Sam Smith

Projects

Building the BBC Account Design System

2023 – Present

In 2023, the BBC Account team lacked a centralised design system, causing design and engineering inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and duplication.

I set the overall direction for the project, reporting directly to my Creative Director, and led the standardisation of component structure, naming, and tool integration to align design and development.

I also championed the system across the organisation through presentations and workshops, while leading a rotating team of juniors, trainees, and apprentices.

↳ Read the Case Study

In 2023, the BBC Account team lacked a centralised design system, causing design and engineering inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and duplication.

I also championed the system across the organisation through presentations and workshops, while leading a rotating team of juniors, trainees, and apprentices.

↳ Read the Case Study

In 2023, the BBC Account team lacked a centralised design system, causing design and engineering inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and duplication.

I also championed the system across the organisation through presentations and workshops, while leading a rotating team of juniors, trainees, and apprentices.

↳ Read the Case Study

SKILLS

Systems Thinking

Interaction Design

Design Leadership

Cross-functional Collaboration

“Sam has confidently led others in the team on work to build out the Design System, and has shown a truly collaborative approach in building advocacy in the team.”

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BBC UX&D

Prototyping and Testing a Supportive TV Sign In Journey

2025

For the first time, UK viewers now spend more time watching video on demand each day than recorded TV playback. At the same time, as the UK moves toward internet-only TV delivery, up to 5.4 million households risk losing access entirely by 2035.

The BBC has a responsibility to ensure everyone can continue accessing what is, for many, a lifeline. But requiring users to sign in through smart TV apps creates a real barrier, especially for people with low digital literacy, such as older audiences.

I contributed to the development of an easy to use native TV sign in experience and tested early concepts with low digital literacy users. Their feedback led our team to build an experimental prototype featuring a synthetic voice assistant that uses simple, human terms to guide people through signing in. I helped developed the concept, built the full interactive prototype, supported user testing, and helped deliver our findings.

SKILLS

Accessibility Design

Prototyping

Voice UX + Conversational Design

User Research and Testing

Interaction Design

"Sam has been a key contributor to the work the Account team has carried out on the TV experience over the past year. Most recently, he played an instrumental role in building out the supportive path experience. He consistently demonstrates a positive, can-do attitude and is highly self-driven and motivated when carrying out work."

UX DESIGNER, BBC ACCOUNT

Modernising the BBC's Comment Section

2024

In 2024, I began to work as the sole UX designer on a product team improving the comment experience a the BBC. During this time, I identified broad design and accessibility issues with the experience, and made the case to expand the scope of our work.

Our changes have resulted in a clearer, more inclusive experience that makes it easier for millions of users to read, join, and follow conversations across BBC News and Sport article pages.

↳ Read the Case Study

SKILLS

Accessibility Design

UX Auditing

Systems Thinking

Interaction Design

Cross-functional Collaboration

"Sam's designs are consistently clean, thoughtful, and straightforward to implement. I really value how clearly he explains the reasoning behind his decisions."

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER, BBC ACCOUNT

BBC Sign In and Registration Modernisation

2024

Building on my work developing the BBC Account Design System, I supported all stages of a design refresh across the BBC's Sign In and Registration flows.

I led a small team of rotating designers to conduct a thorough audit of the current experience, which uncovered many design inconsistencies and failures to meet accessibility standards.

I delivered a comprehensive set of guidelines for a new set of designs, and collaborated closely with developers to support implementation across key journeys.

Once development is complete, the updated BBC Sign In and Registration experience will be significantly more accessible, consistent, and aligned with wider BBC standards.

↳ Read the Case Study

Building on my work developing the BBC Account Design System, I supported all stages of a design refresh across the BBC's Sign In and Registration flows.

I led a small team of rotating designers to conduct a thorough audit of the current experience, which uncovered many design inconsistencies and failures to meet accessibility standards.

I delivered a comprehensive set of guidelines for a new set of designs, and collaborated closely with developers to support implementation across key journeys.

Once development is complete, the updated BBC Sign In and Registration experience will be significantly more accessible, consistent, and aligned with wider BBC standards.

↳ Read the Case Study

Building on my work developing the BBC Account Design System, I supported all stages of a design refresh across the BBC's Sign In and Registration flows.

I led a small team of rotating designers to conduct a thorough audit of the current experience, which uncovered many design inconsistencies and failures to meet accessibility standards.

I delivered a comprehensive set of guidelines for a new set of designs, and collaborated closely with developers to support implementation across key journeys.

Once development is complete, the updated BBC Sign In and Registration experience will be significantly more accessible, consistent, and aligned with wider BBC standards.

SKILLS

Accessibility Design

UX Auditing

Systems Thinking

Design Documentation

Cross-functional Collaboration

"Sam produced the best documentation I've ever seen"

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER, BBC ACCOUNT

Teaching and Mentoring at Glasgow Caledonian University

2022 – Present

For the past three years, I've co-led the UX Design module for BSc (Hons) Digital Design at Glasgow Caledonian University. I teach parts of the syllabus, give feedback on student work, and provide one-to-one mentorship.

I've collaborated with university staff and design colleagues to shape the module contents, balancing my growing industry experience, experience of transitioning from education to industry, and student needs.

Having once taken this module as a student, co-leading it now as a BBC UX Designer has been a full-circle and genuinely rewarding experience.

SKILLS

Mentorship

Design Leadership

Teaching and Facilitation

Communication

"Sam demonstrated everything a great design lecturer should be. A creative mind, an eye for detail to help and guide student designs and utilising his fantastic communication skills to convey guidance and feedback clearly."

LECTURER, GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY

Designed and built in Glasgow, Scotland