bmwelby's blog

Thoughts from the mind of Ben Welby

Category: Digital Transformation (Page 2 of 4)

A pocket of denim jeans contains a red briefcase, a smartphone displaying app icons, and several small model houses labeled with business names. The arrangement suggests a theme of business and organization.

Pocket, Pavement, Platform: Government in the App Store and on the High Street – Part 1

July 10, 2025 / / 6 Comments
This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series Pocket, Pavement, Platform: Government in the App Store and on the High Street

This was one big post, and now it’s five smaller pieces thinking about what public service really means in a digital age, and the risks of mistaking convenience for coherence. The second in the series thinks about the underlying plumbing we still don’t have. The third about what it means for services to be completely AI-led. The fourth argues for an omnichannel approach that designs for every doorway. And the final piece is all about Goths. But first, I interrogate the appeal of “government in your pocket” and why that metaphor may sell us short.

The illusion of pocket-sized government

Life in 2025 is mediated by thumbnails. The Family Group Chat, social media, mortgages, season tickets, commute planning, music, telly, groceries, takeaways – you name it and it’ll be sat behind a colourful little square. Little wonder that ministers want to compress their red boxes into that same form factor. Last week we had the GOV.UK App promise “public services in your pocket”, the Health Secretary hail the NHS app as the “doctor in your pocket”, and, back in November, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pitch the “jobcentre in your pocket” in launching the Get Britain Working White Paper.

Convenience makes a cracking soundbite.

But between screen and street there’s a stubborn gap. Three decades of first e-government and then digital government have certainly moved things online, and in many cases brought about genuine transformation. The Blueprint for Modern Digital Government sets out a vision for services designed around citizens’ needs, not government silos, emphasising accessibility for all. Yet digital exclusion persists. Every day, people rely on library PCs, borrowed phones, neighbours’ Wi-Fi, or using AI to decipher government’s Nietzsche-esque content.

Those gaps aren’t only socio-economic. They’re structural. Creating a single government domain gave us a whole-of-government1 web presence, a single digital front door. But the same logic has never been applied to the state’s physical estate. Austerity has hollowed out council services, libraries, SureStart Centres, and community hubs, leaving Jobcentre Plus as the last nationwide, vertically integrated, walk-in presence of central government.

When we developed the OECD service design and delivery framework, we included bricks alongside pixels because closing a counter doesn’t eliminate demand – it displaces it. Support shifts to schools, GP surgeries, Citizens Advice, food banks, police stations, faith venues. They’re fragmented proxies for the state people wish they could reach directly.

What if we applied the same design discipline that built GOV.UK to the built environment? Imagine GOV.UK on the High Street (yes, of course I’m going to use the acronym GOTHS2) as a physical twin to the digital front door: one roof, all life circumstances, staffed by people with the tools to help. Canada, Chile3, Greece, and Portugal4, among others, have been blending web and bricks for years to deliver services where people are. As the European Union researches what it means to go beyond the screens we risk falling behind by betting on apps alone. The real need isn’t for more digital products but better omnichannel services – channels that cooperate, not compete.

The question isn’t just what fits in your pocket? It’s how should government show up where people already are?

The idea of pocket government is seductive. If the BBC fits in your pocket, why not government? It’s tidy, mobile, modern – all the promise of the frictionless state. It’s an easy shorthand for ambition, especially when pitching to digital-native generations.

But reducing transformation to a form factor is a dangerous simplification. It collapses structural change into a UI trick. It trades hidden infrastructure for showy presentation. And it distracts from what actually makes services usable, inclusive, and effective.

In the next post in my series (which is a nice short one), the focus is on what’s happening behind the scenes: the pipes, the data, and the infrastructure that makes, or breaks, the promise of digital government.

In Part 3, I want to engage with the questions thrown up by AI and what it means when our services disappear into chat. Part 4 returns to one of my soapboxes in arguing for an omnichannel approach. And in the last part we talk GOV.UK on the High Street.

  1. Centrally at least. And for England. Though sometimes Wales. So it is a bit of a stretch to say ‘whole-of-government’ but there’s at least a strategic clarity. ↩︎
  2. This would have been immeasurably better if the colour scheme was still black and white ↩︎
  3. Explored in some detail in the OECD’s report on Digital Government in Chile – Improving Public Service Design and Delivery ↩︎
  4. And an important element in their human rights based approach to public services that is looked at in the OECD’s Civic Space Review of Portugal ↩︎
Illustration with the title “Beyond the Screens: Can an Omnichannel Approach Make Digital Public Services More Human?” A red line connects a smartphone, a laptop, a woman wearing a headset at a desktop computer, and a public building with a GOV.UK crown logo. The image represents seamless public service delivery across multiple channels.

Beyond the screens: Can an omnichannel approach make digital public services more human?

June 11, 2025 / / 3 Comments

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) is currently doing a piece of work to develop an omnichannel framework for public services across the EU. A week ago I joined a workshop alongside people from the OECD, Portugal, Sweden and Denmark.

It’s a topic close to my heart. Beyond my years learning from the best at GDS I was fortunate in shaping the OECD’s Framework for Service Design and Delivery that was developed during this research in Chile, summarised in this Going Digital Toolkit Note and further embedded into the OECD’s Good Practice Principles for Public Service Design and Delivery in the Digital Age. That work laid the groundwork for the OECD Recommendation on Human-Centred Public Administrative Services. I didn’t work directly on the Recommendation itself (it kicked off in earnest after I left) but those earlier pieces helped to shape the foundations it builds on. Bruno shared the definition from the Recommendation.

Omni-channel refers to the approach to managing service delivery channels in an integrated, interoperable way to enable users to access the service they want seamlessly and with consistent quality across channels (such as websites, physical offices, self-service kiosks, video-calls, call centres, etc.), as opposed to a ‘multi-channel’ approach that refers to the ability of the user to access services through different entry points, often operating independently of each other.



OECD Recommendation on Human Centred Public Administrative Services (2024)

Now, through my work with DWP on the jobs and careers service, it’s great to be revisiting those ideas afresh, and in concrete terms. Part of our vision is to design a service that is ‘digital where possible; human when needed’. As an organisation with a national footprint of Jobcentres and a wide range of services that can (and should) be delivered online, we’re asking: how can we bring the best of in-person services into people’s palms and pockets, while at the same time bringing the best of digital into those frontline conversations for both staff and our users?

From tailored CV advice online, to guidance offered face-to-face, to the potential of personalised prompts and nudges through an agentic interface in the future, our aim is to meet people where they are, in the mode that works for them.. And for that, we need to be focused and ambitious in pursuing an omni-channel approach.

All of which is to say: thoughts, I’ve got a few. I wanted to write up the post it notes I stuck on the Miro board – it’s not a formal report, just an open reflection. If you’d been in that call, here’s what you’d have heard me say – but what would you have added (or objected to)?

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Text on a dark background reads "VIBE CODING, FIREWORKS AND THE MORTAR OF GOVERNMENT." A laptop displaying colorful code is illuminated, with fireworks bursting in the background.

Vibe Coding, Fireworks and the Mortar of Government

June 3, 2025 / / 8 Comments

A few days ago, I lit the fuse on a working prototype of a government service. No team, no procurement cycle, no waiting for approval. Just me, a few prompts, and a handful of AI tools. And honestly? Fireworks. (Though if you’re looking for what happens after the display ends and what to reflect on how we turn these sparks into sustainable, governed public services, then you might be interested in my follow up – Beyond the Vibes).

Vibe coding (or vibecoding) is an approach to producing software by using artificial intelligence (AI), where a person describes a problem in a few sentences as a prompt to a large language model (LLM) tuned for coding. The LLM generates software based on the description, shifting the programmer’s role from manual coding to guiding, testing, and refining the AI-generated source code.

Vibe coding, Wikipedia

I’m not new to what’s now being called vibe coding. Over the last year ChatGPT has helped me to bring a few random ideas to life1. Last weekend I thought I’d see what Codex CLI could do and I was again blown away. I mentioned this at work and in the conversation that followed we mused on whether some of the frustrations we’d been feeling could be shifted by trying the same thing there.

So I sat down with a laptop, some product instinct, and a handful of different AI tools. I wanted to see whether we could finally conjure the ‘fireworks’ we’d been waiting weeks to set off. I started with ChatGPT and the scale of the task was a bit intimidating. But then I remembered about Firebase and in minutes had something to show off. As I did, another colleague responded by asking if I’d seen Stitch, and another colleague said I should check out Jules.

And once I discovered Jules, that was when things got really interesting. Very quickly I had something live. Not a sketch or simulation, but something real. It’s up and running on Render (and I’d love to give you the link but I probably shouldn’t let it escape into the wild; at least not yet).

Obviously it’s just a prototype. But that also seems to do it a disservice. What is true is that it absolutely appears to do the job we had in mind. No engineers. No designers. Just me, some prompts and decisions, and it works, and it works in a way that will absolutely elicit the right sort of oohs and aahs.

I suppose I ought to make one small confession. I really shouldn’t have done any of this. Inside the department, everything except Copilot is blocked (and even then you only get Copilot on a Windows machine, not a Mac). Which means this burst of delivery joy has happened off network, off platform, and probably against better judgment. But that, too, is part of the problem. When the path of least resistance leads outside the system, it’s the system that needs fixing, not the people finding their way around it. Well, I would say that wouldn’t I?

Now, for our purposes as a team this exercise might be the perfect fireworks but more broadly for government, what are the repercussions?

I’m going to call it: Jules and Codex earn their hype.

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An elegant bronze scale stands on a cobblestone quay beside a calm river, with the British Houses of Parliament and Big Ben visible in the background. On one side of the scale, a woman in professional attire stands with her back to the viewer, symbolizing human values. On the opposite side, a digital figure illuminated with glowing blue circuitry represents artificial intelligence. The scale is heavily tipped in favor of the woman, showing that human values outweigh technology. The scene has a warm and optimistic atmosphere, with a clear sky indicating a pleasant spring or early summer day.

AI in government: it’s about people, not technology (as always)

September 13, 2024 / / 4 Comments

It was our first week back for Vineyard English School after the summer break1. Many familiar faces were absent, but one young Eritrean was eager to see us – he’d just received a letter about his asylum claim.

We were back in the hotel today after stopping over the summer (more volunteers would allow for doing this year round). Here's a photo of a letter that had been received by one of the hotel residents. Two native English speakers had to check with one another that we actually understood it.

[image or embed]

— Benjamin Welby (@bm.wel.by) 11 September 2024 at 18:13

The letter was dense, bureaucratic, and impenetrable. It’s a far cry from the aspirations for content design that so many advocate for as a central plank in reimagining the relationship between the state and its users.

He looked to us for an explanation. But even among the fluent English speakers, we had to consult amongst ourselves to ensure we understood it correctly. Hardly surprising, since according to The First Word’s readability test, this letter is on par with reading Nietzsche.

A visual display of book covers arranged by difficulty level, ranging from "Very Easy" (0-20) to "Very Challenging" (61-100). The cover in the middle, labeled "20 - 30," stands out in yellow and features the title "Beyond Good and Evil" by Nietzsche. Other covers represent a range of genres and styles.

The power of AI

I reached for ChatGPT.

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Historic Royal Palaces membership: A cautionary tale from our family’s visit

August 14, 2024 / / 2 Comments

We recently joined some friends for a day at the Historic Royal Palace of Hampton Court, a place we hadn’t visited since 2018. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision but although we didn’t plan our day we did check the website. And the website encouraged us to pre-book our tickets in advance. So we did.

The kids were buzzing with excitement, the weather was perfect, and we were looking forward to our day in the splendour of the palace and its gardens. And the day lived up to our expectations, filled with exploration, fun, and a lot of history.

A wide view of the main entrance to Hampton Court Palace, a Tudor-era structure, set on expansive grounds. The building features a mix of stone and brick architecture with many towers and ornate facades. The foreground shows a grassy area shaded by a large tree, with sunlight casting dappled shadows on the ground. In the background, the castle’s massive walls stretch out, with a clear blue sky above dotted with a few fluffy clouds. The setting appears calm and serene, suitable for sightseeing or exploration.
The image captures a picturesque garden scene under a clear blue sky. In the foreground, a vibrant cluster of white roses blooms surrounded by lush green foliage. The garden is neatly arranged, showcasing various plants, including a border of neatly trimmed hedges that adds to the serene aesthetic. In the background, there is a hill dotted with trees, and an old stone wall can be seen, suggesting the remnants of a historical structure. The overall atmosphere is tranquil and inviting, reflecting a well-maintained public or private garden space.
A detailed view of a grand ceiling fresco depicting various celestial figures, including angels and mythical creatures, in an ornate Baroque style. The fresco features vivid colors and intricate details, with gold accents framing the artwork. The walls below are richly decorated with sculptural reliefs and classical columns, creating a sense of depth and opulence. Soft light illuminates the scene, enhancing the ethereal quality of the painting. The setting is within Hampton Court Palace.
The lush green Fountain Court at Hampton Court Palace featuring a circular flower bed with colourful plants at the centre, surrounded by a well-maintained lawn. In the middle of the flower bed, there is a small fountain spraying water. The courtyard is framed by a stately building with an intricate façade characterised by red bricks and large windows, positioned symmetrically around the perimeter. A stone lantern stands on a pedestal to the right, adding a historical element to the scene. The sky above is bright blue with a few fluffy white clouds, indicating a sunny day.
A wide, gravel pathway stretches into the distance under a clear blue sky. On either side of the pathway, meticulously trimmed bushes and trees create a serene, garden-like atmosphere. To the right, a vibrant arrangement of flowers adds pops of color to the landscape. At the end of the pathway, a grand building is visible through the trees, suggesting it could be part of the grounds of this historical estate at Hampton Court Palace. The scene conveys a peaceful, leisurely vibe typical of an expansive park or estate.

So as we were preparing to leave, the option to upgrade our tickets to an annual membership was a no-brainer. Not only would this make it possible to come back to Hampton Court over the next twelve months, including for the upcoming food festival (which was the reason we had come six years ago) but it covers the Tower of London, which we’d also had a half-formed plan to visit.

We were excited to think that for just a little bit extra on top of what we’d already paid, we could unlock a year of unlimited visits. However, this excitement quickly faded when we discovered the fine print of the upgrade policy—a detail that unfairly targets families.

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I used ChatGPT to improve the speed and accessibility of my WordPress blog

July 29, 2024 / / 4 Comments

Adding ALT text is a good habit to develop. I can’t say it has become second nature but I do try. And I have definitely found it to be a great use for ChatGPT.

Since ChatGPT got vision capability it’s a very simple thing to paste an image and ask for ALT text. It’s usually very good. Although I was shaken when it casually described me as middle aged in this image. I suppose it’s accurate now I’m 40 but it was brutal to see that text appear on the screen.

Yes, it is an important habit to develop and an important principle to prioritise. However, I think it should also be something where AI can solve a real life problem in a very practical way. It feels like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp et al should fold in this functionality and automatically add ALT text whenever you upload a new image.

Be the change you want to see

So with that thought in mind I was very aware that I recently published a series of blog posts consisting of 140 images of slides detailing how to build a data driven public sector, the majority of which did not include ALT text1.

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Building a data-driven public sector Part 3: Unlocking the value of data without losing public trust

July 19, 2024 / / 4 Comments
This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Building a data driven public sector (DDPS)

On 16th May 2024 I led a 90 minute session as part of the Digital Academy Masterclass, hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan’s Innovation and Digital Development Agency, and delivered by Digital Nation.

I’ve broken the presentation into 4 parts. After the introduction, Part 1 considered the potential of data to deliver public value; Part 2 looked at the elements needed to actually build a data-driven public sector; and this, Part 3, explored how to unlock the value of data without losing public trust.

Unless otherwise indicated or an obvious screenshot, the images were generated by ChatGPT.

Now we’re onto the third and final part of this morning’s session. We’ve thought about where value can come from in terms of what you do with data. We’ve thought about the role you all play in helping to create the conditions for data to be used. But now we will finish with thinking about how our use of data builds and preserves trust.

Trust is such a valuable commodity. But it can be lost so quickly and take so long to repair.

Trust between citizens and their government is the basis on which the legitimacy of public institutions is built. Without trust, some policies lose their meaning and some services cease to be used. Unfortunately, trust is deteriorating in many countries.

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Building a data-driven public sector Part 2: How to do it

July 19, 2024 / / 3 Comments
This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Building a data driven public sector (DDPS)

On 16th May 2024 I led a 90 minute session as part of the Digital Academy Masterclass, hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan’s Innovation and Digital Development Agency, and delivered by Digital Nation.

I’ve broken the presentation into 4 parts. After the introduction, Part 1 considered the potential of data to deliver public value; this is Part 2 and looked at the elements needed to actually build a data-driven public sector; and Part 3 explored how to unlock the value of data without losing public trust.

Unless otherwise indicated or an obvious screenshot, the images were generated by ChatGPT.

David McCandless, of Information is Beautiful, suggested that instead of thinking about data like oil, we should rather think of it like soil. Data is a fertile environment from which good things might happen. 

But just like soil, it is something you have to nurture and care for if you want it to give you a good return.

And this is where we start our second section – if we’re in roles with responsibility for building a data-driven public sector then we need to think about our job in terms of farming. We need to be mindful that when it comes to data our job is to make good soil and nurture data-driven ways of working.

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Building a data-driven public sector Introduction

July 19, 2024 / / 2 Comments
This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Building a data driven public sector (DDPS)

On 16th May 2024 I led a 90 minute session as part of the Digital Academy Masterclass, hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan’s Innovation and Digital Development Agency, and delivered by Digital Nation.

I’ve broken the presentation into 4 parts. This is the introduction, Part 1 considered the potential of data to deliver public value; Part 2 looked at the elements needed to actually build a data-driven public sector; and Part 3 explored how to unlock the value of data without losing public trust.

Unless otherwise indicated or an obvious screenshot, the images were generated by ChatGPT.

My name’s Ben Welby and I’ve spent 15 years working in and around digital transformation starting off in local government, then helping to build and launch GOV.UK, and most recently at the OECD.

Today we’re going to be looking at the three aspects of building a data-driven public sector:

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