David Thomas

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT DAVID THOMAS

I\'m a user researcher with a passion for tackling wicked problems and driving meaningful change through user centred design.Currently, I\'m Lead User Researcher in the Technology Portfolio for DBT, where I\'m line managing five senior researchers whilst leading a major IT transformation programme for the organisation. This follows over a decade of experience across GOV.UK, working at Senior, Lead and Head levels for departments including UKRI, DfE, DEFRA, MoJ, and BEIS.Throughout my career, I\'ve championed UCD practice and its power to create positive organisational change. I specialise in surfacing user needs through diverse research methods and translating insights into actionable impact that accelerates rather than hinders product development. I\'ve successfully led teams through GDS assessments from Discovery through to Live, built research functions from scratch, and delivered on programmes worth billions in public funding.I\'m particularly energised by projects with real societal impact and have a keen interest in decentralised web and information permanence technologies. My work spans the full spectrum of user research – from qualitative interviews and usability testing to quantitative surveys and ethnographic studies – always with a focus on working in the open and bringing stakeholders along the journey.Through my consultancy, Metaversal Research, I continue to work with digital agencies and commercial clients, helping create usable, engaging experiences across platforms. My expertise covers research strategy, information architecture, interaction design, and everything needed to turn user insights into exceptional digital services.