Hi, I'm Luke Holland.
I'm a senior interaction designer in Edinburgh. I design complex, regulated public services that more people can use, and I pay attention to the evidence that they work.
I work on services where the stakes are high and people are often under pressure: applying for criminal injuries compensation, finding housing advice in a crisis, getting help from a support line. Across government, telecoms and the third sector, my focus has stayed the same, making complicated, regulated journeys clear enough that people can get through them, and accessible enough that nobody is shut out.
How I work
Research first, always
I won't move into design without it, and I treat what users say, what the data shows and what I observe as three different things, none of them the whole picture on its own.
Accessibility from the first sketch
I design for the people most likely to struggle from the start, rather than auditing it in at the end.
Design the whole journey, words included
The moments that decide whether a service works often sit between the obvious screens, and the language carries as much of that as the layout.
What I'm known for
Two things travel with me to every team.
Accessibility authority
Measurable impact in regulated services
Experience
Senior Interaction Designer
Ministry of Justice
Designing CICA's compensation journeys, taking services through GDS assessments, and setting the team's design standards.
UX Designer
Sky
Agent-facing tooling and customer journeys for broadband and mobile, including the first research-led work in the division.
UX Designer
Shelter Scotland
Sole designer on the website. Led the accessibility work recognised by AbilityNet, and ran trauma-informed research with people in crisis.
Freelance UX and web designer
Various clients
Web and UX design for small-business clients, from brief to delivery.
Outside of work
Outside of work, you'll usually find me out on my bike, digging through records, or catching live music. My taste is eclectic from indie to hip-hop to electronic, I enjoy discovering new sounds wherever I can find them.
Music plays a part in how I work too. It helps me think through complex problems and find creative solutions. Here's what I'm currently listening to: