About

I’m a Principal-level design practitioner with a background in content design and substantial experience in service design.

I currently work in consultancy, primarily on complex public-sector services. My recent work has focused on Self Assessment at HMRC, where I joined as a Content Designer and later took on the Service Designer role while retaining ownership of the content.

That combination has shaped the way I work.

I’m most interested in services that are difficult to understand, difficult to operate, or constrained by policy, legacy technology and organisational complexity.

I usually start with the existing user journey, identify where the experience feels unnecessarily difficult, then work backwards through the system to understand why.

From there, I look for ways to reduce the burden on the user without ignoring the realities of the organisation delivering the service.

My background

My experience includes:

complex GOV.UK transactional services
service design and end-to-end journey mapping
content design and plain English
policy-heavy and regulated environments
live-service iteration using research and analytics
working with legacy technology and operational constraints
stakeholder facilitation and design assurance
managing and mentoring designers
recruitment and capability building
consultancy delivery and bid support

Before my current HMRC work, I worked on services for the Valuation Office Agency and the Government Equalities Office (part of the Cabinet Office), including the online Gender Recognition Certificate service. I’ve also worked in roles across the Department for Transport, Department for Work and Pensions and UK Research and Innovation. Prior to that, I worked as a journalist in a variety of industries including technology, finance and entertainment.

How I work

I’m pragmatic.

I don’t see business requirements as something that sits in opposition to user needs. I try to understand why those requirements exist, then design a way to meet them with the least possible burden on the user.

I work quickly at the early stages of a problem. I’m comfortable producing first-pass flows, content and service models so that teams have something tangible to react to.

I also use AI as part of my workflow to speed up drafting, documentation and repetitive tasks, while keeping design judgement and accountability with the designer.

What I’m looking for

I’m interested in senior roles where I can work on complex services and strategic design problems.

My strongest interest is in solving messy service problems across an organisation, followed by hands-on design of complex digital products and services.

I have deep experience in government service delivery, but I’m also interested in applying that experience in private-sector environments where regulation, operations, risk, complex systems or AI create similar design challenges.

What colleagues say

I work closely with product, policy, operations, delivery and technical teams. Here’s how HMRC colleagues have described working with me.

“I’ve lost count of the amount of times where we’ve been grappling with a complex problem and have had Andy come along and propose a simple, elegant solution to resolve it.”
Phil Addis · Senior Process Officer, HMRC

“He naturally leads calls and workshops in a very engaging way, providing an excellent balance of efficiency, professionalism and informality.”

“Andy consistently demonstrates exceptional responsiveness and clarity in communication. His ability to articulate complex ideas in a structured and engaging manner stands out.”
Matthew Kennedy · Product Owner, HMRC

“I find Andy to be someone I can rely on to drive outcomes in a space where velocity can sometimes be lacking.”

“Andy has been an exceptionally strong and reliable Service Designer across multiple HMRC services.”
Rosalie Marshall · HMRC Digital Delivery

“He consistently demonstrates calm leadership, strong client management, and an ability to bring stability in high-pressure situations.”

“Tax is complex… but you’ve made it easy for me to contribute and HMRC customers will benefit greatly from your approach.”
Yasmin Carney · Tax Policy, HMRC

“You are quite assertive but never pushy… everyone seems willing to help you, even though sometimes they have opposing views.”

“He dealt with their questions and challenges professionally and was obviously really knowledgeable on the subject.”
Holly Burgess · Policy Lead, HMRC

“My Director was very impressed with this approach and has recognised this as best practice for future meetings.”