Meet Our Designer Series — Simon Castillo
Hello everyone! I’m Veron, the Head of Design at Accurx. In our second “Meet Our Designer” series, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Simon, one of our Product Designers here in the Accurx Design Community. Simon joined us last summer, and prior to Accurx, he worked in the government at the Home Office and Ministry of Justice. Like many designers in the industry, Simon didn’t study Design at university, he studied Mechanical Engineering at University College London. Always fascinated by how things work, Simon realised his true passion lies in Design, and later started his first designer role in 2016. After six years in government, he made the leap to Accurx. It’s been less than a year now, and everything still feels new. I asked him to share his reflections on his experiences, insights from his work in designing for the public sector, and the changes he’s noticed since transitioning from government to a scale-up product company.
Veron: Since the beginning of your design journey, you’ve mostly focused on designing for the public sector, working at the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and now for the NHS. What are some of the common challenges you’ve encountered when designing for the public sector?
Simon: One of the main challenges is that you’re designing for a wide range of people, because many public-facing services are meant to cater to everyone. While it’s definitely challenging, making sure that accessibility is at the forefront of the design process is crucial, and that’s something I’ve found really rewarding. When you’re designing for such a broad audience, you have to consider the needs of people you might not have direct experience with, or you have to gather a lot of context about their needs. And also, when you’re designing for the public sector, it isn’t just about the public; you’re also designing for the staff, the civil servants. They’re often under a lot of pressure to deliver services efficiently and might not have the time to learn complicated systems. So, making something that’s easy for them to use and supports their day-to-day operations is crucial.
Veron: I’m really interested in something you mentioned about designing for users. The distinction between the definition of customers versus users is quite intriguing. In a B2C scenario, we usually refer to customers as users. But in your case, you’re talking about users as both the general public and civil servants. How does this shift affect your approach to design?
Simon: As a customer, when you’re purchasing a product or service, you have a choice. You’re more inclined to consider the different options that meet your needs. But in the public sector, you don’t really have a choice of using different digital services to renew your passport or book a GP appointment in the case of the NHS. And for the civil servant-facing side of those services — they also don’t have as much choice but they still need to do their jobs effectively. So there’s less focus on attracting and retaining customers and a strong focus on helping users complete their tasks efficiently.
Veron: We’ve touched on the challenges designers face when designing for users in the public sector. Now, let’s delve into the day-to-day challenges product teams encounter in these diverse contexts. What have you observed as common challenges in your experience?
Simon: From my time in government, one big challenge is tackling problems holistically. For example, when I was working on a product related to criminal convictions at the MOJ, it was clear that the policy around it is handled by multiple government departments. Understanding how the different parts fit together is one challenge. And then another challenge is when you identify areas for improvement but struggle to rally cross-government efforts to address them collectively. Figuring out how to solve the different pieces and link them together across such large organisations is quite difficult.
Veron: Absolutely, I can relate to that even in our context at Accurx. Despite being a product company, influencing how communication flows between GPs and patients for referrals requires understanding how hospitals and pharmacies operate too. It’s a holistic approach indeed.
Veron: Shifting from challenges, let’s talk about the aspects you find enjoyable or rewarding. What key elements have you found fulfilling when designing for the public sector over the years?
Simon: I think it’s the chance to design something impactful and beneficial for many people. Solving a problem well can significantly enhance people’s experience with the public sector — a lot of the time they’re using these services in difficult or stressful circumstances, like when someone has a legal or health problem, and that sense of making the whole process easier for them is really rewarding.
Veron: Definitely, that sense of impact resonates here at Accurx too. People are passionate about improving healthcare communication. Regardless of the problem’s scale, we know that solving it effectively can gradually transform how healthcare professionals work and how patients access care. Now, let’s talk about your recent transition from an in-house role within a government team to working for a product company serving the NHS. What similarities have you noticed, and what are the key differences?
Simon: When I first joined here, I found that the product team setup is exactly the same as the ones I experienced in the government, which was quite reassuring. There’s often this perception that government might lag behind, but that’s not always the case. Government departments have the same digital product team structure as a young product company like here. The relationships and ways of working are very transferable. In terms of challenges, I’d say the speed of change is definitely different. Here in a product company or scale-up, you can really see the company’s ambitions driving how people work. It’s quite common for a product company to quickly pivot and change to meet its goals and mission, which is less likely to happen for a product team in government. What’s interesting for me is that in a product company, you can clearly see how the work you do contributes to the company’s overall mission and goals, whereas in government, you might not have that direct connection because it passes through so many layers.
Veron: That’s a very insightful reflection. I hadn’t considered it from that angle, but it makes perfect sense. Considering the size of our company or organisation, with around 10–12 product teams and 250 staff at Accurx, compared to government departments, we’re much smaller, which naturally affects the pace.
Simon: Another common aspect I’ve noticed is that when you’re working as a designer in a digital product team, whether in government or at Accurx, you’re using the latest technologies in your day-to-day work and surrounded by people who are tech-savvy or regularly use products on different devices. However, this doesn’t always reflect the end users. So it’s essential for your team to understand if the product you’re designing will truly meet users’ needs, in their context and with their experience.
Veron: That’s a valid point, especially considering our earlier discussion on designing for users with varying needs and digital literacy levels. With your extensive experience in the public sector over almost six years, have you noticed any changes in digital literacy and people’s comfort in using digital government services?
Simon: It’s not very clear, I’d assume digital literacy is improving but regardless of any shifts in the population’s comfort level, the goal is always to make services that are as inclusive as possible. I think that’s a good fundamental principle of service design in government.
Veron: After discussing the design challenges and similarities, what everyday differences have you noticed between working in government and a product company? I understand it’s been a relatively short time, less than a year, since you’ve been here.
Simon: One thing that’s been quite interesting, and something I didn’t expect, is how quickly as a designer or as a team, you can change and adapt your ways of working here at Accurx. Even in less than a year here, I’ve seen the design team continuously come up with ideas to change our processes, and some of these changes have resulted in great improvements in how we work. It’s impressive to see how everyone contributes ideas, and once applied, they scale across the community. This is something I think could be more challenging to achieve in government.
Veron: Thank you for sharing that perspective. From a scale-up standpoint, we’re always keen on adapting and iterating, especially as the team has grown from five to fifteen in just a couple of years. The idea of continuous improvement is ingrained in our ways of working.
Veron: For those reading this article, they might be interested in designing for or working within the government as a designer. I’m curious to hear from you, as navigating the public sector can be daunting for new designers. I often come across young designers keen on transitioning into the public sector, either within government or for companies serving the government. What advice would you offer to designers who are new to this environment?
Simon: It’s understandable to feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the public sector. Many of the issues you’ll be working on might be unfamiliar, so there’s definitely a learning curve. From my experience, you’ll gain a lot by working closely with researchers and attending research sessions to gain insights. On top of that, you’re likely to be working with subject matter experts who can always provide valuable knowledge about the context.
Veron: Did you find you had enough time to learn? I ask because I recently had a session with some graduate students who expressed concerns about not knowing enough about the subject matter or feeling like it would take a long time to learn.
Simon: When you’re starting out as a designer in the public sector, especially at the entry level, that’s okay as no one expects you to know everything. Take your time to learn as much as possible. Personally, when I started at the Home Office, I didn’t know much about their operations, so I was highly motivated to learn everything I could about the organisation and how it works. Over time, things naturally became easier as I immersed myself in the work and learned more each day.
Veron: I want to highlight something you mentioned about being motivated to learn and being interested. I think that’s a crucial aspect of being a designer — having the curiosity to learn from those around you and the work you’re involved in.
Simon: Definitely. Whether it’s in the government or now here at Accurx, one thing I’ve always appreciated is being surrounded by people who are passionate about their work and willing to guide and share insights with you.
Veron: Totally. It’s been a pleasure talking to you today. Your reflections have been incredibly insightful, especially considering the relatively short time you’ve been here. I’m sure our readers who are interested in working for the public sector and designing for it will gain a lot from your experiences.
