digital – Digital trade

How we’re making strategic decisions based on the needs of businesses

Richard Smith, Lead User Researcher, 24 March 2026 - Professions

Find out what we have learned as we take a more strategic view of user research insights to improve decision making and support businesses more meaningfully.

Strengthening business support through user-centred, evidence-led collaboration

Andy Davies, Lead Service Designer, Rae Jones, Lead User Researcher and Becky Pawley, Lead Policy Designer, 11 March 2026 - Professions

How our Digital, Data and Technology team's first Co-Lab collaborated with policy and Local Business Support teams across DBT to make policy and services more user-centred and effective.

Content isn’t static: what I learned about content ownership in the world of AI summaries

Tracey Wilson, Deputy Service Owner, 3 March 2026 - Professions

We reviewed a number of Department for Business and Trade (DBT) tagged pages flagged for review to confirm ownership and decide next action: update or retire. Without clear ownership and ongoing stewardship, content can drift while remaining live. AI systems and search tools can continue to surface older material without context, increasing the importance of …

Levelling the playing field with Microsoft accessibility

Dylan Boyer, Digital Engagement Manager in Corporate Systems Solutions (Microsoft), 25 February 2026 - People

Accessibility isn’t just a feature, it’s a commitment. I wanted to highlight the importance of increasing the awareness of Microsoft’s many accessibility features to help support EVERYONE.

Driving success through digital adoption

Rhian Hopkins, Engagement Manager, 17 February 2026 - Products

Digital adoption is about people. Our work on Data Hub shows that change is a process, and through collaboration and support teams can embrace tools that help improve workflows, strengthen business engagement, and enable smarter decisions.

A new evaluator role to support modern digital government

Natalia Chivite-Matthews, Head of Digital Evaluation and Arianna Rossi, Digital Evaluator, 12 February 2026 - Professions

Discover the new Digital Evaluator role! Learn how it ensures accountability, value for money, and continuous improvement in UK government digital projects.

How breaking the routine fuels fresh ideas and delivers value

Jo Pitches, Senior Delivery Manager, 9 February 2026 - People

Every 3 months, DBT Digital, Data and Technology colleagues are free to pause routine work to test fresh ideas. They gain insight, build skills and deliver improvements for colleagues, the public and the wider digital community.

From Redbox to DBT Assist: Building AI tools that balance innovation and trust

Alfie Dennen, Digital Senior Product Manager in AI Enablement and Saisakul Chernbumroong, Lead Data Scientist, 4 February 2026 - Products

When I.AI closed their Redbox product in December 2025, DBT had already diverged substantially from that original platform. Two years of user research and iteration created something distinct, shaped by the specific needs of civil servants working with Official Sensitive material.