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Paul O'Neill

@pauloneill79.bsky.social
144 followers 132 following 102 posts

Interaction design & service design in gov. Lover of all tech things for good. Ex Citizens Advice, Home Office, MoJ. Currently at DBT.

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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
UK death rate seeing dramatic falls in the past years. Attribution in part to less flu deaths. The NHS screening program should be praised for this success in the complicated work data crunching and efficiently designing a digital rollout. Not so broken Britain. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
More or Less - Is the UK state pension really the lowest in Europe? - BBC Sounds
Tim Harford investigates UK pensions, Russia’s GDP and heatwave deaths.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Seeing this creeping into my interaction design work lately. All navigation delivered via a prompt interface... What are the consequences long term for UI design for users webdesignerdepot.com/how-the-prom...
webdesignerdepot.com
How the Prompt Box is Swallowing Website Interfaces Whole
For decades, web designers obsessed over perfecting menus, tabs, and dropdowns. Now a single empty prompt box is quietly replacing them all. As AI turns websites into conversations, we're gaining incr...
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
In the 2010s we all rushed to develop digital products on phones and apps. Now in the 2020s we're entrapped to our mobiles. Today I wanted to buy a simple gift at an airport duty free, "boarding pass please!" It was on the flight bookers mobile 300 yards away from me. Gah!
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
OECD surveys on gov trust. 74% of recent UK users were satisfied with administrative services and 79% thought information about administrative procedures was easy to find.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
When a stakeholder says... I see this research and user problems presented but let's "think big". Big strategy think pieces so easily lean into the politics and personal missions losing sight of users who have to work with big org. Big strategic plan wains, the next big thinkpiece comes in.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Typo at work: "Read the new FQA page". Frequently Questioned Answers
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
The most confusing question I've had to answer on a UK gov form in years... Limited leave, enter, remain. Then the hint explains a bit but doesn't everyone understand that "leave" here means permission not the verb to leave a place. #govdesign
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Very useful notes history in the NHS app. If you've got protracted medical history (like me) getting passed around from GPs, specialists and clinics this is a valuable resource. Another useful hidden feature in the NHS app.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Syncretism = the blending or cultural, or philosophical beliefs and practices into a new, unified system. Occurs when distinct societies interact through migration, trade, or colonization, resulting in the creation of hybrid traditions rather than the outright replacement. Eg tex-mex, voodoo,
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Today I learned that this was the West German national anthem inn the post war years. "We are the natives of Trizonesia. Heidi-tschimmela-tschimmela-tschimmela-tschimmela-bum!" youtube.com/watch?v=24zm...
youtube.com
Wir sind die Eingeborenen von Trizonesien - Karl Berbuer (1948)
YouTube video by annanthrax
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
New NHS app update is very good. Homepage sections have been tidied up, prescriptions, appointments, selected pharmacy are all the things I want to get first. The old design of "services" was ambiguous. #govdesign
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Visually seeing the cost of wars alongside states, businesses and other big numbers informationisbeautiful.net/visualizatio...
informationisbeautiful.net
The Billion Dollar Gram — Information is Beautiful
...
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Correlation is not causation www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
11 cancers on the rise in young people - scientists find first clue why it's happening
Researchers stress that simple lifestyle changes can still significantly reduce the risk of cancer.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
TIL companion - etymology is from com - to come together and pan - bread. Sharing of bread. Companion.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Gendered superlatives. Go an a beautiful trip. But get paid handsomely.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
hospital got a 6ft touchscreen map at reception. Tap search drop-down to find area. Hmm, mobile keyboard on a metre wide screen. Crouch down to type. Once I got the map was impossible to use because of scale. Scan the QR code to get on mobile, crouch down again. Wonder have they user tested this?
Standing touchscreen map
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I've jumped demographic. Sitting down for a quiet bit of relaxation on a Friday and I see "have I got news for you"... Yes I love that one
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Oh dear Swiftqueue - what happened here? Patients must select on option on this screen on mobile. Will they know the answer? Can cludgy fingers use this list properly? Can poor sighted see the small text? Oh deary me
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Designing, the two hardest things are 1) saying no 2) keeping it simple. To say no you often have to have a counter proposal. To keep it simple you often need to have already understood a systems complexity. Then you can recommend places to tidy up and simplify
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
I just screened a suspected spam call on my Google Pixel phone. Reading the transcript the callers language seemed formal and stilted. The spam bot was talking to my screening bot. It's happening, the AIs are chatting to each other. I should have left the conversation run and see where they got to
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Reading articles about civil service departures and it says 'anonymous briefings", is that codespeak for leaks
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Local council site delivered in 3 weeks via white labbeledd Drupal local government instance. "With the right platform, the limiting factor isn’t development — it’s the planning." newarkandsherwood.localgov.blog/2026/02/02/n...
newarkandsherwood.localgov.blog
Nine Councils. One Message. A playbook for Multi‑Council Digital Collaboration
A Shared LGR Microsite for Nine Councils — and What Other Local Authorities Can Learn When all nine councils across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire were tasked with communicating the complexities of lo...
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
"sunlight is the best disinfectant." Hillary Clinton
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Trained in typography at uni. But dayjob means I never get to finesse type much. This little story of the elegant em dash (wide hyphen) tickles my design roots pca.st/episode/3f66...
pca.st
The Em Dash
The strange history of a punctuation mark that makes writing feel human, and why people now think it proves the opposite. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible…
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Tra elling through Liverpool Street station for nearly 15 years but never spotted this poignant memorial. The injustice and cruelty of bigotry committed at state level needs reminding to us all. After recent events, have we forgotten where it leads yoursculpture.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/f...
yoursculpture.wordpress.com
‘Für Das Kind’ at Liverpool Street Station
Viccy Ibbett, Public Catalogue Foundation Volunteer, tells us about a touching sculpture at Liverpool Street station, commemorating the help given to refugees in World War II: ‘In Liverpool S…
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Director of service design and research. Good place to build a career? www.lego.com/en-us/career...?
lego.com
Director of Service Design & User Research - Careers - LEGO.com
Director of Service Design & User Research: Job Description Internal Title: Head of Service Design & User Research Help shape the future of LEGO® retail exp...
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
When electricity first started to be widely adopted I bet there were lots of accidental electricutions and users getting burned. And so it is with this new fangled AI proliferating
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
To gin something up - "generate or increase something, especially by dubious or dishonest means." Example, "the trade press has ginned up a controversy"
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Immigration figures. The truth explained by statisticians www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
More or Less - The Stats of the Nation - Immigration, Benefits and Inequality - BBC Sounds
Tim Harford explores the stats on some of the UK’s most potent political debates.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones. John Maynard Keynes
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Very easy for us all to slip down the social media fury rabbit hole of outrage at the experts But worth also remembering the advances experts make. This new vaccine is progress. Chickenpox vaccines for young children start across UK www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Chickenpox vaccines for children on NHS starts across UK
For the first time, children will be offered vaccination on the NHS against the common infection which, in rare cases, can be very serious.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Lol. Nope
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Just bought Abby Covert's, should I make a diagram and I love it! diagramming is such a quiet superpower but it takes skill to know when and how to do it abbycovert.com/product/diag...
abbycovert.com
Diagram Decision Flow Poster - Abby Covert, Information Architect
The Diagram Decision Flow Poster inspired by Stuck? Diagrams Help, showing a flowchart for choosing the right type of diagram.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
We need to talk about notifications/ in-browser alerts and accessibility
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Interesting data on BBC of the countries where small boat travellers come from. Eritrea is very small country.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
A delivery tracker that shows what stop you are on the driver's route. With a map indicating their location. So much easier to plan around when WFH. Well done to the British Heart Foundation collections team. Running workshops online then losing momentum and having to doordash is getting annoying.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Digital ID beware! If only sticker creators got so animated about corporations tracking your detailed personal profile. Everyone complains about slow paperwork of bureaucracy but not willing to accept the solutions www.instagram.com/p/DRr8VpBjei...
instagram.com
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
"The only thing that gets you shunned in New York society is poverty." www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Why the rich and powerful couldn't say no to Epstein
The late sex offender maintained contact with wealthy and influential people even after his first conviction.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Pitch rolling or trailing or kite flying
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheiro TIL that one is the leading occultist of the early 20th century, and reader of palms to the hoi polloi of Hollywood was a Dublin lad calling himself Cheiro. Get outta a that garden Cheiro
en.wikipedia.org
Cheiro - Wikipedia
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Gov budgets are tight - "do more with less" they say. But also don't get spread too thinly creating risks of failure.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
no matter how many times I have to type "algoridim" into screens I always spell it wrong, then let the autospell fix it and then forget how to spell algorythm again the next time. I do it with rythmic precision. (spot how many spelling mistakes)
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
UI design has really gotten lazy. Content often now is centre aligned on webpages. Saw this first in the abundance of Wordpress templatery when media queries began as a convenient approach to mobile design. But it's now become the norm. So oddly off, look at the "Our aim" content below
Business France page with centre aligned content box
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
open.substack.com/pub/cutlefis... @johncutle.fish expresses the feelings around the many gov digital teams "No. Well, yes. But no. AI. I mean... people made things too complex.”
open.substack.com
TBM 385: "We Have To Simplify!"
“We have to simplify!
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Detach instance, detach instance, detach instance... Working in Figma always ends up this way. I really think the best laid plans and good intentions behind figmas componentization just never really works.
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Noticing a huge increase in websites and companies employing surveys and user research in the past couple of years. A good sign. Theory: the low interest rate mania of hockey stick user expansion is over were in an era of retention and value for the user
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
I like this use case of generative AI tech from this FT's tech team. Joining the dots up on the unstructured data on MP donations and supporters medium.com/ft-product-t...
medium.com
Inside the FT’s AI-Powered Story Finding
Leveraging Data Science to Uncover Hidden Patterns and Enhance Investigative Journalism
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
View from the window today sat the DBT DDaT all hands away day. Refreshing meeting colleagues in the flesh
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... GPs using AI transcription tool to speed up paperwork. That's use case I like
bbc.co.uk
GPs turn to AI to help with patient workload
Should more AI be used to help GPs with consultations and administrative work?
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Paul O'Neill @pauloneill79.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
"highlighted "leadership instability" within Bristol City Council, which has had five different directors of children's services since 2019." Reading details of the thematic review of youth violence in Bristol. Leadership churn has real life cost in public services
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