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Blog: Defra digital, data, technology and security

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Doing content-first design at Defra – part two

A mock-up of a laptop screen showing the user interface for the Defra Forms Designer.

Doing content-first design at Defra – part two

In the second part of their post, content designer Laura Parker and senior interaction designer Daniel Da Silveira show how they used a content-first approach to design features for the Defra form designer.

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A breakthrough year for digital sustainability

Posted by: Chris Howes, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Posted on: 15 November 2022 - Categories: Defra digital, Digital transformation
Greening Government ICT Annual report 2021 to 2022 August 2022

This year has been a transformative period for sustainable ICT, and the publication this week of the 2021-22 Greening Government ICT report marks the latest milestone on our important journey.

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A day in the life of a Service Designer in Defra

Posted by: Hannah Rutherford-Roke, Posted on: 14 November 2022 - Categories: Defra service design, Defra services, User centred design
A lady, smiling, with short orange hair, large earrings, and a green and black patterned blouse.

Interested in joining Defra as s Service Designer? Hannah Rutherford-Roke tells us about her role as a Senior Service Designer and why she chose to work for Defra.

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Remembrance Day – what it means to me

Posted by: Tony Horseman, Posted on: 11 November 2022 - Categories: Defra digital
A red poppy flower with a green stem

Defra IT Training Lead, and Royal Air Force (RAF) veteran, Tony Horseman, explains what remembrance means to him and why he attends the annual service at The Cenotaph each year.

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Why I enjoy being a business analyst in Defra

Posted by: Rose Rothery, Posted on: 9 November 2022 - Categories: Defra digital
A lady, wearing a green and blue jacket and backpack, points to a large machine

Rose Rothery shares her passion for business analysis and explains how Defra’s purpose, and the variety of work she does, has kept her wanting more.

Read more of Why I enjoy being a business analyst in Defra - 1 comment

Leader’s view: Why technology leaders need to be more than just visible

Posted by: Malcolm McKee, Chief Technology Officer, Posted on: 7 November 2022 - Categories: Defra digital, Digital transformation
A man with short hair wearing a dark suit and a red tie

Malcolm McKee shares his thoughts about visible leadership, the future of CTOs like him, and the benefits of volunteering.

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Leader's blog: Chris Howes - why I’ll be at COP27

Posted by: Chris Howes, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Posted on: 4 November 2022 - Categories: Defra digital, Digital transformation, ICT sustainability
man with short hair, glasses and a beard, wearing a white shirt.

Defra Chief Digital and Information Officer Chris Howes looks ahead to COP27 and sets out the benefits of the new Government Digital Sustainability Alliance charter.

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Rose Grant: Why my family history is important to me

Posted by: Rose Grant, Posted on: 31 October 2022 - Categories: Defra digital
A lady with long dark hair, wearing a pink t shirt.

In Black History Month, Rose Grant shares some very personal reflections of her family’s journey from the Caribbean to London as part of the Windrush generation and how this has made her the person she is today.

Read more of Rose Grant: Why my family history is important to me - 1 comment

A day in the life of a Senior User Researcher

Posted by: Fran Redman, Posted on: 24 October 2022 - Categories: Defra content design, User centred design, User research
Photo of Fran Redman

Thinking of applying for a role as a User Researcher at Defra? Fran Redman shares a typical (or not so typical) day in the life of a Senior User Researcher.

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Why I keep talking about mental health

Posted by: Kata Papunen, Posted on: 10 October 2022 - Categories: Defra digital
A lady, standing in front of a yellow and red poster, wearing a white vest and sunglasses, and holding up a sign that says ‘What I want to say, be proud of your story, hashtag time to talk’.

On World Mental Health Day, Kata Papunen reflects on the value of such initiatives and considers her own journey, including personal struggles which have been helped through having access to a range of workplace assistance and resources.

Read more of Why I keep talking about mental health - 3 comments

The value of feedback: Part Two - top tips on giving and getting feedback

Posted by: Leyla Kee-McParlin, Posted on: 7 October 2022 - Categories: Defra content design, User centred design
A picture containing two people, sitting outdoors, one holding a mobile device while showing the other person something on the screen.

In the second part of her blog on feedback Lead Content Designer Leyla Kee-McParlin shares some top tips for giving and receiving feedback, and the things you can do if you want to explore this topic further.

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