Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 11/09/2026and I think the main issue with the behaviour of frontier AI labs and assertive billionaires is they believe they can choose for everyone. But the wonder and brilliance of humanity is we are all different: some people are good at some things, some are good at others, that's what makes us amazing 1144
Reposted by Jesmond AllenAnn Kempster @annkempster.com · 13/08/2026We're so deep in ostrich head in sand territory. This is a whole of government response needed. This isn't the responsibility of one department either to own Net Zero or to deal with mitigations for climate change. It is impacting EVERYTHING. 042
Reposted by Jesmond AllenGreg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Presumably if you select “Middle English”, your doctor immediately offers you bloodletting and a poultice made from frog blood 2026865
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Someone had just emailed me on a Friday night to ask if I have any thoughts to share on AI in digital govt and I think my answer is that we should focus on making basic services work for everyone and stop worrying about AI 49318
Reposted by Jesmond AllenDean Vipond @deanvipond.bsky.social · 19/07/2026Any incoming minister for AI should be tasked with replacing a load-bearing spreadsheet from a critical service, to give them the insights into why no one has done it yet. The ministerial equivalent of breaking a horse. 04720
Reposted by Jesmond AllenCathy Dutton @cathydutton.co.uk · 10/07/2026In a break from my usual Funding service posts, I’ve written about my other portfolio. And one of my favourite things, Portals! The portal trap cathydutton.co.uk/posts/the-po...cathydutton.co.ukThe portal trapNo one likes portals, one-stop shops, single front doors or gateways, so why are they the go-to solution for so many large organisations? 3166
Reposted by Jesmond AllenErika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 30/06/2026A short blog post I want everyone with expertise to read www.muledesign.com/blog/curse-o....muledesign.comLift This Curse (from your communication) — Mule DesignCommon sense isn't common. Assuming your audience knows more than they do can wreck your ability to communicate. Don't blame ignorant people before examining your own biases for the curse of knowledge... 0218
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 25/06/2026I'm in the grip of about 10000 massive deadlines, so I've obviously spent this morning writing a newsletter about a topic that is completely and utterly tangential buttondown.com/justenoughin...buttondown.comThe Sports Car Theory of LLM AdoptionIf LLMs make decision makers feel stupid, maybe they'll stop using them? 65314
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Listening to Starmer, and wondering why (for the nth time) no govt has pressed for regulating algorithmic recs and "infinite scroll". Says they are taking "world-leading action" on gaming and video-streaming services and that they will "have to adapt their approach as technology changes". 107717
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 14/06/2026Regulating children is not the same thing as regulating social media platforms. Seems very important to distinguish between the two. However, social media platforms tend to be run by powerful billionaires, so easier to go after the kids instead. 26028
Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Sign up for our next HCD in health network online talk 🎉 www.onehealthtech.com/events-1/oht...onehealthtech.comOHT Better HealthTech by Design: Better Together: Clinicians + Designers in the NHS | One HealthTech 021
Reposted by Jesmond AllenMike Gallagher @mikegallagher.bsky.social · 10/05/2026a new post, the first in a two-parter, on the epistemology of design mikegallagher.org/posts/the-lo...mikegallagher.orgMike Gallagher: The logic of conjectureOn the epistemplogy of design and the importance of making things to think through problems 152
Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 10/05/2026The deadline to apply for student loans is on Friday. The Student Finance England website is down for maintenance 😬 #greattiming 010
Reposted by Jesmond AllenDean Vipond @deanvipond.bsky.social · 08/05/2026A characteristically inspiring talk yesterday from @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social at #CampDigital encouraging us all to recognise the power we have, particularly when used collectively. Join the Society of Hopeful Technologists if you’re down with that. buttondown.com/society-of-h... 1152
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 08/05/2026I'm currently working on an AI safety review and the extent to which "tech bro makes car, the wheels fall off" is an extended metaphor for the last decade is not to be under-estimated 311828
Reposted by Jesmond AllenKetan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 08/04/2026The time between fossil fuel crises is just going to keep shrinking, until there's no discrete single "crisis" - just one unbroken prolonged state of global suffering due to fossil fuel unreliability The best time to ditch fossil fuels was 30 years ago. The second best time is now 15987337
Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 18/03/2026See also: sketching and wireframing by hand for early stage prototypes 020
Reposted by Jesmond AllenDean Vipond @deanvipond.bsky.social · 13/03/2026I really don’t know how you square the “social value” part of public procurement bids with the stuff this prick regularly spouts. Is this why we had to give them the contracts without a competitive process? 1117
Reposted by Jesmond AllenIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 11/03/2026It is extremely difficult to construct a practical case against this position. Net Zero is now as much about patriotism as it is about climate change. 541724468
Reposted by Jesmond AllenPavel @spavel.bsky.social · 10/03/2026This is not a shitpost, I'm serious. Adding things is so easy that any computer can do it. Determining whether it improves the whole (and leaving the whole intact when removing the excess) is purely human, because it requires a point of view. 57810
Reposted by Jesmond AllenPavel @spavel.bsky.social · 06/03/2026Vibe coding broke people's brains because they had a bad understanding of the software design process. The pop culture model goes something like this: start out with a sketch and then render that same idea in progressively finer detail. So when tools could "skip" to high detail, people went WOW. 12599154
Reposted by Jesmond AllenPavel @spavel.bsky.social · 05/03/2026This is a good principle for design in general: When users tell you there's a problem, they are usually right. When users tell you how to fix it, they are usually wrong. (bonus: if you replace "user" with "stakeholder" this still applies) 618030
Reposted by Jesmond AllenMark Dalgarno @markdalgarno.bsky.social · 01/03/2026Reminder that the Call for Sessions for September's @sdingov.bsky.social event is open: govservicedesign.net/call-sessions Conference theme: Democratising Design: sdingov.net/democratisin...govservicedesign.netCall for SessionsOur SDinGov call for sessions is now open 035
Reposted by Jesmond AllenJack Garfinkel @curiousscutter.bsky.social · 02/03/2026If you know enough to say if it's true, you know too much to tell if it's clear (credit: @cjforms.bsky.social) 0143
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 02/03/2026If the rumours are true and the kids and social media consultation opens today, here are two things I think should be banned from social media: 1) AI bots 2) recommendations algorithms that optimise for time on site Firm regulation of both of these things is possible and auditable 7357104
Reposted by Jesmond AllenJames Plunkett @jamestplunkett.bsky.social · 26/02/2026New post: Can we use 'test and learn' methods in the NHS? What would it take to do so? Long but important! I think this is one of the biiggest delivery questions facing the UK government. medium.com/@jamestplunk...medium.comCan Test & Learn methods save the NHS?On the challenge of using these methods here 3126
Reposted by Jesmond AllenAlastair Somerville @acuity.design · 25/02/2026Margaret Calvert book uk.bookshop.org/p/books/marg... #Design embedded across the UK for #Wayfindinguk.bookshop.orgMargaret Calvert: Woman at WorkCheck out Margaret Calvert: Woman at Work - <b>The first book dedicated to Margaret Calvert, pioneer of design for public service, a groundbreaking typographer and recipient of 2024’s New York Type Di... 111
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRichard Pope @richardpope.org · 24/02/2026In September, I was asked to give some thoughts about the NHS 10-year plan based on some of the principles in Platformland. Here are the slides and speaker notes: www.rpp.works/ways-of-d… 096
Reposted by Jesmond AllenCommissioner for Human Rights @commissionerhr.coe.int · 23/02/2026Several European countries are considering social media bans for children. We must regulate platforms, not children. I urge caution: ✅ Focus on "safety by design" ✅ Demand algorithmic transparency ✅ Enforce the #DSA & #HumanRights standards Read my Shout Out👇 www.coe.int/en/web/commi...coe.intRegulate platforms, not children – Commissioner urges caution over social media bans - Commissioner for Human Rights - www.coe.intStrasbourg 23 February 2026 6346150
Reposted by Jesmond AllenPavel @spavel.bsky.social · 22/02/2026You often hear "software development is changing, and we must adapt" because of Claude Code. But for my entire career, code has been the *easiest* part of making shit people care about, and we still haven't adapted. The easier coding becomes, the less often we ask "do users actually NEED this?"productpicnic.beehiiv.comResearch is leadership, and code can help (but only in the right places)Code was never the blocker in delivering customer value — and the easier writing code becomes, the more it distracts from the work we must do to unblock productivity. 1026454
Reposted by Jesmond AllenDean Vipond @deanvipond.bsky.social · 13/02/2026This is ace. An NHS video that explains what user research is, aimed at mammographers, to recruit more research participants to a redesigned breast screening service. A brilliant way of explaining UR to people wary of unusable IT systems forced upon them. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zM9...youtube.comDigital Screening explainers: What is ‘user research’?YouTube video by Digitalscreening 061
Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 11/02/2026I can’t make this year, but I had a great time at the NHS hack day last year 001
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 02/02/2026Another day, another Ipsos survey that uses gender as a lens on public attitudes to science without taking into consideration that 1 in 8 British men think they could win a tennis point against Serena Williams www.britishscienceassociation.org/News/public-... 08031
Reposted by Jesmond AllenMartin Jordan @martinjordan.com · 31/01/2026One of the best takes on non-sensical product and service developments: “Protobot is very simple: it generates a product idea by matching a random product category with a random constraint.” — by the great Molly Claire Wilson: protobot.org#enprotobot.orgProtobot: randomly generated design challenges 1123
Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 24/12/2025Inevitable Christmas post 🎄https://www.instagram.com/p/DSp5-m4Cs3H/?igsh=MTh1NzNvNXZkbDdmYg==instagram.comjesmonda on Instagram: "Merry Christmas one and all!"Merry Christmas one and all! 000
Reposted by Jesmond AllenTom Loosemore @tomski.com · 26/11/2025In which @richardpope.org shares a very personal example of the problems GDS Local could help local council's to solve. richardpope.org/2025/11/26/a...richardpope.orgAerated concrete and EHCPsI was up until midnight last night trying to battle a local … 5166
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 21/11/2025I've written up the findings from our work with people and organisations who have used AI notetakers in meetings, identified 9 risks and a bunch of mitigation strategies. www.careful.industries/blog/2025-11...careful.industriesNine risks caused by AI notetakers — Careful IndustriesAI transcription tools are not currently mature or reliable enough to be regarded as an always on, single-source of truth for meeting notes. Nine common risks, and six possible mitigations. 88834
Reposted by Jesmond AllenMatt Knight @mattinwales.bsky.social · 21/10/2025(3/3) - the most radical point of the standard is that, unlike every other governance standard, it gives a voice to the real end user. Policy makers on their own, technologists on their own… are really bad at guessing what users do. User Research is the radical democratisation of service creation. 242
Reposted by Jesmond AllenNatalya D @natalyad.bsky.social · 20/10/2025Do I know anyone (or anyone who knows anyone) who has had any joy in enforcement of the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018? The Equality Advisory Advice Service (EASS) who formally accept breach reports seem to be useless. Pls boost. 2415
Reposted by Jesmond AllenKeith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it. 4222685510165
Reposted by Jesmond AllenNaomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 08/10/2025feels like yet again time to mention that the *videogames* industry (that's a creative industry, which people do creative degrees in) brings in more than twice the amount to the British economy as the fishing and steel industries *combined* 71781513
Reposted by Jesmond AllenDr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · 01/10/2025Here I am in 2020 in the flimsiest, most pitful PPE - like so many other NHS staff, some of whom died from the Covid they caught in their hospitals. Tory peer Michelle Mone - who today lost her legal case & must repay the govt £122m - dares to claim she’s been ‘scapegoated’. What, Michelle? 🧵 13430181225
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 26/09/2025If I was a Labour politician who wanted to design a better right to work scheme, I'd (a) start by cracking down on employers who transfer the risk to their workers, (b) work with the unions to design a scheme that puts workers' rights front and centre, and (c) phase roll-out, like digital switchover 13618
Reposted by Jesmond AllenRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 25/09/2025I'd like to see UK data centre plan developed with net zero goals, community health and opportunity, and local renewal in mind. What is the upside of living and working near to a data centre? And if there isn't one, govt needs to *create* one. 3389