Snook

10/05/2024

This week our content designers reminded us that getting rid of unnecessary capital letters makes content easier to read.

👉 THIS IS REALLY HARD TO READ

👉 This Is A Bit Better But Still Quite Hard To Read

👉 This is much easier to read

Our Practical Introduction to Content Design course is full of tips and tools like this to make your content useful, readable and accessible.

There are just a few more days to book your place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-practical-introduction-to-content-design-with-snook-tickets-884156886047?aff=oddtdtcreator

02/05/2024

Writing content for services isn’t just about the wording✍️

Our upcoming course, A Practical Introduction to Content Design, will help you create content that's inclusive, accessible and actionable.

Our modules are influenced by Snook’s vast experience of working in the public sector and aims to help you design good content within real world constraints.

Join us on 15 May, 9:30am to 1:30pm.

Find out more and book your place here:

Learn how to improve your services by creating inclusive and accessible content that meets your users’ needs.

18/04/2024

Our courses keep coming so you can keep learning💡

Design has the ability to change lives. And at Snook, we believe that isn’t only for designers. In fact, design never works in isolation. Instead, it helps break down silos, creates connections and sparks new ways of working.

Here is a heads up on our upcoming course schedule:

Making Sense of Service Design
Tues 30th April & Wed 1st May, 9.30 -1pm BST

A Practical Introduction to Content Design
Wed 15th May, 9.30 – 1.30pm BST

User Centred Systems Thinking
Tues 21st & Wed 22nd May, 9.30 – 1pm BST

Our Training Team help individuals, teams and organisations to develop the mindsets, methods and tools they need to design sustainable and fair services.

Are you interested in training as an individual or small group?
Find out more about our upcoming courses and book your place here: https://wearesnook.com/trainings/

Are you interested in training your whole team?
We can bring our courses to you – each one is available to run in-house - online or in-person. We work with you to create the ideal course for your teams needs and objectives.
To chat about your ideas and requirements email: [email protected]

11/04/2024

We bring you good news this Thursday🤗

Our popular course, Analysing User Research Data, runs again next week and there is still time to register!🎉

It runs over 2 half days:
On Tuesday 16th & Wednesday 17th April
From 9.30 – 1pm BST

You can book your place here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/analysing-user-research-data-tickets-830322255217?aff=oddtdtcreator

At Snook, we often find ourselves having to wade through real complexity as we tackle the end-to-end, top to bottom challenges of service design projects.

To stop us feeling lost, we’ve taken what we’ve learned both from theory and our own extensive experience of qualitative research in user centred design and developed a robust and repeatable approach to user research data analysis.

Join us to learn how to analyse qualitative data on user research projects and create high-quality insights that your team can act on.

Learn how to analyse qualitative data on user research projects and create high-quality insights that your team can act on.

19/03/2024

Come and Learn with Snook! We run a range of courses to help you make sense of and deep dive into and

The popular Analysing User Research returns on 16th & 17th April.
On this course you will learn how to analyse qualitative data on user research projects to create high-quality insights your team can act on: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/analysing-user-research-data-tickets-830322255217?aff=oddtdtcreator

Firm favourite, Making Sense of Service Design, is taking place on 30th April & 1st May.
Join us to learn how you can help create ​change in your organisation by ​understanding your service, ​ your users, their needs ​and motivations: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-sense-of-service-design-tickets-849299707287?aff=oddtdtcreator

Tried and Trusted User Centred Systems Thinking runs for the first time this year on 21st and 22nd May.
Learn how to take a user centred systems thinking approach when tackling complex problems to take action and create holistic solutions: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/user-centred-systems-thinking-tickets-849305715257?aff=oddtdtcreator

Bookings are open now with early bird discounted tickets available for selected courses.

You can find out more and book your place through the links above🔗

14/02/2024

You may have noticed a name change to one of our courses👀

Designing Sustainable Behaviour is now called Designing for Behaviour Change.

We launched this course for the first time last year and following its successful pilot we have been working behind the scenes on updates and tweaks to the content.

In doing so, our Training Team felt this new name reflects the fact that the tools and principles you will learn on the course can be used across an array of behaviour change areas, not only in sustainable design.

Join us on Snook’s practical introduction to designing behaviours.

Tuesday 5th & Wednesday 6th March
9.30am – 1pm GMT

You’ll learn about behavioural design, what it is, how it works and how it can add value for reframing problems, including for the environment and sustainability.

Follow this link to find out more and book your place:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/designing-for-behaviour-change-tickets-777687844277?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/02/2024

Join us later this month for a hands-on learning experience that will give you tools, techniques and hopefully a new mindset to approaching your content📝

A Practical Introduction to Content Design
Tuesday 27th February
9.30am – 1.30pm GMT

The Snook Content Design Team will share what you can do with your content that not only ensures it is more inclusive but also more effective at achieving its intended goals.

This practical course will show you how to improve your content and communication through user-centred design principles to make your services accessible and easy for everyone to use.

Follow this link to find out more and book your place:

Learn how to improve your services by creating inclusive and accessible content that meets your users’ needs.

02/02/2024

Are you a Service Owner in the public sector (or were in a previous role)?

We are looking to speak to a number of Service Owners with public sector experience (current or previous) about their experience and reflections of being a service owner in order to help support and develop those who are new to the role.

📅 The 30 minute sessions will take place remotely w/b 12th February.

Please comment, DM or email: [email protected] if you are interested in taking part.

24/01/2024

User Research, UX Research, User Experience research… there may be different ways of describing this essential element of the design process but we think Snook User Researcher Gordon Tait perfectly sums up its essence in one sentence:

“I advocate for the individual within a wider process, mechanism, or product; the user is at the centre of my practice, they have an active role in the process and they are integral to it.”

Gordon writes the latest article to land on our blog – ‘A Researcher’s Career Journey: From the Academy to the User'📝

In this insightful read, Gordon reflects on his lifelong passion for research, and shares what he has learned from applying his craft in different contexts across his career.

Follow this link to read the full article:

Snook User Researcher Gordon Tait shares insights on how his lifelong passion for research has led his career into the field of UX Research.

16/01/2024

With a new year rolling around it’s the perfect time to learn new skills or brush up on your current ones.

Next up on our course calendar:
Journey Mapping & Service Blueprinting
Tuesday 30th & Wednesday 31st January
9.30am – 1pm GMT

Digital Transformation is evolving the way we work and interact with each other and the services we use. To thrive and succeed, organisations need to align all aspects of their services with this change. One of the most important areas to focus on is your users and understanding them is vital to the overall service experience.

If only there was a way to understand their needs and design services which provide a better experience and improve the impact of your organisation…

Journey Mapping and Service Blueprinting helps you do just that by uncovering how your users interact with your service, what they value and importantly pain points that may mean you lose them along the way.

Working in this way can help mitigate risk, reduce cost and improve efficiency, identifying areas for improvement among many, many other things.

Join us for 2 half days of learning on 30th – 31st January to discover how Journey Mapping and Service Blueprinting could help your organisation.

Follow this link to find out more and book your place: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/journey-mapping-and-service-blueprinting-essentials-tickets-777655276867?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/01/2024

You could be making sense of service design with us this time next week!

Join us for our first course of the year:
Making Sense of Service Design
16 & 17th January
9.30 – 1pm GMT

Learn tried and tested service design techniques from over a decade of Snook experience designing and implementing services.

This short online course takes place over 2 half days and is for anyone who is interested in a hands-on introduction to Service Design.

We will take you through to the fundamentals of service design and how it's evolving to drive change within government, public and social sectors.

You’ll complete the course with new found practical knowledge and skills that you can apply within your own role and organisation.

Find out more and book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-sense-of-service-design-tickets-763975580527?aff=oddtdtcreator

28/11/2023

At Snook our research is underpinned by a human-centred, relational and inclusive approach.

To explore how we apply these principles in practice, Chandni Patel and Anu Samaraweera co-author our latest blog article ‘9 things to remember when doing research with underrepresented communities’, with support from Jane Leggat.

What we mean here is people who traditionally haven’t been included and/or represented in research and this blog is based on Chandni, Anu and Jane’s experiences of facilitating research with underrepresented communities of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds specifically.

Together they share their key learnings and provide valuable reminders for practitioners who seek to ensure they are being inclusive.

These ‘9 things to remember’ aim to serve as practical tips for you to use whether you’re experienced doing user research with underrepresented communities or are doing so for the first time.

Read the full article here:

Our valuable reminders for practitioners doing research with underrepresented communities (and why we're no longer saying 'hard to reach' groups).

22/11/2023

We’re wrapping up another busy year of training with our best-selling course🎁

User Centred Systems Thinking
5th & 6th December
9.30 – 13.00 GMT

Is the problem you are facing complex or complicated?

What is the difference we hear you ask?

Understanding the difference between complex and complicated problems is crucial when designing interventions. Our User Centred Systems Thinking course will help you find the answer for your context.

You’ll walk away with the methodology and mindset to understand complex systems and deliver well-designed interventions. You’ll learn to make meaningful day-to-day changes while working towards an ideal future.

We’ve designed this course for:

• People who are interested in, but new to, systems thinking
• Established designers who work in complex spaces (in house and in agencies)
• People in strategic roles who want a better understanding of the system around them

Join us on our last course before Christmas🎄

Follow this link to book your place:

Learn how to apply a user-centred approach to systems thinking. Understand how to address complex problems and deliver holistic solutions

14/11/2023

We’re hiring a Product Trainer!🧑‍💻

You’ll lead on designing and delivering bespoke product training packages to our customers.

Training will be delivered both in person and online, and will enable attendees to gain maximum understanding and use of our software products.

Applications are open now and we'd love to hear from you.

Find out more and apply by following the link below

Company Description: Come join us and make a difference in the world!Discover more at www.necsws.com Job Description: NEC Digital is a partnership of the best-in-class software delivery of NEC Software Solutions, with the pioneering user-centred design services of Snook.With NEC Digital, client...

09/11/2023

So great to see the good that comes from our Give Back Days❤️

Give back Days involve paid time off for our team to support the local community, volunteer their expertise and/or take part in charitable activities either individually or as part of a Snook Team.

Last week Hollie and Cameron teamed up to join DEMAND - Design and Manufacture for Disability, a charity who design bespoke products for disabled people.

Running an in-person workshop, Hollie and Cameron helped map DEMAND’s existing service - focusing on client actions, the charities actions and the challenges and opportunities that occur.

Following this they ran a prioritisation exercise asking the team to vote on the challenges and opportunities that were most important to them, then delved deeper to understand why the team chose the highest voted challenges/opportunities.

Challenges, opportunities and areas of recommendation are currently being synthesised for DEMAND to review and take forwards.

Well done to Hollie and Cameron for all their hard work facilitating, mapping and presenting the session👏 And a big thank you to the DEMAND team for getting stuck in and being inspired to apply the insights gathered to support their goals in helping more people per year.

07/11/2023

We’re hiring!💼

We’re looking for an experienced Bid Writer to join our team and help us continue to drive growth and win new business.

If this sounds like you, follow the link below to find out more and apply👇

Company Description: Come join us and make a difference in the world!We’re NEC Software Solutions (part of global tech giant NEC Corporation). While you read this ad, our software is helping to dispatch ambulances, support families, keep trains on the move, locate missing people and even test the ...

02/11/2023

Qualitative research can feel uncomfortable

This is because fundamentally a lot of it comes down to interpretation.

It’s not possible for researchers to be 100% objective.

But what you can be is rigorous and systematic in your approach to analysis and synthesis.

In doing so, we tend to feel more at ease that our interpretation of research is strongly backed by data.

This is where our Analysing User Research Data short course can help.

It covers general principles for analysis and synthesis and then guides you through the process of applying these principles step-by-step through two methods: affinity mapping and thematic analysis.

Join the Snook User Research Team to learn how to create high quality insights your team can act on

Analysing User Research Data
7th & 8th November
9.30am – 1.30pm GMT

This course is proving really popular with final bookings remaining open until Monday 6th November at 12pm.

Book your place here:

Learn how to analyse qualitative data on user research projects and create high-quality insights that your team can act on.

31/10/2023

Our October newsletter is here 📰

In this edition we introduce you to NEC Digital, share our reflections from SD in Gov, talk about the first service design apprenticeship that recently launched and more!

Follow this link to read our October update: https://bit.ly/3Mmyw5

23/10/2023

Do you want to find out which parts of your service frustrate your users and design ways to not only meet their needs, but maybe even bring them joy?

Our Journey Mapping & Service Blueprinting Essentials course can help you do just that - join us on our final iteration of this course for 2023!

14th & 15th November
9:30am – 1pm GMT
Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/journey-mapping-and-service-blueprinting-essentials-tickets-731087952747?aff=oddtdtcreator

You’ll get hands-on experience of mapping out a customer journey then dive deeper into the organisation that delivers it by creating a service design blueprint.

A journey map describes how a user interacts with your service over time. It enables us to find out what they are thinking, feeling and doing. This gives a view of the whole experience of using your service. It can reveal moments of satisfaction, but also those tricky pain points. This course takes you through this “front stage” activity.

A lot of people stop here, but we want to take you deeper and enable you to fully see the bigger, holistic view needed to create real change.

Once we have the journey map and front stage set, you will dig deeper into the “back stage” blueprint. A service blueprint maps out the steps in a service process, unveiling the intricacies that hide beneath the surface.

This blueprint can help to design a new process, document and improve an existing one, or even be used to future cast and narrate the desired future with your clients and stakeholders.

Both processes build on the rich research and data you’ve gathered and link together to create an integrated view of the internal and external workings of your company.

This course will enable you to join those dots and looks to discover new value for your users and your organisation.

10/10/2023

Our hugely popular Analysing User Research Data course returns for its final iteration of the year! 🎉

Why did we create this course and why is it getting such a welcoming reception?

The answer lies in the fact researchers don’t usually talk about their qualitative analysis process in any meaningful depth whether that’s with peers, clients or other stakeholders.

How many times have you seen a report or show and tell that states ‘we did a thematic analysis’ but there’s no description included of the specific steps taken in the hours, days or even weeks spent doing it?

This makes it hard to learn from each other.

This course creates a space to share what we’ve learned about analysis and synthesis as researchers, and also provides people the opportunity to come and talk about their own experience (or lack thereof).

Lots of people come into user research with a formal education in another research discipline. But many other people don’t, and can sometimes feel like they’re missing something when it comes to the foundations of how to do quality, rigorous and valid research.

This course outlines those foundations in terms of how they apply to analysing qualitative user research data.

If any of the reasons we created this course resonate with you, we’d love to welcome you along on 7th and 8th November. 🗓️

Follow this link to find out more and book your place: https://bit.ly/46vhlqg

03/10/2023

Why should you learn with Snook? Here are our top 3 reasons:

🥇We are practitioners 1st

🌎 We design in the real world

📖 We are experts in UCD practice and education

Let us explain in a little more detail…

Snook’s training team are experienced practitioners of design and research, who draw on a wide range of knowledge from projects we have delivered.

We are also respected educators, with links to education in order to continue to innovate where our design practice is going.

This helps us weave that perfect balance of theory as well as real world practice into our training.

If this sounds like the kind of space you would benefit from learning within, come and Make Sense of Service Design with us on 10th & 11th October.

Over the course of 2 half days, you’ll learn how to apply tried and tested techniques from over a decade of Snook’s experience designing implementing services.

Book your place: https://bit.ly/3PPOFTR

We also have a range of other courses running over the coming months:

Analysing User Research Data | 7th & 8th November: https://bit.ly/46vhlqg
Journey Mapping & Service Blueprinting | 14th & 14th November: https://bit.ly/46AzRh8
User Centred Systems Thinking | 5th & 6th December: https://bit.ly/46BQXLx

In addition to our regular online courses, we’re also happy to work with you to build a bespoke learning programme by finding the right blend of content to up skill your team or organisation. Email [email protected] to chat about your needs.

13/09/2023

'Mess' (noun): a situation that is full of problems

How does 'mess' make you feel?

Kat Dixon overheard Olivia Holbrook and Thomas White talking about service designers loving mess and it inspired the next topic of our Spotlight series...

✨Show us your messy bits✨

Take a read of our latest edition where Kat, Olivia and Tom talk about the often chaotic and complex characteristics of service design projects.

This insightful conversation covers what is mess, why is it scary and why do service designers love it?!❤️

Read it here: https://wearesnook.com/show-us-your-messy-bits/

And let us know your thoughts in the comments💭👇

07/09/2023

Behold, The Brave Space😌

We co-designed principles with NHS England to support them design and deliver their digital services more inclusively.

Together we developed:

✅ an agreed inclusive design definition and framework – to guide NHS staff to practice inclusive design in their day-to-day work
✅ An updated UCD Maturity model - that reflects the definition and the framework
✅ High-level training requirements – that enable NHSE to understand what knowledge is needed to up skill teams to design inclusively

Taking a co-design approach with the NHS working group, really involving them in the process and co-creating together meant the outputs of our work reflected where our NHS colleagues are, where they want to be on their inclusive design journey and gives them ownership of these principles to continue developing.

Something that was also really important for us was the virtual workspace we created - ‘The Brave Space’ which we consciously entered in each working group session.

It was a way for us to respond to the need to create psychological safety for the working group. When people working together needed to take personal risks, such as suggest a radical new idea or feedback, it made room to be able to talk freely and openly during the design process.

Read more about the Brave Space and this project on NHS Digital's blog: https://digital.nhs.uk/blog/design-matters/2023/what-is-inclusive-design

Thanks to the talented Tash Willcocks for this illustration!

05/09/2023

Last chance to join our upcoming course - User Centred Systems Thinking🧠

19th & 20th September
9am – 12.30pm

can be applied to many sectors, industries and topics.

Check out the blog our colleague Luca Piallini has written which illustrates the use of a systems thinking approach through a climate lens: https://wearesnook.com/thinking-in-systems-to-address-the-climate-crisis/

“Where other tools fail, systems thinking provides an invaluable methodology which can unlock ways to address the most important issues of our time.”

It highlights not only how systems thinking can have a big impact, but that a systems approach is the only way to really address the crisis at hand, at scale and immediately by:

• Understanding the complexity of problems
• Identifying leverage points to unlock positive impact
• Addressing unintended consequences

Our short course takes you on a practical journey through this methodology so you can learn a systems approach and how to apply it in any context to uncover holistic solutions.

Bookings close in 1 week from now on 12th September.

Book your place by following this link: https://bit.ly/3OlKr5b

Service Designer Luca Piallini explores how we can use systems thinking to navigate the complexity of the climate crisis.

29/08/2023

Content design can make or break a service✍️

How do you apply content design principles to your project if you’re not a content designer? Senior Content Designer Isobel Roberts is here to help!

In this article Iso explains exactly why matters and sets out actionable steps you can take today to make your product or service more successful without having a content design specialist on hand to help.

Finding yourself curious about content design? Come and learn more with Snook on our upcoming short course, A Practical Introduction to Content Design, on 28th September: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-practical-introduction-to-content-design-with-snook-tickets-576337700577

Content design is an essential element of any product or service. Our content design team share their advice in applying content design principles to your project.

09/08/2023

There’s a lot of love for this course and our amazing team who deliver it❤️👏

“The facilitators were really engaging and brilliant at presenting. Genuinely one of the best training I've done in a while. This training really helped me understand how to look at complex and complicated problems" – Comment from Course Alumni

User Centred Systems Thinking
Tuesday 19th & Wednesday 20th September
9am – 12.30pm BST

We have a final few early bird discounted tickets remining before general sale opens on 11th August.

Book your place to learn how to take a user centred systems thinking approach when tackling complex problems to take action and create holistic solutions.

Find out more and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/user-centred-systems-thinking-tickets-666845521907

01/08/2023

We’re excited to share Snook is a sponsor of the 2023 SD in Gov conference!

Celebrating its 10th year, SD in Gov takes place on 20th – 22nd September in Edinburgh.

The conference brings together those championing user centred design of public services for 3 days jam packed full of inspiring talks, engaging workshops and collaboration.

We hope to see you there! Come join us at our talk session or say hello to Snook’s on our stand in the exhibition area.

Find out more: https://govservicedesign.net/

27/07/2023

Snook’s sell-out short course returns💥

User Centred Systems Thinking
Tuesday 19th & Wednesday 20th September
9am – 12.30pm BST

As designers, the challenges we’re facing are getting increasingly more complex and interconnected.

Systems Thinking is not a new concept but remarkably is rarely used alongside other user centred design methods to create holistic solutions.

This course combines user-centred design methods and tools with traditional systems thinking, offering an innovative approach to solving complex problems.

Drawing on Snook’s extensive experience, we’ll share:
• The concepts underpinning user centred systems thinking approach
• How and when to apply a systems approach (and what to watch out for!)
• Common techniques for visualising a system
• How to set boundaries in a system
• How to use insights from user-centred systems thinking to inform decision

Early birds can access discounted bookings until 11th August🐥

Find out more and book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/user-centred-systems-thinking-tickets-666845521907?aff=oddtdtcreator

25/07/2023

To celebrate Love Parks Week 2023, some of our Glasgow team planned a Snook Give Back Day and went litter picking to celebrate parks, green spaces, and the dedicated volunteers and workers that look after them all year round. 🌳🚮🌎

A huge thank you to Garnethill Multicultural Centre for their support, and for lending the team all of the litter picking tools!

Why not visit and enjoy your local green spaces this week? 💚

19/07/2023

Brush up on your content design skills with Snook!

Our half-day online short course returns:

✏️ A Practical Introduction to Content Design
🗓️ Thursday 28th September, 9am - 1pm BST

Content design involves much more than just writing words. It’s about learning what your users need, and then designing that experience using language they understand.

This course will help anyone working on a service, product or website to create better content. You’ll learn:

- How content design is different to other types of writing, and the principles behind it
- Practical tips for making content that is clear and accessible
- How to use research to understand your users and inform your content
- How content designers work with other design roles
- How to use content design within real world constraints

Early bird discounted bookings are open until 28th July 🐣

Find out more and book your place:

Learn how to improve your services by creating inclusive and accessible content that meets your users’ needs.