresh look at the year, I hope that you will have an inspiring and creative year whatever you may be creating!