Fraser Smith

Profile

I am a design leader in the Scottish public sector. I help teams design public services that are accessible and work well for the people who use them. I lead the Scottish public sector Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) community for service design. I work on design skills, strategy and joint working between organisations. I help embed the Scottish Approach to Service Design. I have built and grown multidisciplinary design teams. I care about inclusive, evidence-based design. I have set up design governance and standards, and I champion accessibility.

Experience

1. Head of Practice for Service Design

   Scottish Public Sector DDaT CommunityMay 2025 to present

   As Head of Practice for Service Design, I provide strategic leadership for the Service Design profession across the Scottish public sector, supporting the growth, engagement, and capability of practitioners within the DDaT community. I act as the professional lead for Service Design, shaping standards, frameworks, and community development in alignment with national digital priorities.

   • Lead a cross-government community of practice connecting over 100 Service Designers across public bodies, agencies and local authorities.
   • Represent the Service Design profession within national DDaT leadership forums, influencing strategy, capability planning and workforce development.
   • Develop and maintain shared standards, tools and professional guidance to embed the Scottish Approach to Service Design across organisations.
   • Oversee professional governance activities including job approvals, Certificates of Competency and role standardisation across the Service Design practice.
   • Promote inclusion, knowledge sharing and continuous learning through monthly community events, mentoring initiatives and professional development programmes.

2. Service Design Lead

   Digital Directorate, Scottish GovernmentJuly 2024 to present

   Provide strategic service design leadership within the Digital Directorate, guiding multidisciplinary teams to deliver cross-government design programmes that shape the future of digital and service delivery in Scotland.

   • Lead service design across the Directorate, embedding user-centred and evidence-based design in strategic programmes.
   • Shaped the future Target Operating Model for service delivery, defining principles for consistent, inclusive and scalable design practice across government.
   • Led User Centred Design team for the Ukraine Resettlement Programme, coordinating multi-agency collaboration to deliver accessible, inclusive services that measurably improved outcomes for displaced people, reduced processing times, and decreased administrative burden for partner organisations.
   • Engage with senior executives and leadership teams to embed design thinking in strategic decision-making and investment priorities.
   • Supported the facilitation of collaborative sessions to design the updated Digital Strategy for Scotland.
   • Drive alignment between digital policy and design capabilities.

3. Service Design and Interaction Design Lead

   Social Security Scotland, Scottish GovernmentAugust 2021 to July 2024

   Held a series of senior design leadership roles, including Service Design Lead, Interaction Design Lead, and Design & Research Operations Lead, during the establishment of Social Security Scotland - the largest delivery programme and transfer of powers under devolution to date. Led multidisciplinary user-centred design teams to deliver inclusive, accessible and evidence-based digital services supporting Scotland’s new social security system.

   • Led diverse teams comprising permanent staff, contractors and supplier teams, establishing clear standards and guidelines for digital products and services, managing workforce planning and priorities, ensuring effective use of budget and resources.
   • Developed comprehensive UCD strategy during a challenging transition period marked by significant uncertainty, establishing Communities of Practice and defining ways of working.
   • Established and chaired Design Authority panels, embedding governance, accessibility (WCAG) and professional standards across internal and supplier teams.
   • Led teams through Digital Scotland Service Standard, Digital First and GDS assessments, ensuring consistent compliance and service assurance.
   • Created and embedded a Design and Research Operations framework, streamlining user research processes, data governance and GDPR compliance for scalability and sustainability.
   • Spearheaded creation of digital heuristics and non-functional requirements, informed by Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research and industry best practice.
   • Led cross-government design projects, including the digital Task List component, bringing together designers and researchers from Scottish Government, UK Government and other national departments.

   Previous to this: Senior Interaction Designer (September 2020 to August 2021)

4. Senior User Experience Consultant

   Sopra SteriaJanuary 2019 to September 2020

   Delivered UX consultancy for large-scale transformation projects across the public sector, including Scottish Government, Historic Environment Scotland, and Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

   • Led design for the Child Disability Payment digital application and citizen portal.
   • Led the digital transformation of Historic Environment Scotland's public-facing archives.
   • Led the design for the new vision for Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service for both employees and citizens.
   • Designed the new front-facing service for Broxbourne Environmental Services.

Earlier roles

• User Experience Consultant, Deloitte2018 to 2019
• User Experience Consultant, Sopra Steria2016 to 2018
• UX Design Intern, Redgate Software2016