My first month as a UX Designer in Welsh Local Government Digital

It has been just over a month since I started my role as User Experience (UX) Designer in the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) Digital team. The whole team have welcomed me with open arms and have been very helpful with bringing me up to speed on all the great work they have been involved in.

It has been a month full of training courses, reading books, news articles and as many of the Welsh Local Government Digital blog posts as I could. I have been really enjoying learning all about digital service design in local government.

My previous role was in Torfaen Council, which has helped me as I already have experience of local government. Adapting to working in a more strategic capacity was a learning curve as I have previously worked in more practical roles – but a challenge I am enjoying all the same.

User experience design can be explained as everything that affects how a user interacts with a product. It refers to the feeling that a person gets when they interact with a product in both digital and physical spaces. When creating digital services it is important for a UX Designer (such as myself) to look at every step of the user’s journey and ensure what they are trying to achieve is as easy and intuitive as possible. Digital services have been much more well used and essential since the covid pandemic, and that need has not gone away.

Specialising in UX design in the public sector, one of the most important considerations is accessibility. In my opinion it is of upmost importance that all citizens can access services easily and equally – without barriers. I am excited to contribute to service design across Wales working with user centred principles.

Since starting, I have also been able to try my hand at usability testing with one of our User Researchers. It was an informative experience to see how citizens access and use services online, as this then shapes every step of service design.

It has been great to learn about all the great digital work that is being done in local government (as well as collaboration across the wider public sector) and that so many people are committed to delivering great services to citizens.

I am looking forward to collaborating further with the team here at Welsh Local Government Digital as well as other public sector organisations and being able to input my own ideas to shape how citizens interact online with their local authorities through great user experience. I still feel I have a lot of information to learn – true of every situation as nobody knows everything! But I have come a long way already and am excited about a lot of the upcoming projects we have. If you would like a quick chat about user experience, or life in general, feel free to contact me via email: chris.carter@wlga.gov.uk