Assessment gate approaching
Six to twelve weeks before a GDS assessment
You have done the work. You are not sure you can articulate it clearly enough under panel questioning. The evidence trail is thinner than it should be.
Design leadership · Public sector
Complex services become clearer when teams share direction, not heroics.
Hummingbird helps public service teams deliver from Discovery to Live, with evidence discipline, GDS-informed practice, and FLOCK built in.
15+
Years in delivery
NHS · MoJ · DfE · MHCLG
Current & past clients
D → L
Discovery to Live
Current engagement
In progress · Alpha
MHCLG: WebCAF digital service for council cyber resilience assessments
Last updated February 2026
View engagement details →Operating framework
FLOCK: five principles. One cycle.
Commitment · Shared Care · Shared Direction · Shared Leadership · Sustainable Pace
Learn about FLOCK →Who we work with
Built for specific situations
Hummingbird is most useful in these contexts. If any of these sound familiar, we should talk.
Direction fragmentation
Multiple teams, multiple versions of the priority
Different people across the programme describe the service direction differently. Backlogs are filling with work that does not trace back to a clear user need.
Design leadership gap
One person carrying the whole design function
The service depends on one designer or researcher holding all the context, all the relationships, and all the governance representation.
Quality under pressure
Delivery pressure compromising design quality
The team is skilled but the pace is unsustainable. Accessibility is being deferred. Research is becoming shallow.
Not sure which applies? Start a conversation →
What we do
Four disciplines. One coherent practice.
01
Interaction design
Journey and flow mapping, service interaction patterns, prototype and usability testing. For when interaction flows are complex and hard to complete.
02
Research and insight
User research and synthesis, evidence-led decision support, service risk and friction analysis. For when teams need clear evidence to make better service decisions.
03
Service design strategy
Service intent and direction, user needs to delivery alignment, decision framing for complex services. For when multiple teams need shared direction and decision consistency.
04
Design leadership
Team standards and quality, design governance in delivery, capability uplift and mentoring. For when design quality and practice need to scale across delivery.
05
Assessment preparation
Structured support for teams approaching a GDS assessment gate: narrative construction, evidence audit, and mock panel sessions.
How we work with you
Starting a phase
We integrate with your team and ways of working from week one. Embedded design leadership in ceremonies and decision-making.
Mid-phase challenge
We test assumptions across service, policy, and technical context. Evidence for trade-offs and priorities, reduced rework before assurance points.
Assessment preparation sprint
We hand over practical outputs teams can use immediately. Delivery-ready artefacts with clear rationale for governance and iteration.
Operating framework
FLOCK
An outcome-led framework for research and design teams in complex public services. Five principles. A 90-day improvement cycle. GDS assessment readiness built in.
P01
Commitment
Clear promises. Traceable decisions.
P02
Shared Care
Sustainable teams. Inclusive services.
P03
Shared Direction
One story. No drift.
P04
Shared Leadership
No single points of failure.
P05
Sustainable Pace
People and services that last.
Start with one 90-day cycle. Three rituals. One principle. A single one-page progress update for governance. Under two hours a month of structured time.
flock: current cycle status
$ flock --status → team: MHCLG WebCAF Alpha → cycle: 2 of 3 → phase: Alpha $ flock --principles ✓ Commitment stable ✓ Shared Care stable ⚠ Shared Direction watchlist ✓ Shared Leadership stable ✓ Sustainable Pace stable → next review in 18 days → progress update due Friday
Track record
Trusted in high-assurance delivery
15+
Years in service design
- Deep understanding of GDS ways of working and service standards.
- Delivery approach shaped for multidisciplinary teams and governance needs.
- Supported teams from Discovery through to Live across complex programmes.
- Supported by senior strategic governance advisory for assurance, risk, and oversight.
Strategic governance advisory
Karl George MBE, independent governance perspective on assurance and oversight.
Monthly brief
One pattern. One tool. One lesson.
A practical monthly brief for teams delivering complex public services. Each issue: one delivery pattern, one decision tool, one real-world lesson.
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