Ever wondered what the people who design of some of the UK’s most popular Apps are really like? Speculated on who decides the content of BBC News or how Apps personalise content on BBC sport? Well, this week Year 8 pupils were given the opportunity to meet and question one of the senior members of the BBC App design team.
Based in Manchester’s Media City, Sarah Willoughby is a Senior Business Analyst. In essence her job, as a digital project manager, is to build Apps for the BBC, primarily BBC Sport and BBC News, but also BBC iPlayer, BBC Weather and CBeebies. Sarah explained the complex considerations required in App design such as working with data providers to access data such as league tables, providing up-to-the-minute sports’ results, provision of on-demand service and personalising content for each individual user. She also explained multi-variant testing, the practice of conducting experiments on up to 4 million users per week, to test different versions of apps, the results of which are then analysed to ensure the best version of each App is rolled out to customers. Our thanks to Sarah – the pupils certainly ‘app’reciated her valuable time.
Mrs Doran
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Y7 pupils were given a glimpse into the world of Westminster, politics and the inner working of the civil service this week, when Aileen Wiswell MBE led a fascinating virtual talk. Aileen, who regularly attends Number 10 Downing Street, is a Cabinet officer in charge of Estates for Westminster. Her role is to support the agenda of any political party holding office, through managing Government owned property such as the Capital building in Liverpool to the Ministry of Defense. Aileen is currently responsible for the logistical and strategic agenda to address the current North/South divide within the civil service.
Following a superb explanation of the vast array of career opportunities available within the Civil Service, which is the biggest employer in the UK, Aileen took the pupils on a whistle stop tour of her own varied, and immensely impressive, career. Aileen famously started her profession working in Liverpool, having worked in every one of the 129 job centers in the city. After celebrating 40 year in the civil service this year, Aileen discussed the pros of working in the profession. Aileen has travelled the world, been awarded an MBE for her immense charity work and has danced down the stairs of Number 10, just like in the film Love Actually.
I would like to thank Aileen for her informative and motivational talk, and the fabulous insights into the real people working to help the government of the day develop and implement its policies.
Mrs Doran
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