Designing a Better Future: User-centered solutions for purpose-driven organisations.

Dereck Johnson

Do you imagine a world where technology empowers positive change?

That’s what drives Dereck, an experienced design leader passionate about helping purpose-driven organisations create impactful digital products and services.
With over 20 years of UX design expertise, Dereck has a proven track record of:

  • Uncovering user needs to design solutions that drive real-world impact.
  • Transforming ideas into tangible prototypes for rapid iteration and testing.
  • Crafting clear UX frameworks that ensure user engagement and measurable results.
  • Guiding teams through complex projects, fostering creative problem-solving and collaboration.

Dereck’s background in EdTech and diverse design career provide a unique perspective for tackling your organisation’s challenges. He thrives on helping teams translate strategic goals into compelling user experiences.

Reach out to discuss how Dereck can help you design a digital future that empowers positive change.

From initial concepts to compelling experiences, Dereck bridges the gap between strategic vision and user-centred design.

Dereck finds joy in helping others to make sense of unknown or messy problems, developing a path from ambiguity to clarity.

Reducing Uncertainty

  • Create data-driven experiences: Dereck uses research insights to develop products and services that resonate with your target audience.

  • Boost user engagement: Dereck leverages data to improve user experience and keep your customers returning for more.

Delivering Clarity

  • Turn vision into reality: Dereck helps you translate your strategic goals into compelling user experiences through compelling product visions.

  • Impactful digital products: Dereck shapes your product vision into a clear roadmap and helps build the right team to execute it.

Adaptable to Change

  • Create products that adapt and thrive: – Dereck helps to deliver products that can evolve in an ever-changing market, ensuring long-term value.
  • Empowering teams: Dereck can help guide your teams through change management and foster a collaborative environment that unlocks their full potential.

If you have a complex digital product or service idea that you would like help defining and visualising and would like to discuss with Dereck, please get in touch via email or LinkedIn.

Transforming ambiguity into user-centric design solutions that drive success.

Dereck has helped organisations like FutureLearn, QAHE, and Tes uncover user needs and transform them into compelling digital products and services that drive measurable results through transformation and optimisation.

He helps teams and organisations tell product stories through captivating product visions that deliver impactful outcomes by translating your strategic goals into compelling user experiences. Dereck can help you:

  • Boost ROI and user engagement: Leverage data-driven UX to create experiences that keep users returning and drive business outcomes.

  • Achieve measurable results: Drive user engagement and positive change through user-centred design that aligns with your organisation’s mission.

  • Visualise actionable strategies from complexity: Turn even the most intricate ideas into clear, actionable plans that propel your business forward.

  • Reduce risk and drive innovation: Clear product visions, prototypes, and roadmaps guide your team for efficient execution.

  • Gain a competitive edge: Unleash the power of user-centric design to create experiences that win customers and set your organisation apart.

It's good to talk

Are you exploring a difficult product or service problem that Dereck could help you with? Please get in touch and let's see how we might work together.

What people say about working with Dereck

Matt Walton

“Dereck is a great UX leader and one of the most dependable people you could possibly want to work with. He’s both a seasoned and experienced individual contributor who can unpack complex UX challenges and propose sensible solutions but also a thoughtful manager who cares about coaching his reports to be their best. He’s adaptable, willing to turn his hand to new challenges and a reassuring and supportive presence through times of change.”

Matt Walton – Chief Product Officer

Will Barden

“Dereck is a wonderful design leader. He is customer-centric and also business savvy, visionary yet pragmatic, persistent and persuasive while still being open and collaborative, and genuinely a nice guy who wants everyone to be their best and is always ready to roll his sleeves up and do the right thing for the company. He is well-liked and respected across departments, and I’d highly recommend him if you need a steady hand to bring best practices to your org.”

Will Barden – Product director

Anna Bowers

“Dereck is one of my favourite people I’ve ever worked with. His unfailingly positive disposition, his deep Design discipline expertise, and his pragmatism and drive to do the right thing for users of the product he is working on making him an incredibly valuable and insightful person to have on your team.
He is a great manager. He is present with his team and takes responsibility for pushing for advocacy of both their voices and the voice of Design at every level of the organisation. You can learn a lot from every conversation with Dereck, and I highly recommend him as a competent, disciplined, and compassionate Design leader.”

Anna Bowers – Head of Delivery

Latest thoughts

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Book and magazine cover designs are an essential aspect of the publishing industry. They are usually the first thing that catches a reader’s eye, and often, can make or break a book’s success. A great cover design not only reflects the content of the book or magazine but also appeals to the target audience.

Judging books by their covers… April 2024

Book and magazine cover designs are an essential aspect of the publishing industry. They are usually the first thing that catches a reader’s eye, and often, can make or break a book’s success. A great cover design not only reflects the content of the book or magazine but also appeals to the target audience.

Judging books by their covers… March 2024

Book and magazine cover designs are an essential aspect of the publishing industry. They are usually the first thing that catches a reader’s eye, and often, can make or break a book’s success. A great cover design not only reflects the content of the book or magazine but also appeals to the target audience.