Duncan Stephen
banner
duncanstephen.net
Duncan Stephen
@duncanstephen.net
I lead teams and organisations to make human-centred decisions.

Lead content designer and information architect at the Scottish Government.

he/him

https://duncanstephen.net/
Pinned
The best way to follow me is through my website:
duncanstephen.net

RSS feed:
duncanstephen.net/feed/
Duncan Stephen
Human-centred decisions
duncanstephen.net
Recently I had to intensively research a couple of topics involving potential purchase decisions. My experience was utterly miserable.
How did we let the web get this bad?
Recently I had to intensively research a couple of topics involving potential purchase decisions. My experience was utterly miserable.
duncanstephen.net
November 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Duncan Stephen
The ideas behind agile tend to be squashed down to two words: “move fast”. But the Agile Manifesto says nothing about moving fast.
The forgotten purpose of agile — Empowered teams responding to change
The ideas behind agile tend to be squashed down to two words: “move fast”. But the Agile Manifesto says nothing about moving fast.
duncanstephen.net
October 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM
The ideas behind agile tend to be squashed down to two words: “move fast”. But the Agile Manifesto says nothing about moving fast.
The forgotten purpose of agile — Empowered teams responding to change
The ideas behind agile tend to be squashed down to two words: “move fast”. But the Agile Manifesto says nothing about moving fast.
duncanstephen.net
October 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM
I have had to make some behind-the-scenes changes to this website. In the process, I am planning to make it more interoperable with the fediverse and indieweb standards — and I am sticking with WordPress.
Autonomy, independence, federation, WordPress and concrete
I have had to make some behind-the-scenes changes to this website. In the process, I am planning to make it more interoperable with the fediverse and indieweb standards — and I am sticking with WordPress.
duncanstephen.net
September 26, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by Duncan Stephen
September 16, 2025 at 2:40 PM
The folder metaphor so intuitive to generations of computer users that they can struggle to think of any other way of using a computer. Yet for younger generations, the idea is completely alien.
Life beyond the folder system
The folder metaphor so intuitive to generations of computer users that they can struggle to think of any other way of using a computer. Yet for younger generations, the idea is completely alien.
duncanstephen.net
August 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
One of the most powerful methods in information architecture and user experience is also one of the least well-known. The top tasks method uses a single survey question that tells you exactly what matters most to your users.
Top tasks survey — One weird trick to improve information architecture and user experience
One of the most powerful methods in information architecture and user experience is also one of the least well-known. The top tasks method uses a single survey question that tells you exactly what matters most to your users. I find it so effective that I’m amazed more people haven’t used it.
duncanstephen.net
July 17, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Amid technology-focused hype cycles, the job of human-centred practitioners is to remind everyone: the main reason people use technology is to enhance our connections with other humans in the real world.
Keeping it real in the age of artificial intelligence
Amid technology-focused hype cycles, the job of human-centred practitioners is to remind everyone: the main reason people use technology is to enhance our connections with other humans in the real world.
duncanstephen.net
May 2, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by Duncan Stephen
Sorry for venting but another example today of how What3Words have engineered an over reliance on their platform in UK emergency services.

Came across a car which was up on the verge at a strange angle, obviously not parked - 3 cars ahead of us drove past it but experience makes me always check.
April 21, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Duncan Stephen
The pain in a name — Is information architecture right to call itself architecture? I have long felt uneasy about modern occupations associating themselves with high-status traditional professions.
The pain in a name — Is information architecture right to call itself architecture?
I have long felt uneasy about modern occupations associating themselves with high-status traditional professions. This has been brought into sharp focus for me since I started a role last year focusing heavily on information architecture, to the annoyance of my wife Alex, who is an actual architect.
duncanstephen.net
April 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
The pain in a name — Is information architecture right to call itself architecture? I have long felt uneasy about modern occupations associating themselves with high-status traditional professions.
The pain in a name — Is information architecture right to call itself architecture?
I have long felt uneasy about modern occupations associating themselves with high-status traditional professions. This has been brought into sharp focus for me since I started a role last year focusing heavily on information architecture, to the annoyance of my wife Alex, who is an actual architect.
duncanstephen.net
April 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
There are several benefits of building a content model in an object-oriented way. This post walks through those benefits, and demonstrates a real-life example of how this approach works on a well-known website.

duncanstephen.net/object-orien...
Object-oriented approaches in action
There are several benefits of building a content model in an object-oriented way. This post walks through those benefits, and demonstrates a real-life example of how this approach works on a well-know...
duncanstephen.net
February 25, 2025 at 4:41 PM
How we are following an object-oriented approach to structuring information

Decades-old approaches are being brought up to date with new techniques to create a robust way of structuring content to enable reuse and make content management more efficient.
How we are following an object-oriented approach to structuring information
Decades-old approaches are being brought up to date with new techniques to create a robust way of structuring content to enable reuse and make content management more efficient.
duncanstephen.net
February 17, 2025 at 5:02 PM
We are understanding the opportunities that can be provided by better structuring our information. We are using a variety of robust information architecture techniques, including an increasingly popular method called object-oriented user experience (OOUX)
The object of information architecture
In my job at the Scottish Government, we are understanding the opportunities that can be provided by following an object-oriented approach to structuring our information.
duncanstephen.net
February 10, 2025 at 8:52 PM
There’s no such thing as a technology problem
There’s no such thing as a technology problem
Information has become the forgotten half in “information technology”. Tech companies are struggling because they aren’t focusing on the human problems they need to solve.
duncanstephen.net
February 4, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by Duncan Stephen
Don’t Hide Skip Links, by @ozewai.bsky.social:
Don’t Hide Skip Links
ozewai.org
December 24, 2024 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Duncan Stephen
Information grade — Potentially useful concept
Information grade — Potentially useful concept
A perspective on the similarities and differences between information, data, content and knowledge.
duncanstephen.net
December 4, 2024 at 8:27 PM
Information grade — Potentially useful concept
Information grade — Potentially useful concept
A perspective on the similarities and differences between information, data, content and knowledge.
duncanstephen.net
December 4, 2024 at 8:27 PM
I found some very vintage but surprisingly pristine litter in Morningside a few weeks ago.

duncanstephen.net/photos/very-...
Very vintage but surprisingly pristine litter
I found some very vintage but surprisingly pristine litter in Morningside a few weeks ago.
duncanstephen.net
November 29, 2024 at 9:46 PM
The best way to follow me is through my website:
duncanstephen.net

RSS feed:
duncanstephen.net/feed/
Duncan Stephen
Human-centred decisions
duncanstephen.net
November 16, 2024 at 9:50 PM
Our flag in the sand — How to escape the desert of user needs by integrating agile and user experience
duncanstephen.net/our-flag-in-...
Our flag in the sand — How to escape the desert of user needs by integrating agile and user experience
I have long been an advocate of agile ways of working. One of the things that originally drew me to user experience was the opportunity to have evidence-based ways of understanding the changes you nee...
duncanstephen.net
November 16, 2024 at 9:49 PM