Simon Worthington
@simonwo.net
Building data tech that works for real people. MD of data specialists team @register-dynamics.co.uk. Don't DM me, email. He/him. All content CC-BY-SA4
I've finally updated the GOV.UK Tech Docs Wiki template with everything that's happened in the last five years. It now uses the latest tech docs template and takes account of more maturity in the Github Pages and Actions features.
github.com/simonwo/tech...
github.com/simonwo/tech...
GitHub - simonwo/tech-docs-wiki: Automatically build and deploy GOV.UK-style technical documentation based on updates to a GitHub Wiki.
Automatically build and deploy GOV.UK-style technical documentation based on updates to a GitHub Wiki. - simonwo/tech-docs-wiki
github.com
September 16, 2025 at 10:10 PM
I've finally updated the GOV.UK Tech Docs Wiki template with everything that's happened in the last five years. It now uses the latest tech docs template and takes account of more maturity in the Github Pages and Actions features.
github.com/simonwo/tech...
github.com/simonwo/tech...
Reposted by Simon Worthington
We’d like to thank our Silver sponsor, Register Dynamics @register-dynamics.co.uk, for helping to make Open Data Camp 10 possible.
www.register-dynamics.co.uk
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh.
We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.
#odcamp #opendata
www.register-dynamics.co.uk
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh.
We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.
#odcamp #opendata
Register Dynamics - data focused technology consultancy based in the UK
www.register-dynamics.co.uk
September 10, 2025 at 1:31 PM
We’d like to thank our Silver sponsor, Register Dynamics @register-dynamics.co.uk, for helping to make Open Data Camp 10 possible.
www.register-dynamics.co.uk
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh.
We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.
#odcamp #opendata
www.register-dynamics.co.uk
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Edinburgh.
We really appreciate the support from all our sponsors.
#odcamp #opendata
I'm sure answering Social Value questions on Government tenders is the bane of many bid teams.
For me I think it's one of the parts of my job I enjoy the most. It does force me to engage with what we as a small company can do to help. The answer is usually quite a lot – just not easy things.
For me I think it's one of the parts of my job I enjoy the most. It does force me to engage with what we as a small company can do to help. The answer is usually quite a lot – just not easy things.
September 2, 2025 at 11:03 AM
I'm sure answering Social Value questions on Government tenders is the bane of many bid teams.
For me I think it's one of the parts of my job I enjoy the most. It does force me to engage with what we as a small company can do to help. The answer is usually quite a lot – just not easy things.
For me I think it's one of the parts of my job I enjoy the most. It does force me to engage with what we as a small company can do to help. The answer is usually quite a lot – just not easy things.
GOV.UK CSS moved to using a mask image of the Royal Arms in the page footer, where it used to be a background image. Why? Turns out it's more accessible, as that way it can inherit the colour of the text, which the user might have overriden for better contrast! TIL. github.com/alphagov/gov...
Mask instead of filter to change footer crest colour · alphagov/govuk-frontend@4c8d91a
github.com
September 1, 2025 at 9:52 AM
GOV.UK CSS moved to using a mask image of the Royal Arms in the page footer, where it used to be a background image. Why? Turns out it's more accessible, as that way it can inherit the colour of the text, which the user might have overriden for better contrast! TIL. github.com/alphagov/gov...
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Reposted by Simon Worthington
The fact that the thing we're calling artificial intelligence *can't do math* and yet we're jamming it into programs that successfully *have done math* for decades, then warning people against using the AI to do math, seems like an excellent summary of where we are.
Good thing no one uses Microsoft Excel for anything related to legal, regulatory or compliance business functions
www.theverge.com/news/761338/...
www.theverge.com/news/761338/...
August 19, 2025 at 6:09 PM
The fact that the thing we're calling artificial intelligence *can't do math* and yet we're jamming it into programs that successfully *have done math* for decades, then warning people against using the AI to do math, seems like an excellent summary of where we are.
Let's goooooooo 🔥🔥🔥
Hi all! We are nervously launching Last Week of Summer on Kickstarter tomorrow at 4pm UK time.
Shawn has been working on this game for over three years, and it has been a blast to play with people at conventions. Any support would be greatly appreciated!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
Shawn has been working on this game for over three years, and it has been a blast to play with people at conventions. Any support would be greatly appreciated!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
August 18, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Let's goooooooo 🔥🔥🔥
As a reminder, this is the AI that people say is as important as oxygen.
August 8, 2025 at 9:23 AM
As a reminder, this is the AI that people say is as important as oxygen.
I think I was cooking with this graph tbh
August 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I think I was cooking with this graph tbh
If your new "digital platform" requires running 90 minute webinars to explain how to use it, might I suggest that you have somewhat missed the point?
July 29, 2025 at 10:05 AM
If your new "digital platform" requires running 90 minute webinars to explain how to use it, might I suggest that you have somewhat missed the point?
"Data Visualisation in Cloth and Stitch"
I don't think I've ever bought anything so fast.
I don't think I've ever bought anything so fast.
July 24, 2025 at 9:06 AM
"Data Visualisation in Cloth and Stitch"
I don't think I've ever bought anything so fast.
I don't think I've ever bought anything so fast.
The numbers here are absolutely amazing.
I've been researching the idea of Unconditional Universal Basic Income since 2013. Here's a collection of findings I've compiled from various UBI experiments and studies of cash transfer programs around the world.
This will be a VERY LONG and ongoing thread focused entirely on empirical evidence. 🧵
This will be a VERY LONG and ongoing thread focused entirely on empirical evidence. 🧵
July 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
The numbers here are absolutely amazing.
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Have you ever thought about how Government services handle errors when uploading #data? Do you find that data upload #templates don't work for you? Explore the reasons why we believe #services suck at #spreadsheets! www.register-dynamics.co.uk/...
#GovServices #GovUK
#GovServices #GovUK
Why services suck at spreadsheets — Register Dynamics - data focused technology consultancy based in the UK
We've seen the challenges that pop up when relying on spreadsheet templates
and the resulting frustration from users when they are forced to grapple
with submitting their data using one.
We've come to a worrying conclusion: asking users to fill out spreadsheet
templates in the way we do it today does not meet user needs and should not
be used as a design pattern in usable and accessible government services.
www.register-dynamics.co.uk
July 4, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Have you ever thought about how Government services handle errors when uploading #data? Do you find that data upload #templates don't work for you? Explore the reasons why we believe #services suck at #spreadsheets! www.register-dynamics.co.uk/...
#GovServices #GovUK
#GovServices #GovUK
Reposted by Simon Worthington
🏳️⚧️🚨 New letter from MPs on trans rights & EHRC Consultation on the #ForWomenScotland ruling.
I have written a letter to the EHRC to urgently raise concerns about the Draft Code of Practice consultation after the ruling. I am proud to say that 32 of my colleagues have signed it too.
I have written a letter to the EHRC to urgently raise concerns about the Draft Code of Practice consultation after the ruling. I am proud to say that 32 of my colleagues have signed it too.
July 2, 2025 at 2:58 PM
🏳️⚧️🚨 New letter from MPs on trans rights & EHRC Consultation on the #ForWomenScotland ruling.
I have written a letter to the EHRC to urgently raise concerns about the Draft Code of Practice consultation after the ruling. I am proud to say that 32 of my colleagues have signed it too.
I have written a letter to the EHRC to urgently raise concerns about the Draft Code of Practice consultation after the ruling. I am proud to say that 32 of my colleagues have signed it too.
Reposted by Simon Worthington
This is great, not only for the cool tech and the outcome it delivers but for working in the open.
Seems we're seeing more of that from small companies like @dxw.com and @register-dynamics.co.uk than from teams inside government.
Seems we're seeing more of that from small companies like @dxw.com and @register-dynamics.co.uk than from teams inside government.
We are really proud to be working with @Genomics England and to be able to share with you some of the work from our initial project. Read our summary about the prototype we've been developing to help researchers with their vital studies here:
www.register-dynamics.co.uk/...
www.register-dynamics.co.uk/...
June 16, 2025 at 12:28 PM
This is great, not only for the cool tech and the outcome it delivers but for working in the open.
Seems we're seeing more of that from small companies like @dxw.com and @register-dynamics.co.uk than from teams inside government.
Seems we're seeing more of that from small companies like @dxw.com and @register-dynamics.co.uk than from teams inside government.
I've noticed lots of DBT open source repositories have disappeared from Github, such as github.com/uktrade/sqli... which had more than a hundred stars and is still published on PyPi: pypi.org/project/sqli.... Does anyone know why these have been removed?
June 4, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I've noticed lots of DBT open source repositories have disappeared from Github, such as github.com/uktrade/sqli... which had more than a hundred stars and is still published on PyPi: pypi.org/project/sqli.... Does anyone know why these have been removed?
The game I'm most excited for following #UKGE is "Last Week Of Summer" by @alliesorenemies.bsky.social – looks absolutely gorgeous, sounds like a fun set of approachable mechanics and should have plenty of replay value. And maybe I can convince Celia to play it…
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
Coming soon: Last Week of Summer
A modular board game set in 1986. High school is over, and you have one more week to make the most of summer.
www.kickstarter.com
June 3, 2025 at 4:46 PM
The game I'm most excited for following #UKGE is "Last Week Of Summer" by @alliesorenemies.bsky.social – looks absolutely gorgeous, sounds like a fun set of approachable mechanics and should have plenty of replay value. And maybe I can convince Celia to play it…
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/all...
The problem with letting 1000 flowers bloom is that I'm really proud of the work I did on the other 999 flowers
May 19, 2025 at 3:25 AM
The problem with letting 1000 flowers bloom is that I'm really proud of the work I did on the other 999 flowers
Data-driven decision-making begins with understanding user needs. If you don’t research and design for data creators, you’ll end up making poor quality and risky choices.
Sign up for tomorrow's webinar to learn why this happens and how to avoid it!
www.linkedin.com/events/howda...
Sign up for tomorrow's webinar to learn why this happens and how to avoid it!
www.linkedin.com/events/howda...
How data and design can transform philanthropic decision-making | LinkedIn
To join, sign up via StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/watch/m58Xqi8nMnn7
Philanthropic funders run on big ideas, but those ideas need the right data and the right narrative to drive real change. Be...
www.linkedin.com
May 14, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Data-driven decision-making begins with understanding user needs. If you don’t research and design for data creators, you’ll end up making poor quality and risky choices.
Sign up for tomorrow's webinar to learn why this happens and how to avoid it!
www.linkedin.com/events/howda...
Sign up for tomorrow's webinar to learn why this happens and how to avoid it!
www.linkedin.com/events/howda...
I'd forgotten how much we've done to the Data Upload Design Kit recently, so this release note was a splendid refresher. Data validaiton, spreadsheet previews, accessible tables and more are now available for the GOV.UK Prototype Kit – all with simple unboxing and setup.
github.com/register-dyn...
github.com/register-dyn...
Release v0.2.0 · register-dynamics/data-import
What's new in Data Upload Design Kit release 2
Wow – I'd not quite realised how many changes we've made in release 2! Thanks so much to everyone who has tried the Kit out and given us feedback! We'...
github.com
May 2, 2025 at 6:52 AM
I'd forgotten how much we've done to the Data Upload Design Kit recently, so this release note was a splendid refresher. Data validaiton, spreadsheet previews, accessible tables and more are now available for the GOV.UK Prototype Kit – all with simple unboxing and setup.
github.com/register-dyn...
github.com/register-dyn...
Reposted by Simon Worthington
Join us for an online talk from our founder, @simonwo.net and Marco Bernardi @appliedworks to learn about how funders, grantees, and data practitioners can build the conditions for better decision-making.
👉 lnkd.in/e992nzvX
#DataForGood #PolicyDesign #AI #DataDesign
👉 lnkd.in/e992nzvX
#DataForGood #PolicyDesign #AI #DataDesign
April 23, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Join us for an online talk from our founder, @simonwo.net and Marco Bernardi @appliedworks to learn about how funders, grantees, and data practitioners can build the conditions for better decision-making.
👉 lnkd.in/e992nzvX
#DataForGood #PolicyDesign #AI #DataDesign
👉 lnkd.in/e992nzvX
#DataForGood #PolicyDesign #AI #DataDesign
Really feeling the immense value of Web Archive today. Researching how to provide better mental health support as an employer. Since most of the official resources were authored 2018-20, much of it has atrophied. I'm using Web Archive to retrieve excellent content that simply isn't available today.
April 17, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Really feeling the immense value of Web Archive today. Researching how to provide better mental health support as an employer. Since most of the official resources were authored 2018-20, much of it has atrophied. I'm using Web Archive to retrieve excellent content that simply isn't available today.
File upload size limits do not meet user needs.
File upload size limits should not be used in Service Standard-compatible services.
It's not your users' responsibility to know how to resize images or PDFs.
File upload size limits should not be used in Service Standard-compatible services.
It's not your users' responsibility to know how to resize images or PDFs.
April 15, 2025 at 1:47 AM
File upload size limits do not meet user needs.
File upload size limits should not be used in Service Standard-compatible services.
It's not your users' responsibility to know how to resize images or PDFs.
File upload size limits should not be used in Service Standard-compatible services.
It's not your users' responsibility to know how to resize images or PDFs.
Reposted by Simon Worthington
This is so often missed but if you want to support innovation and agile working, you need an easy way to deploy prototype code online. Heroku is a good option but there are others - GitHub Codespaces, Railway, and so on. Raw AWS does not count
March 26, 2025 at 9:49 AM
This is so often missed but if you want to support innovation and agile working, you need an easy way to deploy prototype code online. Heroku is a good option but there are others - GitHub Codespaces, Railway, and so on. Raw AWS does not count
Wow! I'm super thrilled to already have 30+ attendees!
Join me next Wednesday as I explore:
• digital services that let users do a thousand things at once
• how designers need more help to design them
• who's doing this well around Government
• how to collect data from users in human friendly ways
Join me next Wednesday as I explore:
• digital services that let users do a thousand things at once
• how designers need more help to design them
• who's doing this well around Government
• how to collect data from users in human friendly ways
We're very excited to be running a webinar as part of #ServicesWeek2025:
A thousand things at once:bulk transactions & data collection in digital services, hosted by our Founder @simonwo.net
Register now:
lu.ma/1rvpx9s2
#GovDesign #Dev #ServicesWeek #ServiceDesign #UKGov
A thousand things at once:bulk transactions & data collection in digital services, hosted by our Founder @simonwo.net
Register now:
lu.ma/1rvpx9s2
#GovDesign #Dev #ServicesWeek #ServiceDesign #UKGov
A thousand things at once: bulk transactions and data collection in digital services · Luma
As part of Services Week 2025 and off the back of a successful and informative session at UKGovCamp, join us to explore digital services that let users do a…
lu.ma
March 13, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Wow! I'm super thrilled to already have 30+ attendees!
Join me next Wednesday as I explore:
• digital services that let users do a thousand things at once
• how designers need more help to design them
• who's doing this well around Government
• how to collect data from users in human friendly ways
Join me next Wednesday as I explore:
• digital services that let users do a thousand things at once
• how designers need more help to design them
• who's doing this well around Government
• how to collect data from users in human friendly ways