We completed our first design sprint just before Easter. At the end of each design sprint we look back on what we’ve learned. This is the first in a series as I share our progress working towards an interactive concept of what will replace the current degree finders.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend (and speak at) ContentEd last month, a conference for content professionals in higher education. In this post, I recap some of the talks I watched and the highlights from them.

An anecdote about United States (US) military intelligence in the book I’m currently reading – Good Strategy, Bad Strategy – prompted me to draw a parallel with user research and how we make decisions in service and software development.

I’ll be speaking at the UX Glasgow meetup on 2 December, which is themed around content design.

We worked to support our Admissions Service colleagues by developing a new web interface to display degree programmes in clearing, following agile principles and a user-centred process.

We are currently looking for a content designer to join our team. If you’re up to tackling big challenges in a multidisciplinary team focused on user needs, this could be the opportunity for you. Applications close Monday 7 September 2020.

It’s done! Our team has delivered a new website for the Fees Service which will greatly improve student fees experience and make life easier for staff. The effort took 8 sprints, was underpinned by robust evidence, and designed with significant collaboration from the Fees and Student Support team.

It was a pleasure to be able to support the Service Design in Government conference once again; connecting the organisers with University of Edinburgh students keen to network and learn more about the discipline. It’s been a positive experience all round.

We’re looking for a user-centred content designer to join our team. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 23 March.

February has seen us turn our attention to working out how best to present fees information to prospective postgraduates. We also saw the Undergraduate Degree Finder 2021 go live on schedule.