As part of a day of AI experimentation with Drupal specialists, we learned how to use automated technology to evaluate content against the University’s guidance on house writing style.  

Advancements in Drupal AI and LLMs prompted us to explore ways to use AI to enhance and improve UX. Working with Drupal AI specialists, we spent a day considering how AI can impact user experiences of those publishing, searching and consuming University web content. 

Discovery research to learn about staff profile content published in EdWeb formed part of the initiation of a new six-month project aimed at improving the provision for publishing online profiles.

The UX Service has begun a new six-month project recognising the importance of online staff profile content. Our project will research current use of profiles, learn staff needs for profile content and ideate ways to optimise display of online profile content.

AI Assistants are an exciting new Drupal development, intended to support and empower content creators and site editors to achieve their tasks. Having designed a UX research approach to test Drupal AI Assistants with University staff, I conducted a pilot test to try out the set-up: planned scenario, tasks and identified UX success indicators.

In September 2024 Drupal unveiled AI Assistants as part of its new Drupal CMS product. Recognising the potential of this new feature to help and support University staff with web-related tasks, I collaborated with Jamie Abrahams, Drupal AI expert to learn how the Assistants worked and to design a UX research approach to test them. 

When you edit the text on a website, it’s helpful to follow a series of steps.

In summer 2024, Chris O’Neill, Green Digital Design Intern, completed a digital sustainability audit of the UX Service website. He looked at carbon emissions and page weight but also examined usage of the site, with analytics data and user research. We acted on his findings to make the site greener and more user-centred.

I was lucky to be invited to speak at DrupalCon, the annual European conference for Drupal. I delivered several sessions and attended others to learn more about advancements in Drupal.

Drupal is the open-source content management system used to power EdWeb and other important University digital systems. I’ve contributed UX knowledge to Drupal for several years and am involved in shaping Drupal CMS – Drupal’s new low-code product aimed at non-developers.