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Jesmond Allen

@jesmonda.bsky.social
187 followers 184 following 118 posts

Human-Centred Designer. Mum. Sporadic knitter. Co-author 'Smashing UX Design' book. Not a suburb of Newcastle.

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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Have a lovely trip!
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Gutted to be missing it! But the stars didn’t align this year…
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Why were you looking at a gardening site though…?
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
and 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
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
*Extremely* hot drinks. As in: still scalding. Tea and coffee are still ok!! As to AI 🤷‍♀️
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Thought so!
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Do they wear suits to work?
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
There’s a couple of card shops in St Nick’s Market (off Corn St)
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Alas not digital and therefore in one of many random boxes instead of being searchable!
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
We had welding masks in 1999 🤣 They certainly haven’t made it through multiple house moves and 2 children!!
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
We found that the distance between the colander and the paper made a big difference. And also tiny holes were better in card/foil than bigger ones… (spot the family that entirely failed to get any glasses in time!)
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Ann Kempster @annkempster.com · 13/08/2026
We'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.
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
A white piece of paper with the shadow of a colander showing the eclipse as crescent-shaped colander holes
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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Presumably if you select “Middle English”, your doctor immediately offers you bloodletting and a poultice made from frog blood
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Total nightmare! The email reminding you to do it doesn’t link to what you need to do, and then you get through some of it only to find they need to post you something…
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Rain! Finally! More of this please! ☔️💧🌧️
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Someone 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
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Something, something “circles of hell”…
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
None here 😭
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
And then of course each consultancy does their work in a manner designed to allow them to sell in a £millions+ project to unfuck the issue, that was what the internal teams wanted to do in the first place…
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Yeah, I was wondering if I knew who wrote it…
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Dean Vipond @deanvipond.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Any 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.
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Ohhhh! You’re the one who was organised and booked in advance 🤣 The only ones left at a reasonable time in the next week are in the front row, which would be overwhelming!
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Everyone was asking for portals in 1999. They were a bad idea then, too…
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Cathy Dutton @cathydutton.co.uk · 10/07/2026
In 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.uk
The portal trap
No one likes portals, one-stop shops, single front doors or gateways, so why are they the go-to solution for so many large organisations?
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I’m feeling smug cos I didn’t fall into their Trap
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Happy birthday, despite everything!
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Same 🙄
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Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
A short blog post I want everyone with expertise to read www.muledesign.com/blog/curse-o....
muledesign.com
Lift This Curse (from your communication) — Mule Design
Common 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...
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I'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.com
The Sports Car Theory of LLM Adoption
If LLMs make decision makers feel stupid, maybe they'll stop using them?
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Rain!! 🎉
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Yes! Do share the details- I will join when I can
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
It was lovely to see you, albeit briefly!
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I fell into their trap too!
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Or potentially the agencies that work with the NHS - Create/Change, Hippo, etc @markdalgarno.bsky.social
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Those folks would be my first asks too… Would want people who have specifically worked in healthcare as the culture is different to Gov. I can also think of a few SD freelancers who might do something bespoke (inc me, tbh, sorry!)
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
But with sandals or Adidas…? 🤔
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Listening 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".
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Regulating 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.
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
The latter is stickier 🙄
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I am deeply unpopular with the sun-worshippers in my house for shutting all the curtains on days like this 🤣
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
I’d love to see a difficulty breakdown by Americans vs not-Americans. (I failed today too)
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Sign up for our next HCD in health network online talk 🎉 www.onehealthtech.com/events-1/oht...
onehealthtech.com
OHT Better HealthTech by Design: Better Together: Clinicians + Designers in the NHS | One HealthTech
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Oh dear, only 4 so far, and I love reading! Clearly my tastes don’t line up at all 🤣
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
I failed today too 😭
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Mike Gallagher @mikegallagher.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
a new post, the first in a two-parter, on the epistemology of design mikegallagher.org/posts/the-lo...
mikegallagher.org
Mike Gallagher: The logic of conjecture
On the epistemplogy of design and the importance of making things to think through problems
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
The deadline to apply for student loans is on Friday. The Student Finance England website is down for maintenance 😬 #greattiming
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Dean Vipond @deanvipond.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
A 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...
Rachel Coldicutt stood on a theatre stage in front of a peach-coloured projection with the phrase “HOPE SPREADS” in bold white lettering. Rachel Coldicutt stood on a theatre stage in front of a peach-coloured projection with the phrase “Let’s use our power to make a difference for everyone” in bold blue lettering.
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
I'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
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Jesmond Allen @jesmonda.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Hah! I sorted my work books the other day and put that in my “vintage” section!
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