Charlene Brown
My name is Charlene Brown, I am a Digital Content Developer for the Government of Jersey.
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What my job involves
I plan, write and publish content on the gov.je website. It’s my responsibility to make sure our information and services on the website are open and accessible to everyone. My role is varied and includes aspects of Content Design, Usability, Accessibility and User Experience.
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How I got into this profession
I started in Customer Services and naturally migrated into this position. The skills required for customer service and my current role have a huge amount of transferable skills and customers are accessing information and services more than ever so it just felt like the right move for me.
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Qualifications or skills needed for the role
First and foremost you need to have a passion for making things simple and easy for everyone regardless of ability. You also need to be extremely customer focused, have a keen eye for detail and a love of writing. Qualifications in Content Strategy, Content Design, Accessibility, Usability, Writing for the Web and User Experience are also essential.
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Being a Woman in Tech
I love it! I’m extremely lucky because my team is predominantly female, which is refreshing. A few of us are also new mums, so it’s been so great to have each other’s support and understanding when returning to work.
I face challenges daily, as most women in the workplace do, but I feel like times are changing. My biggest challenge is actually my own self-belief, and I think a lot of women out there will feel the same. It can sometimes be daunting when you work in a male dominated environment, but you have to always remind yourself of what you bring to the table.
My team is extremely supportive and we have an amazing bond, it’s a very open and honest environment and we work super hard. We’re a very small team compared to our workload so we’re very close and always looking out for each other.
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What I enjoy most about the job
My favourite part is actually user research, meeting our customers and finding out more about their wants and needs and how we can design services to suit them. I really enjoy taking complicated information and services, stripping it all back and making it simple for everyone.
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An exciting project i’ve been involved in
My favourite project recently has been the Pregnancy and birth section on gov.je, I’m really proud of the work we have done to open up this information to new mums, and also I was lucky enough to meet lots of gorgeous newborns when we were completing our customer research. Bonus!
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Interests
I love the water, the sea, the beach, surfing, paddle boarding. I’m a huge animal lover and I love hanging out with my two young children.
