Here I am, a couple of weeks into my contract (in fact, it might be two months!), and it has flown by. I have loved it; the team is fantastic, and my workload is slowly being stretched in a perfect way.

I’m finding a lack of motivation to do these week notes, not because I’m tired of work, but because I lack time to jot down anything. Life gets in the way, and things slip - I do not see it ranking high enough in my life to-do list at moment. This will change, but some things just are not worth the stress.

I’ve worked alongside brilliant people who understand our situation. They know the limitations and frustrations, and it’s been nice to deliver something that will get built. Working alongside a strong content designer and user researcher has been a gift—I missed it!

In the past two weeks, I have been asked if I could support a team that has not done any UCD work in the past but has to deliver a mid-developed product.
This, along with my core team, is fine. It is why I am here and what keeps me coming back.

More interestingly, due to the speed of the project, I am designing within Mural—a skill set I haven’t used for years, but it’s been so effective for fast feedback and rapid implementation, which echoes Rob’s point within his post Using Figma is a hill I’ll die on, which I agree with - the more tools, the better.
The more reach people have for the design work, the better. Whilst I have used Figma in the past, I have vast experience of it being entirely inaccessible for other team members to drop notes within it (I have worked where it gone fine, but public sector access issues are also a thing), so a process of Figma to Mural is often the route - but again. yes, that’s more tools to be educated on and leaned into, which in turn helps the designer to present and gather feedback fast and snappy, and isnt that the point?

Learning the minimum that gets you to the goal and enjoying its adventure - it’ll all go wrong anyway!

Personal life-wise, we’ve had our ensuite kitted out, which is fantastic, and we could not be more delighted with the end product. Have a look and be inspired!

Over the weekend, I was solo dad (wife went to London), we walked over 20k steps, watched Paddington Bear in Peru (which is such a great family film and we loved it) and ate a ton of popcorn! Turns out I am a salt convert, just make sure you have a pint of water nearby or you risk your life.

This upcoming week is the boy’s 4th birthday—cue panic of have we got him enough presents?, the thought that all parents get. The answer is always—never enough—but I know he won’t care; he’s just here for the cake and the space outfit.

As I write this on Friday, I’ll save today’s notes for next time. It’s been a ride, and I am a little confused about work going forward, but if the last 10 years have taught me anything, just go with the flow.