Work I’ve done

Selected work

A selection of projects where I helped to improve content, processes and digital experiences.

Improving the report writing process

The problem

Reports were legally required to be published after any election. The process for producing them had remained the same for many years and was led by research and policy teams. Content designers were only brought into the process towards the end, leaving a short window to review the content before final sign-off.

As a result, the reports followed the same structure year after year, and it wasn’t clear who they were written for. They were lengthy and wordy, with interesting findings often buried within the report.

Challenges and how I addressed them

An unclear primary audience

I ran a workshop early in the process with stakeholders to establish who the main audience for the report was and what they would want to gain from it. We used internal research findings and input from subject matter experts to agree on the report’s purpose from the outset.

Content design brought in too late

I made the case to senior stakeholders for bringing content design into the process earlier, explaining how this aligned with GDS best practice and could improve the final outcome. They agreed to trial the approach through this report, and I worked closely with a subject matter expert to pair write the content.

This meant we could have constructive conversations about what information was needed and how it should be written throughout the process, rather than leaving content design until the end.

The outcome

A review of the report’s performance after publication showed an increase in engagement rate and time spent on the page compared with previous reports.

Heatmap data also showed a much clearer interaction pattern. Whereas previous reports had a more erratic pattern of clicks, with users frequently clicking the navigation or search, the new report showed a clearer pattern of interaction with the content.

The new process was also positively received by colleagues working on the reports. They commented that it made the experience of creating the reports smoother, particularly by easing difficulties that had previously arisen during senior-level sign-off.

Content audit of a complex website

The problem

8,000 pages. Five very different user personas, from people with no knowledge of the subject through to experts. A small team and a short deadline.

There was no content ownership or governance in place. Some pages dated back to when the website launched seven years earlier, while other content had been migrated from the previous website and had not been reviewed since.

Challenges and how I addressed them

The number of pages

I decided early in the process that some pages would be out of scope because the content design team had no influence over them. This significantly reduced the number of pages to audit, but still left thousands to tackle.

A small team and short deadline

I clearly defined the workload across the team, grouping similar types of pages where possible to help people work more efficiently. We also explored where parts of the process could be automated.

I ran audit team meetings twice a week to discuss problems, questions and blockers. This meant we could make decisions quickly and escalate issues as soon as they arose.

The outcome

The audit produced a comprehensive content inventory, capturing information such as content ownership, tone and the action needed for each page. Actions included whether content should be kept, restructured or archived.

This provided a clear overview of the website and went on to inform planning for a larger website project.

We re-engaged content owners throughout the audit, meaning they were already aware of upcoming work ahead of the next website projects.

The team archived hundreds of pages that were out of date or no longer relevant. Hundreds more pages had structural, accessibility and tone issues fixed during the audit. This meant improvements to user experience were made immediately rather than waiting for the larger website project.

Designing the organisational style guide

The problem

The organisation’s tone of voice was being refreshed, so the previous style guide needed to be updated. The existing guide was long, under-used and generic. This had led teams to create their own style guides, resulting in an inconsistent approach across the organisation.

I used the tone of voice refresh as an opportunity to redesign the style guide so it would work better for internal users.

Challenges and how I addressed them

The previous style guide was seldom used

I spoke to staff to understand what they would find helpful in a style guide and what format they would use. I then tested the new style guide with staff groups, using their feedback to iterate the content before it was published.

Teams had created their own style guides

I asked teams to share whether they had their own style guide and what it contained, so that relevant guidance could be incorporated into the centralised style guide.

I also worked with communications teams when the new guide was published to make staff aware of the updated version. As part of this, I made it clear that the style guide was a living document that everyone could provide feedback on and request additions to.

The outcome

The style guide was well received at launch and engagement improved over time. Positive feedback from staff showed that it was supporting them in their work and providing a useful source of guidance.