University of Newcastle
Digital Design Tool Kit
A collaboration across business units, the Digital Design Tool Kits extends the University brand to provide clear guidance to digital professionals across the university. It is an important milestone in the growing design maturity of the organisation.
Launch documentation
To communicate the purpose and strength of the Digital Design Tool Kit there was an official launch and targeted stakeholder sessions. This deck outlines the nature of the collaboration, highlights key content and provides instructions on how to use the kit.
Task
The University of Newcastle has a strong and established brand presence, but the detail around digital execution was limited. The Digital Design Tool Kit was created to interpret and extend the University brand to create greater consistency across the University footprint and provide clear guidance to digital professional across the university.
My role
I was a co project lead representing Digital Technology Solutions, in collaboration with the University Web Unit. I was responsible for Design Principles, Design Process and Content Design sections, and consulted on the Design System. The purpose of the Tool Kit was to create an empowering tool to help all staff members make good design decisions.
Creating gardeners,
not gatekeepers
Usage
Increased efficiency in producing design artifacts and clarity on design process
Justify incentive amounts for student research participants (e.g. Student WiFi research, MyUni, etc)
Used regularly in initial project allocations discussions to explain how practice works and services we could provide to project, especially when explaining double diamond process
Shared with colleagues (outside team) when they needed design guidelines or input
To guide content style and tone
What success looks like
AI adoption
Design Linter is an automated tool that uses the DDTK as a source and has been accepted by the Gen AI project as a First Draft
Dev Ops practice has used DDTK as a source for automated ReactJs development for MyUni using Amazon Q
GenAI team use DDTK Design Library as a source for UI guidance for all first drafts and pilots.
Vendor standardisation
Used as a reference source for components and brand elements.
Used to develop non-functional criteria for various RFQ processes
Used in onboarding vendor service providers and to monitor quality of work.
Key sections
Design Principles
I created the design principles to support consistency across the entire university digital footprint. The design principles outlined in the tool kit have been adopted as part of the assessment process of the Architecture Review Board, Solution Review Board and the Application Portfolio Assessment process. They have also been embedded in the Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements template and the assessment of RFP submissions.
Accessibility
A key career priority for me is creating inclusive digital experiences and actively championing the creation of accessible digital products through applying Universal Design Principles and involving diverse users in research and testing. The design policy I developed as part of the Tool Kit outlines my commitment to accessibility for all users.