Overview

Background

Because of its devolved nature, the digital experience across the University's web estate is very fragmented, with a range of design approaches and outputs. There is a recognised risk in proceeding without a coordinated digital design approach, supported centrally by a range of processes, guidance, and tools. These will need to evolve to reflect the ongoing business requirements and user expectations. 

An initial version of a University pattern library, Edinburgh Global Experience Language (EdGEL), has been available since 2015. Investigations to deliver EdGEL as a service and further technical development took place in 2017. A set of overarching Digital Experience Standards principles and processes followed in 2019 (https://www.projects.ed.ac.uk/project/dti045). These projects were part of the Digital Transformation User Experience programme. The original aim for EdGEL was like the current one for a unified design system; however, over time, EdGEL became focused on supporting the corporate University website (EdWeb) and visual alignment of the wider web estate. 

Even though EdGEL has been used in whole or in part by a sizeable number of University websites and applications, these activities have not followed a coordinated approach. This meant that the digital estate (covering websites and web applications) remained fragmented, and its overall efficiency was reduced due to duplication of effort and non-optimal use of resources. 

The recently released Strategy 2030 highlights the need for the University to be a place of transformation and puts focus on the people. Furthermore, within the strategy there are mentions of: 

1. The value of being “diverse, inclusive and accessible to all.” 

2. "We will have more User-friendly processes and efficient systems to support our work". 

3. "We have policies and procedures that are people focused, efficient and effective". 

4. A reference of the Service Excellence Programme, which aims to make it "Easier for students to join and study with us" and to "Make life easier for staff". 

Aligned with these aims, the University’s digital experience should be designed with our audiences’ user journeys at the centre, addressing their evidenced and prioritised needs and supporting their interactions with the University digital estate. This digital experience should evolve based on regular interaction through the development process and follow an inclusive-by-design approach. 

Instead of aiming to coordinate the visual aspects of our digital estate via EdGEL, we should focus on wider, more strategic adoption of digital design processes, supported by related policies, guidance, and tools (one of which would be EdGEL, as the University Digital Pattern Library). All these elements should be part of a wider University Digital Design System. 

To date, there has been disproportionate effort and attention to support the development community in using EdGEL. The Design System will need to appeal to a wider audience, including all practitioners with the skills required in delivering effective user experiences, from project sponsors and managers, to content and graphic designers, user experience experts and developers. 

Through user research conducted to date, colleagues in University business units, colleges and schools are strongly in favour of a centralised, managed design system that has the structure to ensure best practices, the flexibility to address their unique use cases and uses a technology stack which enables collaboration with and contributions from staff across the University. 

Scope

The aim for the Digital Design System Service would be to offer, review and improve iteratively, all necessary resources and support for University business units to deliver a world-class digital experience for all its audiences while achieving their business objectives. 

The scope of the Digital Design System Service is to: 

• Record and share transparently all current knowledge regarding the University’s digital experience. 

• Enable staff to address digital, print, and physical experience use cases quickly and effectively across the University. 

• Iteratively evolve following human-centred approaches to fully support user journeys and incorporate digital standards by default, e.g., accessibility, privacy etc. 

• Continuously engage with the Design System’s users and audiences, ensuring coverage of all stakeholders and practitioners engaged in delivery of experiences, to ensure maximum adoption by relevant University website and design communities. 

• Become the definitive expression of The University’s digital experience, be fully aligned with existing the University brand and all relevant policies, standards, and guidelines. 

The scope of the project is to: 

• Define and deliver the Minimum Viable (MVP) and Minimum Marketable Products (MMP) for the University of Edinburgh Design System and channels for communicating its principles and processes, focusing on digital services, use cases and interfaces. 

• Engage and foster the build-up of a University-wide community of practice to enable support and adoption for the Design System. Ensure that the Design System is easily usable and understood by its user base, allowing feedback and contributions to extend it further. 

• Deliver and hand over to a sustainable Design System service, ensuring continuity and support for current and future users. 

Out of scope

• Intranet sites, such as SharePoint and Wikis, are out of scope.

• Digital asset management, such as asset versioning and distribution, are out of scope 

• Non-digital design use cases, e.g., physical experience. Having said that, there needs to be consideration that some of the principles might still be useful to the physical experience and it would be ideal to align everything. 

Objectives and Deliverables

Benefits

The main benefits of delivering this project will be: 

• A validated, insight-driven, evidence-based, user-centred user experience. 

• Enable meaningful positive change for the University’s digital estate. 

• Creation of a one-stop-shop for digital design, supporting better understanding and evidence-based decision-making across the University. 

• Support alignment of digital presence approaches and deliverables across the University. 

• Ensure coordination of digital design strategic approaches between key central teams, e.g., Website & Communications and Software Development Services in ISG, Communications and Marketing in USG, and across all Colleges, Schools and Professional Groups. 

• Introduce processes and resources that will result in efficiencies and avoiding duplication, eventually supporting a reduction in ongoing costs relating to digital presence delivery. 

• Better understanding of how and when to use the Design System’s components, features and design elements. 

• Establishment, support and fostering of relevant University-wide design-focused communities of practice. 

• Ensure the University is fully compliant with current and future legislation, e.g., accessibility, privacy etc. 

Success Criteria

Success criteria for the project are: 

• The University Design System has a full web presence, which will include all of the MMP components, including an upgraded version of the EdGEL Pattern Library, relevant guidelines and agreed design process/principles. 

• A full cycle of the defined processes is completed by key users/contributors, incl. IS Apps Development Services, Website & Communications Web Development Team, College/School Development Team (e.g., CAHSS Digital Innovations Team or equivalent). 

• Enabling full usage of the Design System for the implementation of the University's Web Publishing Platform by all involved parties, including the selected external suppliers. 

• Increased adoption of the Design System across the University, including at least one School per College, to deliver at least a live website or supported digital presence. 

• Establishment of the Design System as the single, cohesive source of truth for the University’s digital experience, including ensuring of establishing a single pattern library and embedding of the content style guide which will include input across the University. 

• Increase understanding of the Design System’s benefit.  
• Agree on some measurable KPIs. 

Project Milestones