Paul Smith
@paulmsmith.bsky.social
Lead Interaction Designer at NHS England. Generally designing, prototyping, coding & problem solving. Often drinking a disproportionate amount of tea in rainy Manchester.
The email I've been waiting over 20 years for. Openreach have rolled out their 'full fibre' to where I live. It's too little, too late. Profiteering sods have held me and this country back for decades. Addicted to metered copper lines they've had their knee on the throat of a vital service.
July 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
The email I've been waiting over 20 years for. Openreach have rolled out their 'full fibre' to where I live. It's too little, too late. Profiteering sods have held me and this country back for decades. Addicted to metered copper lines they've had their knee on the throat of a vital service.
Added a link to @vickytnz.bsky.social's 'Much loved' page (vickyteinaki.muchloved.com/Gallery/Thou...) next to the details she added to our Slack Channel. Found myself on the verge of tears and I hardly knew her. Off to hug my loved ones. See you next week.
January 24, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Added a link to @vickytnz.bsky.social's 'Much loved' page (vickyteinaki.muchloved.com/Gallery/Thou...) next to the details she added to our Slack Channel. Found myself on the verge of tears and I hardly knew her. Off to hug my loved ones. See you next week.
💔 Thank you for the chats. I enjoyed them down the years, most recently at the NHS where you helped make some of my work better.
January 12, 2025 at 8:59 PM
💔 Thank you for the chats. I enjoyed them down the years, most recently at the NHS where you helped make some of my work better.
Bit chilly out there.
January 11, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Bit chilly out there.
Having a nostalgic day. Poolsuite FM today with retro mac NHS background I made as a desktop wallpaper. 🥰
December 12, 2024 at 11:01 AM
Having a nostalgic day. Poolsuite FM today with retro mac NHS background I made as a desktop wallpaper. 🥰
The force of nature that is Steve Bellerby, sporting an Xmas jumper and bigging-up the excellent team I’m lucky to have joined this year. “We release improvements on average every 1.5 days, around 3 times per week” #111ShowAndTell
December 10, 2024 at 11:30 AM
The force of nature that is Steve Bellerby, sporting an Xmas jumper and bigging-up the excellent team I’m lucky to have joined this year. “We release improvements on average every 1.5 days, around 3 times per week” #111ShowAndTell
A slide from a Show & Tell I did at NHS in London this week. 😄#RandomSlide
October 17, 2024 at 1:28 PM
A slide from a Show & Tell I did at NHS in London this week. 😄#RandomSlide
Take that! overly zealous train heating. You’re not slow cooking me this time.
October 14, 2024 at 4:12 PM
Take that! overly zealous train heating. You’re not slow cooking me this time.
This content iteration made me chuckle.
October 12, 2024 at 8:07 AM
This content iteration made me chuckle.
Kos was jolly nice. Thought about work stuff a little but mostly rest and sunshine.
September 18, 2024 at 7:12 AM
Kos was jolly nice. Thought about work stuff a little but mostly rest and sunshine.
For those like me, that often hate the official icons for MacOS apps. I found a little utility app that allows you to easily change them. It's not CandyBar (if you remember that) but it does the job. Pictogram pictogramapp.com. See nicer icons I downloaded from: macosicons.com
September 6, 2024 at 2:11 PM
For those like me, that often hate the official icons for MacOS apps. I found a little utility app that allows you to easily change them. It's not CandyBar (if you remember that) but it does the job. Pictogram pictogramapp.com. See nicer icons I downloaded from: macosicons.com
The girls making friends with the scary dog. “Bear” the XL Bully who lives at the farm near our house. They know never to climb over the fence but are now not scared witless by him.
August 19, 2024 at 8:20 AM
The girls making friends with the scary dog. “Bear” the XL Bully who lives at the farm near our house. They know never to climb over the fence but are now not scared witless by him.
Some of the best design ideas and moments of clarity, come when well away from one’s desk.
August 19, 2024 at 7:57 AM
Some of the best design ideas and moments of clarity, come when well away from one’s desk.
I've had to start using Microsoft Edge on a Mac for work purposes. If you find yourself needing to. First thing to do is: Go to settings → Share, copy, and paste and changing it to 'Plain text'. - That was infuriating.
August 16, 2024 at 8:15 AM
I've had to start using Microsoft Edge on a Mac for work purposes. If you find yourself needing to. First thing to do is: Go to settings → Share, copy, and paste and changing it to 'Plain text'. - That was infuriating.
Yep. That's better. (Not near a printer at the moment to print).
August 15, 2024 at 10:39 AM
Yep. That's better. (Not near a printer at the moment to print).
Getting to do some print design for work that matters. A pilot of direct referral to breast diagnostic clinic from 111 Online. Potentially shaving a week off time to a patient being seen. Here checking legibility of a leaflet design when printed on typical black and white laser printers in the NHS.
August 15, 2024 at 8:17 AM
Getting to do some print design for work that matters. A pilot of direct referral to breast diagnostic clinic from 111 Online. Potentially shaving a week off time to a patient being seen. Here checking legibility of a leaflet design when printed on typical black and white laser printers in the NHS.
Channelling my inner Paul Downey. Miss working with him.
August 13, 2024 at 9:46 PM
Channelling my inner Paul Downey. Miss working with him.
Still soaking up all I can about NHS Urgent and Emergency Care. Today at an event in Manchester.
June 18, 2024 at 8:27 AM
Still soaking up all I can about NHS Urgent and Emergency Care. Today at an event in Manchester.
Recreated one of my favourite Paul Downey sketches as a poster.
April 25, 2024 at 12:15 PM
Recreated one of my favourite Paul Downey sketches as a poster.
Nice walk to work this morning. One of my last as a civil servant.
April 25, 2024 at 11:57 AM
Nice walk to work this morning. One of my last as a civil servant.
Took the plunge. Getting a garden office built and they've just broken first ground. Will dedicate a little section of my revived weeknotes to documenting how it goes.
April 23, 2024 at 1:20 PM
Took the plunge. Getting a garden office built and they've just broken first ground. Will dedicate a little section of my revived weeknotes to documenting how it goes.