Transforming design maturity in government: DWP
When I first joined DWP as a Lead Interaction Designer, I walked into a department already delivering essential services to millions of people. Yet design was often seen as something you added later, not baked into the strategy from the beginning. That mindset had to change, and I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight. But over the years I helped lead that transformation, turning design from an afterthought into an integral part of service delivery and strategic decision-making.
Understanding the challenge
The department was massive. Thousands of staff, legacy systems everywhere and a complicated web of policy, operations and delivery. The design profession existed, but it lacked consistency, community and a clear voice at the leadership table. Services were being built, but not always with the user at the heart of the process. There were gaps in capability, inconsistent standards and fragmented ownership of design.
My goal wasn’t just to improve individual services. It was to embed design maturity across the organisation. To build capability, raise standards and make design indispensable at every level.
Building the profession
As I moved into leadership roles — first interim Head of Interaction Design, then Head of Interaction and Service Design — I focused on growing the profession from the inside out. That meant:
- Creating and rolling out standards for what ‘good’ design looked like at DWP
- Establishing a visible, active community of practice where designers could learn, share and develop together
- Recruiting and nurturing a diverse team of talented interaction and service designers, allocating them across the department based on need, potential impact and skill development
- Working directly with senior leaders across the business to raise awareness of the value design brings and ensuring designers had the space and support to thrive
I led the strategic workforce planning for interaction and service design, mapped capability gaps and ensured we had the right people in the right places to make a real difference.
Embedding design into the fabric
This wasn’t about a single project. It was about scale.
I partnered with policy leads, delivery managers, product owners and engineering leads to ensure design was involved from day one. I brought together multi-disciplinary teams and shaped end-to-end service journeys across complex systems.
I pushed for design representation in governance forums. I chaired service assessments. I coached teams on how to frame user needs in ways that resonated with both technical and policy stakeholders. I made sure design had a seat at the table, not just at show-and-tells but where funding decisions and service priorities were being set.
The outcomes
By the time I moved on from DWP, the difference was clear.
- The design profession had grown significantly in scale and confidence
- We’d developed a strong cross-government design community that other departments were now looking to as an example
- Design wasn’t a nice-to-have — it was expected
- Services were measurably more user-centred, inclusive and aligned with GDS standards
- And perhaps most importantly, we’d created a culture where designers could lead, not just execute
Looking back
DWP was where I truly learned what it means to transform an organisation from the inside. It wasn’t flashy and it wasn’t always fast. But it was real. Systemic. Sustainable.
I still carry those lessons with me. That scale matters, but so does community. That good design needs good leadership. And that sometimes the biggest wins come from the quiet work of shifting culture one conversation at a time.