Design History - Gov.uk Client
Organisation
Capgemini
Role
Senior Interaction Designer
Project Overview
To establish a single source of truth for design decisions and their supporting research, I developed a code-based design history log. I also created accompanying step-by-step guides to ensure any designer within the organization could easily adopt and maintain this documentation practice.
The problem/The brief
The UCD team faced a significant challenge: keeping track of the numerous design changes across our services. Additionally, finding the research that justified each iteration was like searching for a needle in a haystack, and this directly impacted our ability to tell a coherent design story during service assessments. I was tasked with solving this problem by designing a new system to record design changes and make the development path of each service clear and accessible.
My role
I researched existing methodologies both across departments and within our team. After presenting the pros and cons of each approach, I recommended a preferred model and developed a minimum viable product (MVP) version of the design history log. Collaborating with the User Researcher and Content Designer, we drafted the initial log entry. I then created a step-by-step guide to facilitate adoption and maintenance of the design history by other designers.
Since its implementation, the team has actively used the log, referencing past work and contributing to it with each new project.
Process
Research
I explored various approaches, from team-built solutions like Confluence or Mural to custom-built examples like the Department for Education's design history. Additionally, I attended show-and-tell sessions and sought out best practices within the organisation. This comprehensive research ensured my recommendation to the team considered factors like resource availability, time commitment, and ongoing maintenance.
Build
As a team, we opted for the GOV.UK prototype kit as the foundation for our design history log. After familiarising myself with the template, I used Visual Studio Code to tailor it to our specific needs. Collaboration was key – I partnered with the Content Designer and User Researcher to draft the first entry, drawing on a recently completed project.
Review
Next, I drafted clear step-by-step guides on both setup and maintenance. I then presented the guides and the log to a wider team during a critique session. This valuable feedback from designers and researchers across disciplines allowed me to refine the design history based on diverse perspectives.
Impact
The design history's integration into our team's workflow provided a single, reliable source for tracking design changes and the research that informed them, greatly improving transparency and collaboration.