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Adrie van der Luijt | Content Designer & Strategist

14 March 2025

DeskDemon

As editor-in-chief of DeskDemon during the early 2000s, I helped build what quickly became the market-leading online community for executive assistants and office managers in both the UK and US. Working with a substantial budget during the first internet boom, I led a team of 10 people and established strategic partnerships with major brands including Hilton Hotels.What made this project unique was how it created a digital home for a professional community that had previously been fragmented across traditional media channels. By bringing secretarial associations online before they were able to establish their own web presence, we created a centralised resource that empowered EAs with information, connection and professional development.I reduced operational costs by bringing SEO and other technical functions in-house rather than outsourcing them. This at a time five years before open source content management systems became widely available. Beyond content creation, I designed and hosted the DeskDemon PA of the Year Awards, launched at London's Café de Paris, and regularly represented the brand at EA events nationwide. This experience taught me the power of content to elevate and connect professional communities, particularly those whose contributions are often undervalued. The principles of clear communication, professional respect and practical support that underpinned DeskDemon's success remain central to my approach across all sectors.
14 March 2025

Environment Agency

When I arrived, applicants for flood defence funding were struggling with a 350-column spreadsheet that virtually everyone got wrong. I translated this into an online journey with integrated help text, acknowledging that these applications evolve over years rather than days. The impact wasn't just administrative. It meant communities at risk of flooding could access vital protection without navigating an unnecessarily complex process.
13 November 2024

Metropolitan Police Service

When someone is reporting drink spiking from their kitchen at 3am, every word must inspire trust and confidence. Working with police services, I crafted content that acknowledged the fear and uncertainty victims feel, while clearly communicating that their safety is the absolute priority. The tone, pacing and structure of these interactions can mean the difference between someone continuing to seek help or giving up in frustration.
13 August 2024

Cancer Research UK

For cancer patients and their families, information isn't just information – it's a lifeline. Through extensive user research, I discovered that patients needed personalised, trustworthy information with precise control over what they engaged with. Some wanted to know everything about side effects; others couldn't bear to read about prognosis yet. The solution wasn't just about clarity; it was about creating pathways that respected each person's emotional journey alongside their medical one.
13 May 2024

Ofsted

When I joined Ofsted, staff believed their 70-page manual helped people complete registration forms. What they couldn't see was that young women were breaking down in tears on helplines, overwhelmed by complexity. By presenting this uncomfortable evidence with careful diplomacy, I advocated for users whose needs had been overlooked in favour of institutional processes.The redesigned content transformed an emotionally fraught experience into one that empowered people to contribute to childcare and education, restoring dignity to a process directly affecting their livelihoods.Sometimes speaking truth means helping others see past their institutional blindness rather than confrontational opposition.
31 March 2024

Cabinet Office

Creating effective counter-fraud measures presents a unique challenge: how do you gather the information needed for background checks without arousing suspicion or creating undue anxiety? Working with the Cabinet Office, I designed interfaces that collected crucial verification data in ways that felt natural and unobtrusive. This delicate balance between security requirements and user experience meant that legitimate applicants could navigate the process smoothly while still allowing for effective fraud detection. The project was praised by Downing Street as a 'star performer in the UK government's Covid-19 response' and won the Game-Changer Trophy in a high-profile hackathon.
31 March 2024

Visit Nunney

For a decade, I ran Visit Nunney as a community interest company serving the village of Nunney in Somerset. This project demonstrates how content can strengthen community bonds and preserve cultural heritage while driving economic benefits through tourism. The website combined practical visitor information with original historical research that earned recognition from curators at the British Museum and the Holburne Museum in Bath.The project won multiple accolades, including Somerset Tourism & Leisure Business of the Year 2016, the Unsung Hero for Customer Service Award 2015-16 in the South West Tourism Awards, and recognition as runner-up for UK Charity/Community Interest Website of the Year 2015 and UK Information/News Website of the Year 2014 in The Good Web Guide Awards.This work illustrates how my content approach extends beyond government services to benefit communities directly. It shows my ability to create sustainable, award-winning content initiatives that serve multiple stakeholders – from local businesses and residents to tourists and historical researchers, while operating within the constraints of a community interest company.
13 September 2023

Universal Credit

In those early days of Universal Credit, I was often the only voice in the room advocating for plain English and user-centred design. Government systems have historically put the burden of understanding on citizens rather than taking responsibility for clarity. By challenging each piece of jargon and questioning every data request, we created a service that worked with people rather than against them at a time of financial vulnerability.
13 September 2023

Rural Payments Agency

Not every project succeeds, and I believe that acknowledging failure is as important as celebrating success. During a year working on rural payments, I consistently highlighted how the service was failing its users – elderly farmers with limited digital skills who were suddenly required to use complex software with strict accuracy requirements. Despite organisational resistance, I maintained my advocacy for these users.The project ultimately cost hundreds of millions and led to a public inquiry. This experience taught me that true content integrity sometimes means being the uncomfortable voice in the room, even when it's politically difficult. My commitment is always to the people using the service, not to making systems appear successful when they're failing their users.
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