Monika Krzesiak

Innovate UK

Digital planning notices

Turning traditional planning notices into a digital service that helps residents discover, understand and respond to local planning applications

Gov TechCivic TechService Design
Planning application detail page displayed on a laptop

Context

A civic-tech tender concept exploring how the UK’s physical lamppost planning notices could be translated into a clearer, more accessible digital service for residents. The idea focused on making local planning information easier to discover, understand and engage with, through a digital-first public experience.

Challenge

Planning applications are public, but often difficult to find, interpret and respond to. The challenge was to turn complex planning data into a clear, trustworthy and easy-to-navigate service — without losing the accuracy, detail and public accountability required in planning contexts.

Traditional yellow planning application notice attached to a lamppost

My role + impact

I designed the resident-facing planning experience, including location-based discovery, application detail pages, map-based browsing and response flows.

My work focused on translating technical planning information into a more understandable and actionable interface, helping residents engage more easily with nearby proposals and local consultations.

Service designInformation designLocation-based UX
Map interface for browsing nearby planning applications
Planning application cards, comments, and location notification tools

Outcome

The concept introduced a digital layer for local planning participation — helping residents find relevant applications, understand proposed changes and respond more easily.

It showed how a clearer service experience could improve access to planning information and make public consultation more usable at a local level.

Six planning application service screens showing lists, comments, details, and maps
Building proposal with an on-image commenting prompt

About

Monika Krzesiak

I’m a Senior Product Designer with over ten years' experience crafting digital products in regulated, complex domains, including leading product design teams and complex initiatives from product architecture through delivery.

I specialise in data-heavy applications, design systems and mobile experiences — areas where the challenge is not just how something looks, but how it holds together under real conditions.

Outside product design, I keep coming back to photography, architecture,book design and typography - disciplines that continue to shapehow I think about structure, composition and detail.

How I work

I work end-to-end - from framing product problems and setting design direction to structuring complex flows, prototyping, interface design and design systems.

Depending on the project, I work both as a hands-on product designer and as a design lead, aligning designers around a shared direction while staying close to users, product, engineering and implementation. I use research, rapid prototyping and AI-assisted workflows to explore, test and refine solutions.

LeadershipProduct strategyDiscoveryUser researchInformation architectureUser flowsInteraction designPrototypingUI designDesign systemsData-rich productsData visualisationMobileAccessibilityAI-assisted designDesign-to-codeProduct × EngineeringRoadmapsPrioritisation

Contact

I’m available for freelance projects, full-time roles, and collaborations