GPT Initiative
- Commissioned by City & Guilds
- Completed June 2018
- Type: Web Applications, Learning Technology
- Roll: Consultancy, UX/UI Design
The Group Product Technology (GPT) Initiative for City & Guilds was about business change management, aligned with the Groups 2030 vision, to define a collection of standards, guidelines, tools and services that would enable teams to build effective digital products and services.
Standardisation
The drive to create a standardised set of design principles and patterns was originally started in 2017 as part of the MLS PIVOT project.
During the design phase of this project, it quickly became obvious that a centralised knowledge base for product development would provide a substantial cost and time-saving benefit to all digital products across City & Guilds digital landscape.
The original acronym of GAP was later changed to GPT as the initiative was about more than creating a platform but the concept remained the same.
Business Change
Across the Group, it was recognised that there was a duplication of functionality within products and that it was having a negative impact on business capabilities.
The GPT Team were formed to spearhead the initiative to resolve these issues by harnessing technology and driving innovation, helping deliver group-wide solutions that would reduce legacy systems and modernise operational processes.
Collaboration
Changing the cultural mindset within a large multifaceted organisation like City & Guilds Group was a huge ask.
Removing the reliance upon decision-by-committee was critical to the success of the GPT Initiative. But the quicker the organisation could collectively design, develop and manage their digital projects, the more effective and profitable they would be.
The Four Layers
Everyone loves a metaphor and visually representing the GPT initiative as layers helped everyone understand what was being offered.
Manage
Critical to the success of any digital platform is effective management – from concept through development, to operational support and beyond. Success requires the right cultural mindset and the ability to make things work in practice.
GPT offered a variety of services and tools to help maximise success in these early stages. Providing the knowledge to plan for success from the very start.
Design
Great design is not achieved by simply creating something that looks pretty. Visual impressions are important but if they are not backed by solid UX design then the experience can feel hollow and underwhelming.
GPT provided a collection of guidelines, standards and assets to help teams efficiently design great digital products. Enabling maximum design productivity while retaining consistency and usability.
Engineer
Creating excellent digital products is more than just writing computer code. Great products are built using carefully selected tools and on a firm foundation of engineering principles, processes and a solid architecture.
GPT defined the foundational software engineering principles for product development. Providing a ‘Software Factory’ with a set of processes and tools that enabled digital products to be manufactured in a consistent, compliant and deliberate way.
Deploy
For digital products to be of the highest quality, to be adaptable to the market and to be profitable, how they are deployed, their infrastructure choices and the philosophy and principles to abide by are of paramount importance to achieving these goals.
GPT enabled cost effective, automated and uniform digital product deployment. With a suite of tools and technologies which together provide a universal deployment environment, fully penetration tested and GDPR compliant.
Much of the collection was designed to help deliver effective, consistent and profitable products from scratch but a proportion could also be used to enhance and align existing propositions, allowing teams to collectively design, develop and manage their digital projects.
All of this knowledge was delivered via the Digital Launchpad (DLP).
Design Layer
Pattern Library
Standardised design patterns help create a positive and consistent User Experience across the City & Guilds digital landscape.
As part of the GPT Initiative, we designed and fully document an extensive range of design patterns.
Hover over each pattern for a brief description.
Use when the user is required to supply information about themselves to create an account with a C&G product or service.
Use when the user has supplied / is supplying data to the system.
Use when the user has, as part of a broader task, visited a screen that is related to, but not required by, that broader task.
Use when the user needs to select multiple items before performing an action.
Use when the system requires the user to declare a preference or take an action.
Cards give us a standard way to present data, visuals and other interactive components
Use when we need to present data that is best expressed as a fraction of the whole.
Use when the user requires a summary of data or activity in an easily scannable format.
Use when the system presents information that is not required to complete a task.
Use when the system offers a downloadable file to the user.
Use when the user wishes to upload a file to the system.
Use when the user is able to configure the view of data by applying facets.
Use when the system requires the user to provide data.
Use when the user is required to provide data.
Use when the user is allowed to manage/reset their password.
Use with caution! A number of conditions must be met before modal is considered.
When the user needs to report that something has happened.
Use when the system presents large data sets to the user.
Use when the user is required to complete extended tasks.
Use when the user needs to be able to locate specific items in a broader list.
Use when the system needs to report the completed status of a task.
Use when the system is required to present large sets of tabular data.
Use when we require a consistent navigation and notification device.
Design Principles
Principles can be thought of as the over-arching rules defining how a system appears and behaves.
As part of the GPT Initiative, we designed and fully document a broad range of design principles.
Hover over each principle for a brief description.
Defining a level of continuity and familiarity across digital products.
When used correctly, standardised icons can impart knowledge.
General guidance to help the selection of appropriate images.
Typefaces chosen for their legibility across different devices.
Plain English does not mean boring or overly simple.
The UI regions that make up the basic structure of the layout.
Breakpoints To create a successful UX across multiple devices.
Defining a universal unit of measurement for a consistent UI.
A set of rules that all digital product development should follow.
Making content and services available to everyone.
Acknowledgements
This was a huge project and it would not have been completed without the contributions of the Design Team – Paul Messenger and Chris Ford – I thank you!
A special mention goes to Sven Laux (CTO @ City & Guilds) for his vision and leadership
