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. 

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.

Since February 2024, we’ve trained more than 90 publishers in content design and have experimented with the ways we upskill University staff in content design techniques, to support them to produce good-quality, compliant online content that meets web visitors’ needs.

UX techniques tend to be more successful the earlier they are applied. Striving for a more proactive UX Service strategy, I have been considering the practicalities of incorporating user-centred approaches at the point of software purchase.

On 13 November, I had the pleasure of visiting my first Scottish Web Folk conference held at the University of Dundee. I didn’t go alone, and you can read about my colleagues’ perspectives here: The Scottish Web Folk ceilidh at Dundee The UX team reflect on Scottish Web Folk 2024 The day was packed with […]

On 13 November the UX Service team attended the second Scottish Web Folk event hosted by the Web Services team at the University of Dundee. The conference included a day of sessions on varied web-related topics, with something for everyone in the team to take away.  

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of recruiting more Web Content Design Assistants to the UX Service to assist the move to EdWeb2. As we near the end of the migration project, it is timely to reflect on how this team has evolved, what they have achieved and what’s next.

From browsing websites to using devices, our online interactions have a hidden impact on the planet that we often overlook. Join me as I explore these environmental costs during my internship with the Web and Communications team.