Experience

DfE Digital, Data and Technology

• United Kingdom
• Government Relations Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Head of User Research

  • Apr 2022 - Present

  Leading a community of over 100 user researchers working on services for teachers, schools, further education, and children’s social care.- Building user research capability across the department- Development of a user research strategy and delivering a development roadmap for the profession- Joining up research across the department- Managing a research operations team, delivering participant recruitment and knowledge management support- Mentoring and coaching of user researchers- Working alongside our team of digital Heads of Profession, reporting directly to C-Level leadership across a range of performance and transformation goals- User research assessor, assessing DfE services against the GDS Service Standard Show less

• User-Centred Design Lead - Services for Digital Teams

  • Jul 2021 - Apr 2022

  Leadership of all research and design activity across three teams (Research Operations and two service teams), in a division created to build a better working environment and product culture for all DfE Digital and Technology colleagues. Working directly under the Head of Digital, as part of our 2021 strategy.Part of DfE's user research leadership and Digital leadership teams.I'm an experienced user research assessor sitting on DfE internal panels, assessing services against the GDS Service Standard. Show less

• User Research Lead - Schools

  • Feb 2020 - Jul 2021

  Part of DfE's user research and Digital leadership teams. Leadership of digital research strategy and user researchers across two programmes of work (Service Delivery Division and Schools Commercial division) delivering services for school leaders and school business professionals. Team of 10+ civil servant and contract researchers, working in agile service teams delivering work to GDS standards.Working closely with senior leadership teams to define strategy, plan team shapes and people recruitment, and to build strong research cultures across the programmes of work.During the initial Covid-19 lockdown, I pivoted for three months to build a temporary Research Operations function, supporting a team of URs working at pace on DfE's Covid response and home learning support. This allowed me to scale and establish a permanent Research Operations team to support DfE’s whole 100+ user research community - https://dfedigital.blog.gov.uk/2020/10/09/research-operations/As an experienced user research assessor, I sat on DfE internal panels, assessing services against the GDS Service Standard. Show less



HM Revenue & Customs

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• User Research Lead, Innovation and Experimentation

  • Feb 2019 - Feb 2020

  Part of HMRC's User Research leadership team. Portfolio covering three areas, Experimentation, Innovation, and UR Community:Leadership of the multidisciplinary Digital Experimentation team (4 people, delivering A/B and MVT tests using Optimizely). I delivered a strategy for scale and long-term growth, including a new 'centre of excellence' way of working with service teams, connecting online and offline service performance data, and developing a mature reporting and measurement framework. The team increased numbers of experiments by 118% YOY, and ROI/attributed monetary value to HMRC by 727%. Leadership of a team of 4 user researchers working on strategic innovation of future HMRC services to taxpayers; as well as innovation in the way HMRC performs user research and the tools and methods used. Delivered a large strategic project around knowledge sharing, working cross-government with other departments and public sector bodies.Leadership of HMRC's User Research Community, designing and directing community activities to 100+ researchers across seven locations. This included an annual conference, fortnightly video meetups, and working with local Leads in each digital centre to help them design and deliver local activities. Delivered a new community strategy improving attendance by 25% and satisfaction by 127%.User research assessor sitting on HMRC internal panels, assessing services against the GDS Service Standard. Show less

• User Research Lead, Manchester and Yorkshire Digital Delivery Centres

  • Mar 2018 - Feb 2019

  Leadership of and accountability for all user research activity across 2 of HMRC’s digital delivery centres, Manchester and Yorkshire (Shipley), as part of the senior leadership team for HMRC's large user research profession.My team of 12 civil servant and contract user researchers were working in agile service teams across three programmes of work: Customs Declarations Service (part of EU Exit preparations), GOV.UK Content, and Internal Projects.I was also a user research assessor sitting on HMRC internal panels, assessing services against the GDS Service Standard. Show less



Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior User Researcher

  • Dec 2016 - Mar 2018

  Leading user research across a large agile programme of work: a a complex service to support 5,000 DWP staff investigating fraud and error in the benefits system, with forecast public sector savings of £80M p/a. - Agile user research to GDS standards, passing assessment - Leadership of the wider UCD team (junior user researchers, interaction designers, content designer) - Communicating user research insights to the team, stakeholders and to wider DWP colleagues and communities - Built an agile UCD culture across the team, engaging wider team members, commercial suppliers, and project stakeholders in the research and design process - Active part of DWP's user research community, delivering talks and workshops Show less



Code Computerlove

• Business Consulting and Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Head of Conversion Optimisation

  • Oct 2015 - Dec 2016

  Leadership of the Conversion Optimisation service offering at Code, with a brief to transform how this team worked and the relationship our consultants had with our clients. I reporting directly to Code’s board of directors, against a set of commercial, business change, and cultural change objectives.The team optimised websites and apps for brands including: Asda, Amnesty International, HMV, Hillarys Blinds, JCT600 Group, Swinton Insurance, Betta Living, First TransPennine Express, First Hull Trains, Brother, Transform Medical, Zenith Vehicle Solutions, and Seaworld Parks.Key achievements:- Growing the agency's billable CRO work by 54% YoY, and increasing client ROI across all accounts.- Evolving our service proposition and methodology into a mature, user-focused CRO product, driven by a combination of quant data and qual user insight.- Streamlining the delivery of work. Increasing the efficiency of our processes to make our previously loss-making CRO consultants profitable, while delivering better client experience.- Developing and maintaining senior- and board-level client relationships, and supporting Code’s Account Directors in identifying account growth opportunities and winning new business.- Developing a Persuasion Design Framework, used across the agency to identify and deliver conversion and design opportunities.- Setup of a user research lab, including eye tracking. Show less

• Lead User Experience Consultant

  • May 2011 - Oct 2015

  Hands-on UX design and research across a number of client accounts, as well as a senior consultancy role supporting more junior UX consultants on their projects. Projects for brands including: Amnesty International (UXUK award, Lovie Award), Oxfam (multiple awards), The FA, BBC CBeebies, Bayer CropScience, Woodland Trust, HMV, Travis Perkins, Auto Trader, SCA (Cushelle and Velvet brands), First TransPennine Express, The Car People, The Car Buying Service.I also led the user experience community in the agency.Achievements included:- Award winning work for Amnesty International and Oxfam- Leading Code’s user experience discipline, responsible for the strategic direction and application of our craft, and for the CPD and mentoring of a group of UX and Conversion experts across the agency. - Delivering a redefinition of our internal UX methodology and processes, improving the richness and effectiveness of our user-centred UXD client offer. Show less



Reading Room

• United Kingdom
• Advertising Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior User Experience Consultant

  • Jan 2010 - May 2011

  Led UX design and research across Reading Room's client portfolio, delivering usability, accessible and high ROI websites. Worked with stakeholders to define business and end-user requirements, developed information architectures and created wireframes, and tested existing and prototype websites with users. New business proposals and pitching.In 2010 I helped build Reading Room’s Asia-Pacific expansion, working out of Sydney and Singapore.Projects for brands including: Auto Trader, Skoda, Keep Britain Tidy, Philips Healthcare Asia/Pacific, Speedy Hire, APN News & Media (Australia), Australian Treasury, John Rylands Library, People’s History Museum, Mouchel, University of Leeds, Sport England, and East of England Development Agency. Show less

• Senior Front-end Developer

  • Dec 2006 - Jan 2010



j4b plc

• Wilmslow, United Kingdom

• Web Designer/Developer

  • Jun 2005 - Dec 2006



VIP UK

• United Kingdom
• Computer Hardware Manufacturing
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Web Designer/Developer

  • Apr 2004 - Jun 2005



Reddish Vale Technology College

• Stockport, United Kingdom

• Web Designer and E-learning Developer

  • Aug 2001 - Apr 2004