Douglas Maitland
With over 17 years of experience across the design industry, I’ve spent the last 8 specialising in public sector service design and UX strategy. I’ve led 9 successful GDS service assessments across a number of government departments and services. I particularly enjoy working closely with users and stakeholders to map out opportunities and challenges and develop enticing product strategies.
I studied Product Design at the Glasgow School of Art. In my final year I won the Royal Society of Arts Student Design Award, which led me to my first product design job, working with NCR in Dundee, designing the future of self-service banking. Following this I moved back south and worked in Graphic Design and communications for a large corporate, an Australian architecture firm, and an advertising agency. At the latter I evolved from graphic design into digital project and studio management inside of a year.
Then, catching the wrong bus one day, I spied Creative Jar, a full-service digital agency. They were recruiting for just about every kind of role except project managers. I applied asking who was going to be managing all this work these new folks we're going to be doing? That did the trick.
This is where I began to work alongside Alex, Gareth and Charlotte, within a fun and rewarding environment. However, it wasn’t long before the designer in me started to itch, and it became clear that if I was going to meddle, I might as well do it properly - so we created a hybrid role for me - Head of UX Delivery.
It was at Creative Jar that I started to work on public sector services. First, on a tablet app for prosecutors in Magistrate’s courts for the CPS, that proved hugely successful. Then, on the Reply to a Jury Summons service for HMCTS. This was my first experience working with GDS and the government’s service standard.
During this time we transitioned from Creative Jar to Cogworx - with a more focused mission as a service design consultancy. Over the last 5 years I have worked across major projects for HMCTS, the Home Office and UK Export Finance as well as many more. I have found myself specialising in public sector service design and I really enjoy creating products and services that solve real problems for real people.
I live in Berkshire, near the Thames, with my wife and two young kids, and when I’m not working you’ll find me paddle boarding. And when I’m not paddle boarding you’ll find me boring people as I talk about paddle boarding. It’s my mid-life crisis current obsession, exploring on the river and even doing a bit of racing.
Skills
Product Strategy
Product Management Transformation Consultancy Design Capability Planning Service Design
UX Strategy
UX Design
Delivery Management
Role
Service Design Lead & Co-Founder