Having the User at the Heart of Everything You Do
(When It Actually Matters)
By Nikki Saxton-Maund, Digital & Technology Services (DTS) Service Support Lead, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS)
‘Putting users at the heart of everything you do’ is a phrase most of us are familiar with. We see it in strategies, values, and slides across organisations.
But in practice, it’s often the most difficult to live up to when decisions matter the most.
Under pressure, user-centred thinking can quietly shift from informing decisions to sitting alongside them. Research is done, artefacts are produced, and intentions are good, yet priorities are still set, trade-offs are still made, and delivery still moves forward without a clear reference to user need.
This isn’t a failure of commitment; it’s simply a reflection of reality.
Complex organisations operate under genuine constraints: limited access to users, fixed policies, tight timelines, and competing priorities. In that context, ‘user-centred design‘ can start to feel more like an additional activity than a core part of decision-making.
So the challenge isn’t about doing more user-centred work. It’s about making user needs harder to ignore at the moments that shape outcomes; when scope is negotiated, when priorities are set, and when compromises are agreed.
From Artefacts to Influence
Over time, I’ve seen that the most effective teams aren’t the ones with the most polished artefacts or the most elaborate processes. They’re the ones who consistently ask better questions, use evidence thoughtfully, and actively work with user insights rather than treating them as something produced and handed over.
The difference often comes down to small but deliberate shifts in how user research shows up in everyday work. It’s about moving from ‘we’ve done the research’ to ‘what does the research tell us about this decision?‘ It’s about bringing user needs into conversations early, not as a nice-to-have but as essential context that shapes what gets built and why.
This means recognising that user-centered practice isn’t the responsibility of researchers or designers alone. It’s something that needs to be understood and valued across teams, by product owners making prioritisation calls, by developers considering implementation choices, and by leaders weighing strategic options.
When user needs become part of the shared language of decision-making, they stop being easy to deprioritise.
Working Within Real Constraints
The reality is that perfect conditions for user-centred work rarely exist. Budgets are tight. Timelines are fixed. Access to users is limited. Policies constrain what’s possible. These aren’t excuses, they’re the conditions we work in.
The question isn’t how to eliminate these constraints, but how to maintain focus on user needs despite them. Sometimes that means being more strategic about which research questions matter most right now. Sometimes it means using existing data more effectively rather than commissioning new studies. Sometimes it means reframing a conversation so user impact becomes impossible to ignore.
It also means being honest about trade-offs. User-centred design doesn’t mean users get everything they want, or that every decision is purely optimised for user experience. It means user needs are genuinely considered and weighed alongside other factors, and when compromises are made, they’re made consciously with full awareness of the impact.
The organisations that do this well have found ways to make user evidence practical, accessible, and timely. They ensure user insight shows up at the moments where decisions are made, communicate research in ways that land with busy stakeholders, and create space for user needs to influence decisions at the right moment, not after the fact.
Shifting the Conversation
Advocating for users isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room or producing more documentation. It’s about changing the questions people ask and the assumptions they start with.
When a team begins naturally asking ‘how will users experience this?‘ or ‘what evidence do we have that this solves the actual problem?’, that’s when user-centred thinking has taken root. When those questions feel as natural as asking about technical feasibility or budget, the culture has shifted.
This requires both practical skills: knowing how to surface the right insight at the right time, how to communicate research in ways that influence action, how to build relationships that create space for user needs in decision-making, and a clear sense of purpose about why this matters.
Because ultimately, keeping users at the heart of what we do isn’t just good practice. It’s what leads to services that work, outcomes that stick, and trust that builds over time.
At SDI Spark 26, I’ll be exploring what it really means to keep users at the heart of everything you do in real-world conditions. Not as an ideal, but as a practical, sustainable way of working that supports both user outcomes and organisational goals.
If you’ve ever wondered how to advocate for users when time, data, or buy-in feel limited, this session is for you.
