Weeknotes 10th February 2023

How I made a difference

It was a tough week for everyone this week. The details of the proposed changes to our organisation were released so people spent the first part of the week anticipating the information and the latter part digesting it. I made sure that I was available to people to answer questions and provide a listening ear and checked in on people that have been affected by the changes. I also worked with colleagues to provide an open safe space for people to get together and talk through the changes.

I reached out to and had conversations with colleagues who were struggling with things unrelated to the organisation change. I also met with a behavioural insights colleague to discuss how our areas can collaborate and support each other’s work, caught up with a colleague from our web team, a couple of my mentees and supported people working on a staff facing product to plan work through a user centred lens.

I spent 2 days in London this week with colleagues in our Canary Wharf office and also completed my office induction which means I now have my own pass and can more easily visit colleagues there. On Wednesday evening I spoke at the Royal College of Art community of practice for healthcare design about my route into this work and the reality of designing and conducting user research on national health products. The questions they asked me were brilliant, challenging and really made me reflect. They also brought up the subject of language and what key phrases you needed to use when working in or applying to work in design. This question fed into my mission about language — we need to stop putting up barriers through the language we use, including when we hire into roles. The ‘correct’ way to describe what you do, your experience, your approach isn’t reliant on the use of particular language and we shouldn’t be judging people on whether they know the right words. When you are competent in something, you can explain that thing to anyone in a clear and concise way irrespective of whether you use the same terms as someone else. To be open and honest, when someone uses lots of ‘buzz words’ it is actually a red flag to me that maybe they don’t actually know that much about the subject or understand it.

What I need to do to make more of a difference

My main focus is people and amidst all that happened this week, my main concern was making sure my colleagues and community were ok. I need to make sure that my tendency to look after others doesn’t mean neglecting me. I can’t look after others unless I look after myself. I know there were a couple of days where looking after others meant not having a break during the day and back to back meetings which also sometimes had to double as a chance to eat. The open session for people to discuss the changes and any concerns was on my day off and I attended as I knew it was important for me to be there and, timing wise, it was important for the session to be held at that time. It was absolutely the right choice for me to make the decisions I made this week to prioritise others. I just need to be mindful that it doesn’t turn into my everyday way of working. It is going to continue to be a tough few months for everyone and we need to look after ourselves and hold onto the boundaries that keep us well and keep us able to make a difference.

There is a tricky balance in the work we are doing on inclusive design. Inclusion work is work that will never be ‘complete.’ It is something that has to constantly be worked on and we can’t solve all the issues at once. We have to start somewhere and then iterate. We are starting with a definition as a basis that can be built upon that won’t be perfect but will be a start. We are co-designing what we do and there is great ambition as to what we can achieve. This ambition is very much where we want to be but how far, fast and wide we can go is determined by the resources and constraints we have. This piece of work is another step, another layer of the foundation we need to deliver the ambitions we have to make a big difference in equity and inclusion. To make more of a difference, I need to be putting things in place now for when this phase is complete and we need more resource to start building on top of the foundations. There is also a pattern of variation in views about the work that feels related to where power lies in the room. The team are managing this really well but I also need to keep ensuring that I challenge this in other settings.

Plans for next week

• A week away from work
• Spending time with family and friends
• Plenty of outdoor exercise
• No work
• No weeknotes