First weeknote of 2026

Posting this a bit late due to a busy weekend. The first week back in January was a mixed bag. We had some sad family news over the Christmas break so I was thankful for a relatively gentle return to work.

Component library

We're working on a component library idea to try and address some of the design inconsistencies we're seeing on the internal service we're working on.

The service is powered by a low-code, off-the-shelf piece of software, so it currently can't follow the GOV.UK Design System, which means we are struggling to apply a satisfactory level of quality.

We've been sharing an idea for a component library idea round to try and get buy-in. So far so good. We've shared it with other designers, plus a product manager and a business analyst. We also spoke to some devs and they told us that the software being used has an in-built option for creating a native component library which sounds really promising.

A worry for me is that only certain kinds of components can be linked to this library, whilst others are hard-coded into the system and others are completely custom code. So we'll need 3 different approaches depending on how each component is built. The devs have offered to work up a demo so we can see how it works, then agree some next steps.

Journey maps

We're also about to kick-off another iteration of our journey maps. We made the first versions back in September/October and since then our team have been busy iterating on the service. So our product manager has asked us to create and updated to-be version of this map to show what we've achieved, but also highlight any future areas for improvement.

Accessibility testing

As an aside, I've asked our delivery manager to help me introduce accessibility testing to our team's ways of working, so I'm hoping these extra checks will increase our ability to spot and fix issues sooner, and give me more confidence to focus elsewhere.

Feeling detached from day-to-day work

Despite these interesting projects, I'm feeling disconnected from the day-to-day work of the team. They all feel like slow-burn community of practice initiatives, rather then direct improvements to meet user needs.

Overall I think I'm better suited to hands on-work where I can directly shape the iterations that get shipped each sprint. I like to feel like I’ve played a part in the small improvements that build up over the weeks towards an improved service.

I think stepping too far away from this work can erode the idea that designers are an integral part of the delivery team.

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