Here’s what the Digital team has been up to this week…

photo of the post it notes from the GovCamp session Photography credit: Josh Rousen

GovCamp Cymru – done for another year!

Last week was the result of months of quiet work in the background for Phil and Heledd – who were part of the volunteer crew spending many evenings, early mornings, and non-working days to help prepare for the event. Website content, socials, making sure we had an inclusive accessible venue and evening venue (and delicious food!), sponsors, all the logistics… all the stuff you don’t see on the day.

This year we were in the Welsh Government building in Cardiff – thanks to Mark and Phil who could see the potential for this space. It was perfect! Heledd opened the event with Jo for the second year running. Phil was non-stop all day– getting people into the building, moving them around the space, then straight into building the grid.

For anyone who hasn’t been: GovCamp Cymru is an unconference for people who care about public services. No formal agenda. The people in the room propose the sessions, and we build the agenda together.

There’s always potential for chaos, but honestly, it all ran smoothly. The hard work paid off.

photo of Heledd and Jo on the day Photography credit: Josh Rousen

My highlights:

  • A quiet breather in the NuroCove with Soph and Kim, with a weighted blanket – needed after the build of speaking in front of 150 people
  • “Garbage in / garbage out” with Caroline Jarrett – brilliant session about error rates in services (we have a cool framework we’ll have a look at again)
  • The Transform Wales session – lots of great interactions and contribution into what we hope for public services by 2030, and the barriers.
  • A great conversation about “do we need another digital thing” – examples being, “another parking app”
  • The “pink elephant” session on AI risks – another interactive session, and I’m looking forward to reading the notes on that one!
  • Seeing more NRW people there and involved in the day As always, the real value of GovCamp Cymru is a safe, open space where people share, challenge, and learn from each other. It’s a community, or a “vibe” as one of the AV guys told us!

Huge thanks to Glyn Jones, Chief Digital Officer for giving us the run of Welsh Government and being so engaged throughout the day.

Photos are here to browse – so many happy faces!

Session Grid, the notes from all the sessions are available on the Notion site if you’re curious!

Next step – retrospective and plan for 2026!

a photo of the big pink inflatable elephant Photography credit: Josh Rousen

Accessibility in Design Event at Cardiff University

On Tuesday 11 November, Sophie attended an accessibility event located in Cardiff University. The half-day session explored inclusive and accessible design practices across digital and physical spaces.

The event was part BritCHI 2025 and included talks from:

  • Joanna Goodwin, Centre for Digital Public Services (CDPS)
  • Dr. Fernando Loizides, Cardiff University
  • Professor Harold Thimbleby, Swansea University
  • Dr. Evangelia Chrysikou, University College London

Accessibility focuses on making spaces, interactions, and systems usable for as many people as possible. The event emphasised that people interact with the world in different ways and designing for that diversity from the beginning allows us to eliminate many of the barriers that disabled people face daily.

Listening to the speakers who shared their first-hand experiences of poor and inaccessible design was a particularly eye-opening experience. One speaker shared their experiences of using inadequate bathroom stalls, that didn’t provide room to turn around or a bin to dispose of medical supplies.

I was surprised to learn that accommodations that disabled people may require in the bathroom mirrors concerns that female and transgender colleagues have raised regarding similar difficulties when using bathrooms that were not designed with their needs in mind. For example, bathroom cubicles should be large enough to allow you to turn around and feature a coat hook to hang your coat, briefcase, or medical supply bag from.

Another key consideration is a bin to dispose of things that cannot go down the toilet. While these bins are often present in women’s bathrooms, they can be forgotten in the men’s bathroom, which creates a barrier for disabled men who need to dispose of medical waste, like intermittent catheters for example. Dedicated accessible bathrooms and spaces are important, but when they are unavailable or out-of-service, its crucial we consider whether we can make changes to our general environment to help accommodate others.

Making reasonable adjustments so that a space better accommodates its users is something we focus on regularly in the digital world, but increasing accessibility in the physical world is also beneficial to many. Small changes like those listed above can make a variety of traditionally marginalised users feel more included in a space. By recognising and addressing the disadvantage and discrimination faced by people with disabilities, we can work towards creating a more equitable, accessible, and inclusive society for everyone.

The event emphasised the need for:

  • Open listening – Creating an open and understanding space for feedback from people with disabilities and users who have different access needs, then actioning their feedback and following up by communicating these changes with the affected individuals. Offering multiple avenues for users to communicate their feedback, whether that be in-person, or digitally through email/QR codes, allows for a greater amount of insight to be gleaned from users.
  • Inclusive planning – The diversity of the architects involved in designing a space will be reflected in the environment. To ensure a room or bathroom or service is inclusive and accessible, make sure to include a diverse range of people in the planning and design stages.
  • Normalise accommodations - Accessibility should never be an afterthought or last-minute add-on. Proactively asking whether someone needs an adjustment to support them in a space, or even offering options such as ‘Would you prefer this instruction in writing or as a quick voice note?’ makes room for people to communicate their access needs and normalises supporting people in ways that work for them.