Caroline Jarrett
@cjforms.bsky.social
Forms and survey specialist.
Always keen to try to answer your questions about making better forms (and if you must, maybe even those about surveys).
Effortmark.co.uk
Always keen to try to answer your questions about making better forms (and if you must, maybe even those about surveys).
Effortmark.co.uk
Sadly true. I’m amazed you got anyone to answer before 8am next day.
January 12, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Sadly true. I’m amazed you got anyone to answer before 8am next day.
But we are only allowed to call our surgery now after we’ve filled in a form to request the privilege.
To be fair, they do typically deal with the matters raised in the forms very speedily.
To be fair, they do typically deal with the matters raised in the forms very speedily.
January 12, 2026 at 7:33 PM
But we are only allowed to call our surgery now after we’ve filled in a form to request the privilege.
To be fair, they do typically deal with the matters raised in the forms very speedily.
To be fair, they do typically deal with the matters raised in the forms very speedily.
Did you call very slightly before 8am so that your call got into the queue precisely at 8 after listening to the assorted announcements?
If so, an hour in the queue is high but not unheard of. You may even win an appointment with a GP.
Any other time of day: all bets are off.
If so, an hour in the queue is high but not unheard of. You may even win an appointment with a GP.
Any other time of day: all bets are off.
January 12, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Did you call very slightly before 8am so that your call got into the queue precisely at 8 after listening to the assorted announcements?
If so, an hour in the queue is high but not unheard of. You may even win an appointment with a GP.
Any other time of day: all bets are off.
If so, an hour in the queue is high but not unheard of. You may even win an appointment with a GP.
Any other time of day: all bets are off.
One of the unexpected consequences of the advent of LLMs (also generically called AI) is that they suck up everything.
So zombie documents - that is, published but never accessed by a person nor updated - are suddenly active again, creating ever more misleading results.
So zombie documents - that is, published but never accessed by a person nor updated - are suddenly active again, creating ever more misleading results.
January 12, 2026 at 11:33 AM
One of the unexpected consequences of the advent of LLMs (also generically called AI) is that they suck up everything.
So zombie documents - that is, published but never accessed by a person nor updated - are suddenly active again, creating ever more misleading results.
So zombie documents - that is, published but never accessed by a person nor updated - are suddenly active again, creating ever more misleading results.
Your thing, your way.
Related: as I kludge my way through various quilting things, I keep reminding myself “I’m not doing this for a competition”
Related: as I kludge my way through various quilting things, I keep reminding myself “I’m not doing this for a competition”
January 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Your thing, your way.
Related: as I kludge my way through various quilting things, I keep reminding myself “I’m not doing this for a competition”
Related: as I kludge my way through various quilting things, I keep reminding myself “I’m not doing this for a competition”
I’m at 122 because I’ve lived in New York and in Wisconsin, plus tried to visit as much as possible. Sad that the borders are closed to me now.
January 9, 2026 at 6:25 PM
I’m at 122 because I’ve lived in New York and in Wisconsin, plus tried to visit as much as possible. Sad that the borders are closed to me now.
... if you can't cope with the solving this problem silently for the user because that's too much work, at least put the text about entering leading zeros into a hint *before* the question rather than turning it into an alarming reprimand *after* the question
January 9, 2026 at 4:48 PM
... if you can't cope with the solving this problem silently for the user because that's too much work, at least put the text about entering leading zeros into a hint *before* the question rather than turning it into an alarming reprimand *after* the question
So, so, so much agree.
One of the emails I got was viciously illegible, too.
One of the emails I got was viciously illegible, too.
January 9, 2026 at 4:35 PM
So, so, so much agree.
One of the emails I got was viciously illegible, too.
One of the emails I got was viciously illegible, too.
Let's make sure we catch up at GovCamp
January 9, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Let's make sure we catch up at GovCamp
My sympathies are with whoever is trying hard to do user-centred service delivery at Companies House and who has clearly been blocked from doing basic usability testing, or maybe they've been allowed to do usability testing and then not allowed to make necessary changes.
January 9, 2026 at 4:26 PM
My sympathies are with whoever is trying hard to do user-centred service delivery at Companies House and who has clearly been blocked from doing basic usability testing, or maybe they've been allowed to do usability testing and then not allowed to make necessary changes.
tl;dr on video problems:
- has incorrect log in process with the wrong screens
- shows me pages that I've already done
- shows the wrong amount for payment
- appears on a page long after the things it asks me to do in the video
- has incorrect log in process with the wrong screens
- shows me pages that I've already done
- shows the wrong amount for payment
- appears on a page long after the things it asks me to do in the video
January 9, 2026 at 4:26 PM
tl;dr on video problems:
- has incorrect log in process with the wrong screens
- shows me pages that I've already done
- shows the wrong amount for payment
- appears on a page long after the things it asks me to do in the video
- has incorrect log in process with the wrong screens
- shows me pages that I've already done
- shows the wrong amount for payment
- appears on a page long after the things it asks me to do in the video
Oh dear. Glad you decided to come back then.
January 8, 2026 at 10:51 AM
Oh dear. Glad you decided to come back then.
Prompted by this I had a look for my tickets. It seems that there’s a sale on at the moment and I can get my outward ticket for £3.40.
January 7, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Prompted by this I had a look for my tickets. It seems that there’s a sale on at the moment and I can get my outward ticket for £3.40.