James Higgott

My September Monthnote has some personal news (I'm leaving the NHS App team and NHS England at the end of March) and some thoughts about how we bring together portfolio product prioritisation and delivery planning. medium.com/web-of-weekn...

Product for the People 10(!) is going to be in Leeds on the 19th November. luma.com/7s9dnegb @debblanch44.bsky.social has put together a brilliant line-up for this milestone meet-up!

New job role at GDS: Deputy Director for Digital Standards and Inclusive Design. Deadline end of 8th October. Public sector only... Come be my boss! If you're nice, and good. www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cg...

Oh wow, it's finally happening

Here's the latest from the NHS Wales App team on exploring test result designs, and the things we learnt along the way. dhcw.nhs.wales/news/behind-...

I have a pallet of bricks arriving later today. Bricks! www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGVZ...

Reflections on August, a month where it's difficult to make progress at work. Main topics: app releases and hypercare in practice, and portfolio roadmaps medium.com/web-of-weekn...

Did a five minute lightning talk at last week's Product for the People. Had an hour spare today to type it up. Could've said more, could've said different but time, eh. (I went over...) Let me know your favourite examples of reused or new infrastructure! www.officeofwilson.com/product-for-...

Here's my monthnote from July covering strategic planning, AI tools and a hackathon: medium.com/web-of-weekn...

I have blogged! The State of the Present: Andy Burnham’s new government or - Why the abolition of DSIT is baffling and bad - Why I'm worried about what it means for civil service reform - Some opportunities for the new government around data, digital, open government medium.com/state-of-the...

Some thoughts on phrase "through the NHS App" and how we dealt with the heat for our quarterly planning event. medium.com/web-of-weekn...

The festival of contemporary comics in Peckham is a large amount of creativity under one roof. Drop in if you can tomorrow arc-london.uk

I was also at the Oval last night. It was a brilliant match and performance from the team. Bouncing back from that poor start showed real strength of character. And the fielding was the best I've seen from them.

Soft launch when everyone is distracted recovering from the England game...Product for the People is back on the 3rd September in Bristol. Less unconference-y this time - more corridor conference-y with three brilliant speakers and some lightly facilitated conversations. luma.com/rjsq2i36

This is hilarious and I am very bad at it.

Another good line from this talk: "We can live with imperfection. We shouldn't have to live with dysfunction that can be avoided."

Do you need a separate design system for your staff vs public facing services? It’s a common question, but at the NHS we think the answer is No. I’ve published a blog post to explain why: digital.nhs.uk/blog/design-...

a weeknote on our planning cycle, how the ways we're changing our design approach is affecting that, and some questions about the future of prototyping here mikegallagher.org/posts/becomi...

Some thoughts about in-app prompts and decision-making escalation in my latest monthnote: weeknot.es/monthnote-fe...

Saw Cardiacs (first time!) in Brixton tonight. I've never seen so many middle-aged weirdos (complimentary) in one place.

We're looking for speakers to join us at SDinGov 2026. If you have something you want to share with our community, this is your chance. If you'd like to speak at this year's event, submit your proposal before 17:00, Monday, 9 March 2026. sdingov.net/call-sessions

Really enjoyed this piece, which sums up some of the issues I've been wrestling with, particularly the expectation of 'tech = savings!!!', and the spam-vs-anti-spam we're likely to see.

It's P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-Pancake Day: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj_a...

This is the Gov looking for your input on the BBC. It takes a while to complete (15/20 mins) but it’s pretty comprehensive and covers most aspects. Please share. I’m surprised many people haven’t seen it yet. www.gov.uk/government/c...

We're looking to fill a couple of Senior Content Designer roles across the OPG and Probation digital teams www.jobtrain.co.uk/justicedigit...

This T20 World Cup has been brilliant so far and that #SAvAFG match was the best of the lot.

In January I went to UK GovCamp and the Japanese Embassy, and I thought about all of the big things that could go wrong in 2026. medium.com/web-of-weekn...

If you’re travelling from london to GovCamp this seems like the best option. Marylebone route has rail replacement bus. #ukgc26 #ukgovcamp #govcamp Next departures: 08:35 – 10:38 09:02 – 11:15

PSA for those heading from London to Birmingham for @ukgovcamp.com - all trains from Euston currently cancelled, head to St Pancras and change at Leicester... #govcamp

As well as sorting out the last minute details for GovCamp 2026 we're also planning for the long term. We want to set up GovCamp as an official non-profit company. To do that we need a Board of Trustees. We've previously asked for volunteers but, while good people, they're all straight white men.

Easter Eden #EggAMovie

Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...

Spotted this urban brickhenge last night. It's either a celebration of the winter solstice or a memorial to Rob Reiner.

This series is well worth reading if you're involved with public sector product or delivery. Jukesie describes a pragmatic, common-sense approach to agile delivery in a UK government context.

Prompt as ever, here's my monthnote for October: jiggott.medium.com/monthnote-oc... Including roadmaps, medical devices and speaking engagements.

HAPPY FOUR SEASONS TOTAL LANDSCAPING DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE

I’m on the lookout for a new contract (preferably inside). I’ve got over a decade of experience working in the public sector, mostly in agile delivery management. Two weeks notice. Not got DMs here but Signal is zuz.1337, or LinkedIn is good. Thx :)