Robert Donegan, Principal User Experience Designer for Flood Products at Jacobs
Introduction
This year’s user conference was an outstanding success! As a user advocate, it was essential for me to attend, connect, and discuss with our community the challenges and opportunities they face. Being close to our users makes our design choices more authentic and impactful. This conference showcased a wealth of creativity—people brimming with ideas to tackle even the most niche project challenges. It was inspiring to witness their resilience and ingenuity in crafting unique, often unexpected, solutions.
Setting the scene
The atmosphere was vibrant and welcoming, with attendees eager to engage and the steering team excited to share and discuss case studies and ideas. A variety of sessions kept everyone involved, including interactive workshops, previews of upcoming features, live demos, and discussions covering the unique challenges faced by modellers, economists, government agencies, and more.
One memorable presentation on culvert fish pass solutions demonstrated how enhancing natural habitats can be more sustainable than traditional "grey" solutions. It was eye-opening to see how the most aesthetically pleasing solutions often prove to be the most robust and long-lasting. We’re extremely proud that Flood Modeller enables this kind of work - a remarkable achievement for all involved.
Main themes & industry insights
Key themes included data management, task automation, collaboration between modellers and stakeholders, industry regulations, and the impact of climate change. File management and data security were also critical topics.
Model management emerged as a major concern, particularly around secure storage, with some ground-breaking projects burdened by model files reaching into the tens of terabytes! Collaboration was another central theme - how can modellers and clients work effectively within tight deadlines and budgets? Our latest innovation, Flood Platform, has real potential to foster transformative change in this area.
Above all, users expressed a desire for greater control, transparency, and contextual understanding, both now and in the future. From listening to attendees, it’s clear how pivotal their work is to clients and the wider community. The decisions made by this industry affect us all, so equipping modellers to tackle ever-greater challenges is critical.
Key takeaways from sessions
Throughout the two days, there were countless insightful moments. Presentations on natural flood management and others highlighted how aesthetics can also be a primary benefit when innovative solutions arise through interdisciplinary collaboration. Comments like, “This is game-changing!” echoed throughout the sessions, along with engaged questions and insights that reflected the innovative spirit of this community.
UX prototyping workshop
I had the chance to run a UX workshop, which received a highly positive response. The activities demonstrated the reasoning behind design choices modellers and designers make, sparking lively discussion. I was thrilled by the number of participants in both sessions, especially since the workshop was a relatively late addition to the conference line up.
It was incredibly satisfying to see participants hang their work gallery-style, silently observing each other’s ideas. Over 40 attendees submitted concepts, some closely aligned with features on our roadmap, providing crucial validation for the improvements we’re investing in. Some of the unique ideas presented practical solutions that we’d love to incorporate, and I’m grateful to the participants for their insight and engagement.
Networking & community spirit
A strong sense of community permeated the event, with everyone sharing experiences and challenges in a supportive environment where they could explore solutions together. Attendees provided glowing feedback on our presentations and workshops, with many expressing interest in more interactive sessions in the future.
This close-knit industry atmosphere was clear, whether among colleagues, collaborators, or admirers of each other’s work. There is a genuine eagerness to learn and grow together.
Looking ahead
The insights gained at the conference helped us solidify our goals for several key features under development, strengthening our approach with real-world scenarios and user input. We’re looking forward to providing early access to Flood Platform for interested users, as well as launching Flood Modeller v8.0 early next year, incorporating many of the requests shared at this year’s conference.
I’m excited for continued collaboration with our valued users, helping them deliver higher quality, ground breaking work for their clients and communities.
Conclusion
This year’s user conference was a resounding success for me personally and for the entire team. Our users are the driving force and inspiration behind our progress, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s event which is taking place on 8th-9th October in Leeds. Register for Flood Modeller 2025 today!
If you’re interested in contributing to our products or taking part in early alpha/beta releases, please don't hesitate to reach out. We’re dedicated to ensuring you’re heard and getting the very best from our software.
Robert Donegan
Rob is a Principal User Experience Designer in the Flood Products team at Jacobs, boasting over 15 years of expertise in the creative and digital realms. With a keen emphasis on visual and user experience design, Robert is committed to enhancing user lives by leveraging a blend of innovative interface design and technological advancements for enduring impact.
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