Rob McCarthy
@robjmccarthy.bsky.social
Dad to some young'uns. Also doing some Lead Interaction Designer stuff at Ministry of Justice UK. Working on the MoJ Design System.
Pinned
Rob McCarthy
@robjmccarthy.bsky.social
· Oct 30
Are design systems too slow?
SPOILER ALERT: We have a problem with our design system. It’s too slow!
medium.com
I've been mulling on the question: Are design systems too slow? So much so, I've written a blog post about it.
SPOILER ALERT: We have a problem with our design system. It's too slow!
Read on: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
SPOILER ALERT: We have a problem with our design system. It's too slow!
Read on: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
Reposted by Rob McCarthy
Thanks everyone who came to listen to our talk about "Share & Reuse by Design" at @sdingov.bsky.social ! It's great to start conversations with people from other departments who are as dedicated to normalising and enabling reuse as we are. <3
@robjmccarthy.bsky.social #sdingov
@robjmccarthy.bsky.social #sdingov
September 19, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Thanks everyone who came to listen to our talk about "Share & Reuse by Design" at @sdingov.bsky.social ! It's great to start conversations with people from other departments who are as dedicated to normalising and enabling reuse as we are. <3
@robjmccarthy.bsky.social #sdingov
@robjmccarthy.bsky.social #sdingov
Why I think AI needs to disappear: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
AI needs to disappear
It’s the middle of 2025 and AI is everywhere. But, I think it should disappear.
medium.com
August 17, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Why I think AI needs to disappear: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
Has any pre-and-post analysis of the efficiency drive been carried out on X (formerly known as Twitter)?
I’m curious as to what the impact was on user experience, product revenue, business objectives, ethics, etc.
Does anyone know?
I’m curious as to what the impact was on user experience, product revenue, business objectives, ethics, etc.
Does anyone know?
March 2, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Has any pre-and-post analysis of the efficiency drive been carried out on X (formerly known as Twitter)?
I’m curious as to what the impact was on user experience, product revenue, business objectives, ethics, etc.
Does anyone know?
I’m curious as to what the impact was on user experience, product revenue, business objectives, ethics, etc.
Does anyone know?
Reposted by Rob McCarthy
Using Figma is a hill I’ll die on: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
Using Figma is a hill I’ll die on
What’s with all the vitriol? It’s just a tool.
medium.com
February 8, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Using Figma is a hill I’ll die on: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
With a blueprint for modern digital government having been recently released, it got me thinking: what does an effective digital delivery model actually look like?
I thought so much about it, I put pen-to-paper and wrote a blog post: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
I thought so much about it, I put pen-to-paper and wrote a blog post: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
A digital delivery squad model that Government should widely adopt…
…and Spotify should actually use.
medium.com
February 5, 2025 at 7:05 PM
With a blueprint for modern digital government having been recently released, it got me thinking: what does an effective digital delivery model actually look like?
I thought so much about it, I put pen-to-paper and wrote a blog post: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
I thought so much about it, I put pen-to-paper and wrote a blog post: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
Reposted by Rob McCarthy
This week I sat down and wrote some thoughts down on the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government. Tldr? : Exciting, bold, and hugely ambitious. Bring it on. www.laurayarrow.net/blog/theres-a-lot-to-be-excited-about-in-the-blueprint-for-modern-digital-government
There’s a lot to be excited about in the blueprint for modern digital government — Laura Yarrow
Last week was quite the ride. We kicked the week off with our Secretary of State (SoS), Peter Kyle, announcing the new Digital Centre, and blueprint for modern digital gov at the GDS office in Londo...
www.laurayarrow.net
January 26, 2025 at 2:22 PM
This week I sat down and wrote some thoughts down on the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government. Tldr? : Exciting, bold, and hugely ambitious. Bring it on. www.laurayarrow.net/blog/theres-a-lot-to-be-excited-about-in-the-blueprint-for-modern-digital-government
Reposted by Rob McCarthy
Blueprint for modern digital government: “Create an inventory of services to measure the progress of service modernisation and publish a version of this in the open.”
Woop woop! 🎉
You’re welcome to start with this?
govuk-digital-services.herokuapp.com
Woop woop! 🎉
You’re welcome to start with this?
govuk-digital-services.herokuapp.com
Government digital servicesX-GOVUK
govuk-digital-services.herokuapp.com
January 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Blueprint for modern digital government: “Create an inventory of services to measure the progress of service modernisation and publish a version of this in the open.”
Woop woop! 🎉
You’re welcome to start with this?
govuk-digital-services.herokuapp.com
Woop woop! 🎉
You’re welcome to start with this?
govuk-digital-services.herokuapp.com
Sorry to interrupt… but the MoJ Design System have released a component today.
We now have an Interruption card in the Ministry of Justice’s design system, and I have to say it, but the work of the team is at another level.
🤩🤩🤩
design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/i...
We now have an Interruption card in the Ministry of Justice’s design system, and I have to say it, but the work of the team is at another level.
🤩🤩🤩
design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/i...
Interruption card - MoJ Design System
Design your service using MoJ styles, components and patterns
design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk
December 10, 2024 at 10:14 PM
Sorry to interrupt… but the MoJ Design System have released a component today.
We now have an Interruption card in the Ministry of Justice’s design system, and I have to say it, but the work of the team is at another level.
🤩🤩🤩
design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/i...
We now have an Interruption card in the Ministry of Justice’s design system, and I have to say it, but the work of the team is at another level.
🤩🤩🤩
design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/i...
Morning @greateranglia.bsky.social 👋
November 27, 2024 at 6:46 AM
Morning @greateranglia.bsky.social 👋
It’s easy encouraging teams to adopt a new component into a design system. Right?! It’s shiny… ooohhh aaahhh!
But, how about encouraging adoption of an improved component, especially when a team already has said component in their product. Now that’s harder.
🧵
But, how about encouraging adoption of an improved component, especially when a team already has said component in their product. Now that’s harder.
🧵
November 27, 2024 at 6:15 AM
It’s easy encouraging teams to adopt a new component into a design system. Right?! It’s shiny… ooohhh aaahhh!
But, how about encouraging adoption of an improved component, especially when a team already has said component in their product. Now that’s harder.
🧵
But, how about encouraging adoption of an improved component, especially when a team already has said component in their product. Now that’s harder.
🧵
And so it begins… A bot has liked a post of mine on here.
I don’t imagine there’s many scantily clad and lonely women looking for “friendship” on BlueSky that are also into design systems, but hey ho, I seem to have found one.
I don’t imagine there’s many scantily clad and lonely women looking for “friendship” on BlueSky that are also into design systems, but hey ho, I seem to have found one.
November 25, 2024 at 6:22 PM
And so it begins… A bot has liked a post of mine on here.
I don’t imagine there’s many scantily clad and lonely women looking for “friendship” on BlueSky that are also into design systems, but hey ho, I seem to have found one.
I don’t imagine there’s many scantily clad and lonely women looking for “friendship” on BlueSky that are also into design systems, but hey ho, I seem to have found one.
Reposted by Rob McCarthy
People might disagree with this, but I think we need to remove A/AA/AAA or things like critical/severe/should/must, etc., from accessibility audit reports. They're abused as a mechanism for product and delivery managers to deprioritise as much as possible.
November 21, 2024 at 12:29 PM
People might disagree with this, but I think we need to remove A/AA/AAA or things like critical/severe/should/must, etc., from accessibility audit reports. They're abused as a mechanism for product and delivery managers to deprioritise as much as possible.
I hear about people struggling to make a case for a design system in their org. I went through that pain. Without trying to sound like a know-it-all-knob, I think the key is to stop making a case for a design system. The people you’re making a case to don’t care. Instead make a business case.
November 20, 2024 at 10:42 PM
I hear about people struggling to make a case for a design system in their org. I went through that pain. Without trying to sound like a know-it-all-knob, I think the key is to stop making a case for a design system. The people you’re making a case to don’t care. Instead make a business case.
Has anyone read anything compelling about the trend for design systems I’m seeing which is to “do less”, “make less”, and even go as far as “we’re not making anything new”?
I don’t currently understand it. If there’s a need for a thing, why not make it/centralise it.
I’d like to understand it.
I don’t currently understand it. If there’s a need for a thing, why not make it/centralise it.
I’d like to understand it.
November 17, 2024 at 7:44 AM
Has anyone read anything compelling about the trend for design systems I’m seeing which is to “do less”, “make less”, and even go as far as “we’re not making anything new”?
I don’t currently understand it. If there’s a need for a thing, why not make it/centralise it.
I’d like to understand it.
I don’t currently understand it. If there’s a need for a thing, why not make it/centralise it.
I’d like to understand it.
Great to watch this experiment being worked through in the open. Some very interesting insights @wholistics.bsky.social is uncovering about design systems within UK Government and Healthcare.
I’m a big fan of making stuff to find out stuff. Great to see that in action here 👏
I’m a big fan of making stuff to find out stuff. Great to see that in action here 👏
.. following on from this thread on some emergent themes, here are a few reflections, wishes, and 'I wonders' 🧵 ⏬
Over the past few weekends, I’ve been conducting experiments "exploring different expressions of the same component across x-govuk design systems, including those from GOV.UK, NHS, HMRC, DWP, MoJ, and ONS.
Here's some insights that have emerged from these experiments 🧵 ⏬
Here's some insights that have emerged from these experiments 🧵 ⏬
November 7, 2024 at 9:50 AM
Great to watch this experiment being worked through in the open. Some very interesting insights @wholistics.bsky.social is uncovering about design systems within UK Government and Healthcare.
I’m a big fan of making stuff to find out stuff. Great to see that in action here 👏
I’m a big fan of making stuff to find out stuff. Great to see that in action here 👏
*** BORING DAD INCOMING ***
Swearing openly and repeatedly in public (like on a train) just feels so wrong to me.
I’m a BIG fan of a swear word. It can be a hugely expressive and creative way to communicate. But, doing it so brazenly and unashamedly in public, just **** off already.
Swearing openly and repeatedly in public (like on a train) just feels so wrong to me.
I’m a BIG fan of a swear word. It can be a hugely expressive and creative way to communicate. But, doing it so brazenly and unashamedly in public, just **** off already.
November 7, 2024 at 9:41 AM
*** BORING DAD INCOMING ***
Swearing openly and repeatedly in public (like on a train) just feels so wrong to me.
I’m a BIG fan of a swear word. It can be a hugely expressive and creative way to communicate. But, doing it so brazenly and unashamedly in public, just **** off already.
Swearing openly and repeatedly in public (like on a train) just feels so wrong to me.
I’m a BIG fan of a swear word. It can be a hugely expressive and creative way to communicate. But, doing it so brazenly and unashamedly in public, just **** off already.
I've been mulling on the question: Are design systems too slow? So much so, I've written a blog post about it.
SPOILER ALERT: We have a problem with our design system. It's too slow!
Read on: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
SPOILER ALERT: We have a problem with our design system. It's too slow!
Read on: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
Are design systems too slow?
SPOILER ALERT: We have a problem with our design system. It’s too slow!
medium.com
October 30, 2024 at 5:22 PM
I've been mulling on the question: Are design systems too slow? So much so, I've written a blog post about it.
SPOILER ALERT: We have a problem with our design system. It's too slow!
Read on: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
SPOILER ALERT: We have a problem with our design system. It's too slow!
Read on: medium.com/@robertjmcca...
I’ve been slowly writing a blog post about the pace of design systems, and now beginning to think I should transition it into a blog post about the slow pace of writing a blog post about the pace of design systems… 🫠
October 29, 2024 at 8:00 PM
I’ve been slowly writing a blog post about the pace of design systems, and now beginning to think I should transition it into a blog post about the slow pace of writing a blog post about the pace of design systems… 🫠
Today was a good day 😎
The MoJ Design System team released a major update to an existing component, the Button menu. It's a highly used component across MoJ and wider government: design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/b...
Love working with this team 🤩
The MoJ Design System team released a major update to an existing component, the Button menu. It's a highly used component across MoJ and wider government: design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/b...
Love working with this team 🤩
Button menu - MoJ Design System
Design your service using MoJ styles, components and patterns
design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk
October 28, 2024 at 5:58 PM
Today was a good day 😎
The MoJ Design System team released a major update to an existing component, the Button menu. It's a highly used component across MoJ and wider government: design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/b...
Love working with this team 🤩
The MoJ Design System team released a major update to an existing component, the Button menu. It's a highly used component across MoJ and wider government: design-patterns.service.justice.gov.uk/components/b...
Love working with this team 🤩
Reposted by Rob McCarthy
All the talks from Design System Day 2024 events have just gone live on the GDS YouTube.
Check out the playlist here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#DSDay24
Check out the playlist here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#DSDay24
Design System Day 2024 - YouTube
Keynotes from our Design System Day 2024 events. Find out more about the GOV.UK Design System: https://design-system.service.gov.uk/ Sign up to get update em...
www.youtube.com
October 23, 2024 at 5:30 PM
All the talks from Design System Day 2024 events have just gone live on the GDS YouTube.
Check out the playlist here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#DSDay24
Check out the playlist here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#DSDay24
Reposted by Rob McCarthy
Not as detailed as your pitch, but a show of support here.
It’s OK for departments to have their own design system
Rather than take a central versus federal view, I think we should look upon the GOV.UK Design System as a common resource, and it should be shaped by a community of peers.
visitmy.website
October 18, 2024 at 8:39 AM
Not as detailed as your pitch, but a show of support here.
After spending the last 6-12 months successfully making the case for a central team to improve, grow, and maintain the MoJ Design System, I've now written about why I think we need one even though we have the GOV.UK Design System.
medium.com/share-reuse/...
medium.com/share-reuse/...
Why do we need a design system?
Having the GOV.UK Design System negates the need for any other UK Government design systems. Or does it?
medium.com
October 7, 2024 at 11:24 AM
After spending the last 6-12 months successfully making the case for a central team to improve, grow, and maintain the MoJ Design System, I've now written about why I think we need one even though we have the GOV.UK Design System.
medium.com/share-reuse/...
medium.com/share-reuse/...
Anyone have any experience with using Framer to make a website that they can share?
I’m specifically interested in the website’s it outputs, and their accessibility considerations and compliance.
I’m specifically interested in the website’s it outputs, and their accessibility considerations and compliance.
September 29, 2024 at 9:08 AM
Anyone have any experience with using Framer to make a website that they can share?
I’m specifically interested in the website’s it outputs, and their accessibility considerations and compliance.
I’m specifically interested in the website’s it outputs, and their accessibility considerations and compliance.
Not sure I have the energy for doing more of the socials, but Twitter is on fire and LinkedIn isn’t far behind.
Here goes with the toe dipping into Bluesky… hope to not get my tootsies burnt 🧯
Here goes with the toe dipping into Bluesky… hope to not get my tootsies burnt 🧯
September 28, 2024 at 8:18 PM
Not sure I have the energy for doing more of the socials, but Twitter is on fire and LinkedIn isn’t far behind.
Here goes with the toe dipping into Bluesky… hope to not get my tootsies burnt 🧯
Here goes with the toe dipping into Bluesky… hope to not get my tootsies burnt 🧯