That’s a wrap on another eventful week in the Digital Team! Here’s what we’ve been up to this week…

mist in a snowy woodland

Content types

Having our content types published on our site helps us explain to colleagues why we need to publish content in a certain way, and how we should do it.

We pointed colleagues to them this week because we received a request to publish something that fell between messaging - something we wanted to tell people - and something task focused, which helps someone understand how to do about a thing. The wording had already been agreed and sent to us as a colourful PDF.

Ideally, we would have been involved early in the creation of the content but, as we weren’t, we made late suggestions how the content could be turned into clear, actionable and easy to find HTML.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get agreement to change any of it, so the content is being published as an HTML blog. It isn’t ‘must do’ guidance, more ‘good practice’ and we feel that the way it is written lends itself to comms. It will also be accessible to anyone who wants to read it.

photo of post-it notes from the workshop

Flood warning information service for Wales (FWISW) product team meet up

Lucinda travelled to Cardiff this week for a workshop with the flood warning information service for Wales product team.

The workshop centred around the teams ways of working, and how to adapt to a change in pace since the Sign up to receive flood warnings service is live. The day started with an open conversation around any issues we had and ideas around how we want to work from now on. Later on, the discussion moved on to metrics we need to consider and measure for success.

Lucinda’s take home was that the team will be giving more focus to the discovery phase of future features. Lucinda has already started working with Tom in the FWIS team on a discovery around how to manage the content of the flood messages. They have already experienced the benefit of getting users and developers in early to help shape what a service might look like. Exploring problems early will lead to a better product at the end. That is what the team are keen to demonstrate.

screenshot of the form flow

Testing new forms

As a team, when one of us builds something new, we like to test one another’s creations and share feedback to inform future iterations.

This week, Kim and Sophie have been supporting Lucinda in testing a new form to support staff when logging incident reports. They trialled pathways through the form to check it produced the correct information and signposted staff to their relevant next steps.

We also reviewed the language and jargon use to ensure it is accessible to users. Finally, we looked at ways we could adjust the form to reduce human error.

Screenshot of the new bird licence step by step webpage

Bird licensing

Phil and Sam continue working on bird licensing forms and content, mapping out new form flows, an improved web page structure and compiling a list of questions to discuss with SMEs.

Picking up on a theme arising from user research, Sam and Phil are drafting a ‘Getting a bird licence: step by step’ page. At the moment there is no easy way for people to see the whole process end to end. We like the GDS step by step navigation pattern. Although we can’t replicate this (as we can’t include expandable sections on a page), we can go some way towards it by creating a succinct numbered journey, end to end, with links to more detailed pages. Something to test with users.

Brew Monday image of a woman hugging herself

20 January 2025 – A time to take care of your team!

During the winter months, we can all feel a little more isolated and lonely than usual. Next Monday (the 20 January) is also known as ‘Brew Monday’, or ‘Blue Monday’, which is an annual initiative in the UK that encourages us to connect with others over a cup of tea or coffee. Brew Monday is an initiative by the Samaritans, a day dedicated to supporting your mental well-being, by encouraging individuals to take a break, share a cuppa with friends or colleagues, and have meaningful conversations. It was launched as a response to the concept of ‘Blue Monday,’ which is often considered the most depressing day of the year.

Participating in Brew Monday is simple and can even positively impact your mental health. Here are some ways to get involved:

  • Host a Brew: Invite some friends, family, or colleagues for a cup of tea, coffee, or your favourite warm beverage.
  • Listen and Share: Take the opportunity to have open and supportive conversations about mental health, feelings, and experiences.
  • Support Mental Health Charities: Consider making a donation to mental health charities that provide vital services and support to those in need.
  • Practice Self-Care: Engage in activities that promote well-being, such as exercise, meditation, or hobbies you enjoy.
  • Reach Out for More Support: If you’re struggling with feelings of sadness, connect with friends, family, or a mental health professional to share your feelings and seek support.
  • Foster a Healthy Work Environment: Reduce exposure to stress wherever possible, by breaking tasks into manageable steps to reduce feelings of overwhelm.
  • Acknowledge Emotions: It’s okay to feel sad, but try to identify and challenge negative thought patterns.

Image encouraging people who are struggling with their mental health to seek additional support from a mental health professional

Reflecting on 2 years of weeknotes

These week notes have become a useful resource for blog writing and an excellent archive of everything our team has accomplished in the past 2 years. This week, we published a blog post, where we reflect on how we got started and why we write them.

Other things we’ve been working on:

  • Toyah has mocked up an improved marine licensing ‘home page’ and will be sharing it with SMEs to check the factual accuracy before applying the changes to the live site
  • Kim may have been added to the Translation team’s hit list for sending over a lot of jobs that she’s ‘circled back to’ now we’re in the new year!
  • James has been scheduling user interviews for the marine licensing Alpha. He’s also been reviewing the discussion guide for the interviews
  • Phil and Sam continue working on bird licensing forms and content, mapping out new form flows and compiling a list of questions to discuss with SMEs