Melissa Gates

Background

About Melissa Gates

I have over 12 years of experience working in user-centred design with a background in media, arts education and PR. What unites all of these things is using my strong communication skills to foster understanding and connection. I love working with all sorts of people in every kind of context, and figuring out how best to deliver a vision together. I'm currently a senior consultant, specialising in content design at Opencast, designing products and services for the public sector. I do a lot of work to integrate user-centred design into the business more widely, working closely with senior leadership on business development and comms. Prior to Opencast, I've worked with Made Tech, Snook and Livework, working for a wide range of clients. In the public sector this includes with Government Digital Service, The Cabinet Office, HMRC, The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Culture, Museums and Science. My private sector experience ranges from banking and retail to pharmaceuticals and utilities. Clients include British Gas, Mastercard, JP Morgan, Pfizer, Lufthansa and Gucci.As well as working in multidisciplinary teams to create user-centred content I've also played a key role in new business development and marketing, working with senior teams to communicate about and sell the work we do. I have hands-on experience of service design, user research, interaction design, which is invaluable when working in multidisciplinary teams as I know the challenges involved and can 'muck in' where needed.I've worked in industries that have gone through rapid change. I worked in the music industry just as streaming began to disrupt it, and rode out the Dotcom boom and bust at an e-learning company. I aim to be a calm, encouraging presence in turbulent times and help teams to navigate change in a spirit of togetherness, resilience and keeping our focus firmly on the bigger picture.