I’ve thought for a while the answer is probably the need for something like an ‘Inside Gov Design System’ that sits alongside the GOV.UK one. But it would need to be funded in a way that all the departments can develop/contribute to in a joined up way - ThreadSky

benholliday.com • 150 days ago

I’ve thought for a while the answer is probably the need for something like an ‘Inside Gov Design System’ that sits alongside the GOV.UK one. But it would need to be funded in a way that all the departments can develop/contribute to in a joined up way

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alextorrance.co.uk•149 days ago

I don’t think it’s necessarily internal users, but patterns for repeat users that is really needed now. Big gap for non-linear transactional patterns.

Repeat users include local gov, professionals, tax payers, parents, carers, UC claimants, admin staff and case workers.

robjmccarthy.bsky.social•149 days ago

So maybe it’s a pace thing. How can a centralised design system keep pace with the needs and demands of teams across government? Have the needs outpaced the current design systems stock?

alextorrance.co.uk•149 days ago

Not pretending I have all the answers — my view is a central team funded to do the admin side of adding contributions, supporting (and funding) teams across depts, organising meet ups, hack days, etc and documenting patterns for contribution.

tomski.com•149 days ago

This. The design system needs to expand to support relational services, not just transactional services.

And many of those relational services are meeting the needs of internal users.

(And it *so* needs to be a cross government endeavour)

mynameismartin.co.uk•149 days ago

Jumping in to add - they could help right now by making a distinction between relational and transactional services in service assessments, and in the expectation of how the design system is applied.

theavangelist.bsky.social•149 days ago

And, and this is a stinky one, it was made for information, no web app has ever worked and looked as shit as every cludged together web app that thought they had to use that design system to get signed off and built. There's a reason there is a foundation web, and foundation app library

nikolagoger.bsky.social•149 days ago

I really want to give that a shot and see how we can crack the contribution issue!

visitmy.website•150 days ago

Funding is part of the problem, but the bigger problem is the lack of incentives in a department to contribute back to the centre, for all depts – especially when delivery is always expected to meet tougher deadlines.

Numerous ways to get involved. The will is what’s lacking.

robjmccarthy.bsky.social•149 days ago

Contributing back to the centre is quite hard to do Steve. But, I do think there’s an easier way that still centralises. It would require the centre to release some control to departments, which in turn would give them an incentive.

visitmy.website•149 days ago

Exactly, it is hard. I don’t think funding would fix it, there’s much more to it.

It was great to talk about what you’re doing at MOJ before I left the team last year. My thinking was that the ‘central’ design system should be behind the depts, not ahead. So notion of ‘central control’ not a thing

jiggott.bsky.social•149 days ago

This! Teams should be pushing the design system, then once they've proved a new thing is good it can become part of the design system for others to reuse.

jiggott.bsky.social•149 days ago

To be fair, I have seen this happen. But I've also come across teams who think they can't deviate from the gospel.

visitmy.website•149 days ago

A bit more detail: people do feel like that central control exists but there isn’t any, and that’s the problem. Wrote about it here: https://visitmy.website/2023/08/16/bureaucracy-fear-and-damaging-dogma/

robjmccarthy.bsky.social•149 days ago

Lovely stuff, and thanks for digging it out and sharing.

We should talk more. Much innovation to be had.

visitmy.website•149 days ago

Let’s do it.

visitmy.website•149 days ago

Anyway this is all too nuanced for this type of media, so I’ll stop and write something longer.

robjmccarthy.bsky.social•149 days ago

300 characters won’t do it justice. Look forward to reading it.

I’ll be pencilling some thinking we’re doing to open the MoJ Design System up a bit more, which I think could be transferable. Would be keen to get your views and critique when I publish.

benholliday.com•150 days ago

I think that would be a valuable asset for localgov and third sector teams as well that way. It would def build on some important and really mature work by departments on internal systems design

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