[This is a summary of the great book “The Big Con” by Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington] As if hearing and internalising Reagan’s mantra that “government does nothing as well as or economically as the private sector”, politicians and leaders in government since the 1980s have overseen waves of privatising…

I’ve heard this plenty from women I’ve worked with and coached, and I occasionally hear myself think it too. But wasn’t true for them, nor for me, and it isn’t true for you either. “It’s all so obvious. Everyone knows this already”. Remember that what’s obvious to you isn’t obvious…

As if talking about it makes it more real, or hastens its arrival, people avoid talking about death and dying. But conversations about the end of life are necessary and valuable. They can: help people who are dying feel less anxious, confused or uncertain of what to expect help them…

Over recent weeks I’ve read quite a few articles bemoaning the death of creative teams, of design and design research — with them all apparently having been eaten by product design. I’m not buying it. I think what’s happened is the market for digital product and service design has exploded…

The Government’s Infrastructure and Projects Authority tracks 89 projects that between them cost £128bn for a promised £326bn of expected monetised benefits. Successful government service transformation is a big prize. Redesigning services, and escaping tech renewal cycles where you replace an entire digital programme every few years, by moving to…

Sure, I get it. Some places are deeply political. Some policies are so controversial that critics are looking for any weakness or misstep to undermine the policy, the project, your department, or your Minister. …

My husband is learning how to write. He’s literate — but he’s only ever written scientific reports, emails, commit messages and Facebook posts. Okay, that’s probably more than a little unfair to him — but it is true that he has had very little practice writing prose. It’s also true…

I was chatting to a friend the other day about a book I’m reading. I was surprised to hear that he struggles to read. He’s literate and very intelligent — his challenge is a psychological one. In his mind, non-fiction is “work” — and he doesn’t like to “work” in…

I’m two weeks into my new role with Public Digital and I wanted to share some reflections on how much of a difference a good onboarding process makes. I’m astonished at how smooth and gentle a landing the team (and expecially the marvellous Diane Parker-Wood) has designed for new joiners. …