Laura Yarrow

The Camp Digital audience of around 500 people seated hexagonally in a large conference auditorium. Onstage host Shaun is stood, with a slide showing the Camp Digital camp fire logo behind him.

It's always an exciting moment when we can say #CampDigital is happening THIS YEAR! 🎉

🎤 Our brilliant speakers for 7th May include: @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social, @himal.bsky.social @dasbarrett.bsky.social, @laurayarrow.bsky.social

Early birds available till end of Jan at:

tinyurl.com/2s35kfd9

Screenshot of Spotify unwrapped that says “your listening age: 100”

Thanks Spotify unwrapped 😂 ⚰️ ☠️

Using artificial intelligence (AI) in services Guidance on using AI in public sector services, including when and when not to use it, considerations and where to find more information.

this is very good

www.gov.uk/service-manu...

Even from the adults 😂 no problem!

A big +1 for Flip 7, but also Karuba (which may be better with one or two more players), Hive (fun chess with bugs), Azul, Forbidden Island (cooperative games can be a nice break from competitive play, another is Flashpoint), Patchwork, and Canvas is another arty fav of ours! Enjoy!

So sorry to all those wonderful folks affected, you’ve done such amazing, important work ❤️

Interested to know what you get, I upgraded my Yamaha recently (to nothing *crazy* expensive) but it made such a difference to the sound quality and playing experience

Whitespace isn't empty — Laura Yarrow As a designer, understanding the importance of whitespace as a visual tool is non-negotiable, but it’s an often fought-over topic in organisations. Often stakeholders will want to reduce whitespace an...

White space isn’t empty—it’s powerful. ✨ In design, negative space isn’t just ‘blank’; it shapes how we see, feel, and understand the world - both on screen and off.

www.laurayarrow.net/blog/whitesp...

#sing #singing #singers #monarch #shorts YouTube video by Youtube Shorts France 🇫🇷

Businesses: "Our users will use our product exactly the way we think they will, and it will always work as we intended".

Humans: Hold my beer....

youtube.com/shorts/CWE41...

Public sector has far surpassed private in UK for years now when it comes to digital services.

#facts

Amazing job 🤩

Wow! That is such an interesting job description

Serenity now! Serenity now! / S09E03 The Serenity Now https://seinfeldism....

Thanks Ben! 😊

Ha let’s hope for non fiction! 😁

There’s a lot to be excited about in the blueprint for modern digital government — Laura Yarrow Last week was quite the ride. We kicked the week off with our Secretary of State (SoS), Peter Kyle, announcing the new Digital Centre, and blueprint for modern digital gov at the GDS office in Londo...

This week I sat down and wrote some thoughts down on the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government. Tldr? : Exciting, bold, and hugely ambitious. Bring it on. www.laurayarrow.net/blog/theres-a-lot-to-be-excited-about-in-the-blueprint-for-modern-digital-government

Who said we’d let you leave?! 😂

Come and say hi! 👋

I think I speak for us all when I say:

What the hell am I doing up this early and why aren’t I in my pajamas anymore?!

#firstdayback #january

Services Week is back for 2025 Services Week is an annual event hosted by the Government Digital and Data community, bringing together professionals from across the UK public sector.

#ServicesWeek to return for its seventh year ✨
Please share and save the date: 17 to 21 March 2025

This event series aims to grow service literacy and is open to all UK public servants. Take part if you can!

#ServiceDesign #GovDesign #LocalGov #LocalDigital

services.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/19/s...

He hasn’t yet (what I can see from the logged out web view), but I wouldn’t be surprised if it disappears at some point.

Dan Saffer blocked me because he couldn’t stand being called out on the stupid thing he posted. Where is the accountability for leaders?

And just one more: your argument fails to understand the nuance of work as experienced by a non white male. If you’re female, non-white, trans, disabled, or any other combination of under represented group, your voice is not always heard or valued in the same way. Or are they “bad designers” too? 🙄

I also think you could apply this bogus argument to any discipline "a dev that fails to optimise some code is a bad dev", a firefighter that fails to put out a fire is a bad firefighter, failing to note the constraints they work in. It's a misinformed, one dimensional argument. It's not a good look.

A more thoughtful version of this argument could be:
"Good designers strive to meet user needs and minimise harm within their sphere of influence".

(and any good designer would know to think in these binary terms - creating this sort of false dichotomy - is not the way the world or people work. It's dangerous, and not the inclusive mindset required of a designer to solve problems that meet user needs).

You've created a binary where designers are either "good" (if they find ways to comply productively) or "not good" (if they can't). In reality, there is a spectrum of effectiveness, and a designer's capability should't be solely judged by their ability to navigate external pressures you describe

Designers may face moral conflicts where "minimising harm" might mean refusing to participate altogether rather than attempting to comply (someone else commenting on this in the thread). Ethical design sometimes involves dissent, which your argument does not consider.

You're also blame shifting, which is cowardly. It places undue responsibility on designers for outcomes that may be beyond their control, which is unfair and unrealistic. Surely the root cause/blame for any harm should lay with those issuing orders. Everyone in the team is accountable for failures.

Your assuming designers always have the power or autonomy to counteract or reinterpret exec decisions. In reality, they work within constraints imposed by decision-makers, budgets, timelines, regulatory frameworks etc. It's rare to have the authority to modify harmful direction effectively.