If you want someone who will think empathetically and imaginatively about your service users, and then co-design communication channels that create ease of use and safety for your service users – then Michael is the right hire.
Michael covered the range of our digital communication channels. Back in 2007/8, Michael persuaded me that our organisation should get onto social media in the face of my own suspicion (yes I’m a bit embarrassed by my own lack of foresight but well done Michael for keeping at it).
I was also struck by the way he did things like incorporate visual tools into our websites to support users with low literacy to be able to interact with information.
Bear in mind this was 2008 and he was stretching the capabilities of code to be able to create those visual tools, and we had a development budget best described as Nordic minimalism.
He’s also very strong on design elements, things like typography that are subtle but can affect everything from accessibility to tone of written voice.
And he was very good at prioritising our scant resources: we couldn’t do everything people wanted but the most important things were best-in-class we had incredibly wide reach with our user groups in all their different segments, and with key stakeholders.
TL:DR, he’s just really good. He may challenge you, but you will be so glad he did, and you will be completely confident that he’s putting your service users at the heart of the work.
He is the polar opposite of digital consultants with a bland corporate manner who will reskin a website they have been recycling for ten years in your brand colours, and flatter your vanity.