Difference between revisions of "DCD Blogs/Lessons from the Field"
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The Digital Collaboration Division is made up of lots of people working on different aspects of this project. This blog shares some of their stories and what they have been learning over the last year as we try to figure out how to do this work together. | The Digital Collaboration Division is made up of lots of people working on different aspects of this project. This blog shares some of their stories and what they have been learning over the last year as we try to figure out how to do this work together. | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
| − | -----[[File:Derek Alton Profile.jpg|left|frameless| | + | -----[[File:Derek Alton Profile.jpg|left|frameless|350x350px]] |
=== Derek Alton === | === Derek Alton === | ||
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:[[gccollab:blog/view/275745/enpathways-2018fr)|The Pathways project]]. I get to actively seek out inspiring groups of people trying to do things in new ways, support them and then help them tell their story. Through this we both get to test out a new suite of digital tools, like GCcollab, and also build up a repertoire of stories each with their own groups of trail blazers. This is how we shift culture. | :[[gccollab:blog/view/275745/enpathways-2018fr)|The Pathways project]]. I get to actively seek out inspiring groups of people trying to do things in new ways, support them and then help them tell their story. Through this we both get to test out a new suite of digital tools, like GCcollab, and also build up a repertoire of stories each with their own groups of trail blazers. This is how we shift culture. | ||
| + | [[File:Sierra Duffey Profile.jpg|left|frameless|350x350px]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Sierra Duffey === | ||
| + | '''GCcollab:''' @SDuff | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Twitter:''' @s_duffey | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Who are you and what do you do?''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | Hi! I’m Sierra Duffey and I work on the User Experience and Content team. The thing I love about my role is that I can make it what I want! I do a variety of tasks such as writing help content, reviewing and improving our users’ experiences, building communities on our tools, and creating great content to share with users. Right now my major role is leading our design system project. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''What is a highlight/special achievement from the last year?''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | My biggest highlight from the last year was joining the team in September. I had a very casual interview, and my first day here went as smooth as possible! Also, right away I felt welcomed to the team and learned very quickly the order of things. The people you work with is so key to enjoying your job and career, so getting to know everyone and learn from them was definitely a highlight of my year that I’m hoping to continue into 2018. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''What is a lesson from the last year?''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | One thing that I’ve been thinking a lot about since working here is my daily relationship with technology and how it improves or decreases my happiness, stress, and expectations. Technology isn’t inherently good or evil, but we do have to put a lot of thought into how we integrate it into our daily lives, and, as designers, how our biases and thought process influence our products right from the start. | ||
| + | |||
| + | This year is going to bring up a lot of unexpected and profound questions about technology and how it’s affecting our world. Technology isn’t just something for “techies” anymore, it is shaped and used by all of us, including governments, countries and citizens at all different levels of expertise. We’re going to have to ask some pretty deep questions about how our digital products and services are affecting people’s lives. In government we have a unique opportunity to set standards and ethical policies that have a real impact on citizens and, potentially, how we interact with other governments around the world. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''What are you excited about for the coming year?''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | The big thing on my mind right now is our new design system that we’re just starting to build. For one, it’s giving me a chance to practice design skills in a very practical way and I still can’t believe I’m leading such a fun project! The design system is key to getting our tools right, and making them beautiful as well as functional. Now that we’re getting bigger and bolder and trying to tackle more philosophical questions about digital + government, it’s essential for us to have a solid guide for designing new products and features. If we don’t have to constantly ask questions about how our products look or how our code should be structured, then we have more time to think about why we’re creating the products in the first place. | ||
| + | |||
| + | If you want to learn more about what a design system is and why we’re building it, you can read my blog post | ||
Revision as of 10:13, 28 June 2018
Hello, world!, We are the Digital Collaboration Division for the Government of Canada and we are working to help reimagine the way people work together to solve civic problems. To do this, we are supporting the development of an open source digital workspace for collaboration and co-creation. To learn more about us, check THIS blog written by Chris Allison.
Our team is working hard this year to bring people along on our learning journey and so stay tuned for more blogs and vlogs coming out from our team in the coming months.
The Digital Collaboration Division is made up of lots of people working on different aspects of this project. This blog shares some of their stories and what they have been learning over the last year as we try to figure out how to do this work together.
Derek Alton
GCcollab:
@Derek.Alton
Twitter:
@DerekAlton
Who are you and
- what do you do?
My name is Derek
- Alton and I work on the
- strategic partnerships branch of the Digital Collaboration Division. My job is to reach out to key partners (both within and outside of government) to support experiments in digital collaboration and help share their stories. The hope is that by supporting and highlighting these trailblazers we can enable a growing shift in culture for how government solves problems. These experiments also serve as a testing ground for a new generation of digital tools to help with this work.
What is a highlight/special achievement from the last year?
The biggest highlight for me from the last year was seeing how many people are eager to explore this new way of thinking and working. There is often an assumption (one that I myself held when I came into government) that government is outdated and full of people locked in an old way of thinking that doesn’t fit with the times. This year I got to travel across the country and engage with people from many different levels of government and community organizations. I was constantly blown away by how many people get it and are eager to try new things. People who deeply believe that government has a key role to play in helping pull our society forward in the digital age we now live in. These are people not only with passion but also with ideas and energy to put the ideas into action.
What is a lesson from the last year?
Hands down, learning patience. Though there are lots of people eager to think and work in new ways, the system we are in was designed for a different time and a different paradigm. Therefore, to work differently in the system means to constantly be going against the grain. This stuff takes time and tool development can’t always keep up with idea generation (especially when you have a small team). Because I didn’t know how much time and energy everything would take, I tended to overestimate what I could do and spread myself too thin, this in turn undermined my ability to meet my goals.
What are you excited about for the coming year?
- The Pathways project. I get to actively seek out inspiring groups of people trying to do things in new ways, support them and then help them tell their story. Through this we both get to test out a new suite of digital tools, like GCcollab, and also build up a repertoire of stories each with their own groups of trail blazers. This is how we shift culture.
Sierra Duffey
GCcollab: @SDuff
Twitter: @s_duffey
Who are you and what do you do?
Hi! I’m Sierra Duffey and I work on the User Experience and Content team. The thing I love about my role is that I can make it what I want! I do a variety of tasks such as writing help content, reviewing and improving our users’ experiences, building communities on our tools, and creating great content to share with users. Right now my major role is leading our design system project.
What is a highlight/special achievement from the last year?
My biggest highlight from the last year was joining the team in September. I had a very casual interview, and my first day here went as smooth as possible! Also, right away I felt welcomed to the team and learned very quickly the order of things. The people you work with is so key to enjoying your job and career, so getting to know everyone and learn from them was definitely a highlight of my year that I’m hoping to continue into 2018.
What is a lesson from the last year?
One thing that I’ve been thinking a lot about since working here is my daily relationship with technology and how it improves or decreases my happiness, stress, and expectations. Technology isn’t inherently good or evil, but we do have to put a lot of thought into how we integrate it into our daily lives, and, as designers, how our biases and thought process influence our products right from the start.
This year is going to bring up a lot of unexpected and profound questions about technology and how it’s affecting our world. Technology isn’t just something for “techies” anymore, it is shaped and used by all of us, including governments, countries and citizens at all different levels of expertise. We’re going to have to ask some pretty deep questions about how our digital products and services are affecting people’s lives. In government we have a unique opportunity to set standards and ethical policies that have a real impact on citizens and, potentially, how we interact with other governments around the world.
What are you excited about for the coming year?
The big thing on my mind right now is our new design system that we’re just starting to build. For one, it’s giving me a chance to practice design skills in a very practical way and I still can’t believe I’m leading such a fun project! The design system is key to getting our tools right, and making them beautiful as well as functional. Now that we’re getting bigger and bolder and trying to tackle more philosophical questions about digital + government, it’s essential for us to have a solid guide for designing new products and features. If we don’t have to constantly ask questions about how our products look or how our code should be structured, then we have more time to think about why we’re creating the products in the first place.
If you want to learn more about what a design system is and why we’re building it, you can read my blog post
