Newsletter October 2022

October and we are officially in Autumn! Here is our monthly update – blanket and hot chocolate whilst reading optional.

Team Changes

Our Chief Digital Officer Sam Hall has now left the team and is heading to Digital Health and Care Wales as Director of Primary, Community Care and Mental Health Digital Services. We are sad to see her go, but excited for her new challenge in the health sector. You can see her goodbye blog here.

Our User Researcher Chris will also be leaving on 10 November to start his new role as Senior User Researcher at DXW.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank both Sam and Chris for all their hard work. They were founder members of the team and their early work has shaped the team into what it is today. If you need anything once they have left, please email us at digitalteam@wlga.gov.uk.

Until our new Head of Agile Delivery begins at the end of year, Paul Owens will be taking on the interim Head of Agile Delivery role to provide continuity. We will have details of our new hire and their start date in November.

Learning Frameworks

Learning Frameworks are launching on Monday 7 November at 12pm. The frameworks provide a structure, resource list and support for learners to gain and develop new skills in 2 digital roles: Content Design and User Research. We would love to see as many of you as possible at the session, to get the invite email us at digitalteam@wlga.gov.uk.

Blaenau Gwent Service Improvement Project

We have now kicked off a project with Blaenau Gwent who are using user centred design to address issues with their litter reporting service to benefit residents and the council.

We will be holding a show and tell in the coming weeks where the team members from Blaenau Gwent will present their initial Discovery work, as well as how this project is shaping up and what they have learned so far.

Life Events Service Design project

Our next show and tell for the Life Events Service Design project is on Thursday 10 November at 11am. If you’d like an invite, please email digitalteam@wlga.gov.uk.

CDPS need your help!

Centre for Digital Public Services are redeveloping their website. The site was launched in 2020 and currently has limitations as the organisation has grown and matured. They are looking for staff who work in Welsh Public Services to give honest and open feedback on the website. If you can spare 5 minutes, please fill in this survey.

During November and December, CDPS will give you a short call which will help you shape the website further, help them prioritise improvements and get early sight of prototypes.

CDPS have recently published a blog post from the latest all CEO/CDO meeting on Wednesday 12 October. You can read all about what was discussed and the key takeaways, including recruitment and retention work, here. Going forwards we’ll be sharing a video update from these monthly meetings starting next month.

Digital Standards Board

We attended the first meeting of the newly established board on Digital Standards, focusing on standards for digital, data and technology for the Welsh public sector. The Board has representatives from CDPS, WLGA, Welsh Government and will have representative from Health. The Terms of Reference are in the process of being drawn up, but if you would like any more information on this, let us know by emailing digitalteam@wlga.gov.uk.

Recent Blogs

Since our last newsletter we have published: Merthyr Food Poverty Project: Sprint 3 Show and Tell, Digital Quarterly Update September 2022, New to Usability Testing: Q&A with Rachel Sollis and Life Events Service Design: Council Tax Reduction Service Prototype Demo,and Life Events Service Design Show and Tell Sprint 5.