About Norman UX
The designer behind
Norman UX
Norman UX was founded on a simple idea: small businesses deserve the same standard of design that enterprise companies pay six figures for. Seven years leading UX and UI across defence, fintech, HR tech, and cyber security, now focused entirely on websites that win you customers.
Who I am
Hi, I'm James
I'm a UX/UI designer based in Gloucester. I started my career at BAE Systems, working on projects for the National Cyber Security Centre, and spent the next seven years leading design at enterprise companies and startups: machine learning features at ADP, open banking products at Velo, and cyber security software at CyberSmart.
Along the way I've built design systems from scratch, run user research and testing programmes, guest lectured on UX practice at the University of Chester, and received BAE's Thank You Award for contributions to national security projects.
I founded Norman UX because small businesses are usually stuck choosing between a cheap template and an expensive agency. There's a better option: one senior designer, doing enterprise-standard work, at a price a small business can actually plan around.
Career
Where the experience comes from
Every stage of this career feeds directly into the websites Norman UX builds today: research, design systems, accessibility, engineering, and products measured on results.
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01
2019 – 2021 · BAE Systems
UX Consultant → UI Lead
Started as a junior consultant and progressed to UI Lead in under three years, working on digital transformation projects including work for the National Cyber Security Centre. Established a component library to standardise design across teams and delivered strategic presentations that guided major design decisions.
- National Cyber Security Centre projects
- BAE Thank You Award for critical contributions
- Component library adopted across teams
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02
2021 – 2022 · ADP
Senior UX Designer
Designed at genuine enterprise scale for one of the world's largest HR and payroll companies. Led the design of a machine learning-powered global search feature and streamlined the self-service onboarding flow used by roughly 190,000 annual clients, directly improving how small businesses got started on the platform.
- ML-powered global search feature
- Onboarding redesign for ~190,000 annual clients
- Help & support experience across the platform
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03
2022 – 2024 · Velo
Senior Visual UX Designer
Led UX and UI for open banking solutions across Europe and globally. Built a bespoke design system and custom tooling that cut project timelines from a year to three months, and transformed the design function into a high-output, collaborative unit.
- Open banking products across Europe
- Design system that cut delivery from 12 months to 3
- Raised UX maturity across the business
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04
2024 – 2026 · CyberSmart
Senior UX Designer
Led product design for the Active Protect flagship and CyberSmart Patch, driving a 4× increase in active users through core flow optimisation. Built the foundational design system and React component library that unified design and engineering workflows.
- 4× increase in active users
- Design system and React component library
- Flagship cyber security products for SMEs
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05
2026 – Present · Norman UX
Founder, UX/UI Designer
Everything above, now working for small businesses. Norman UX designs, builds, hosts, and maintains websites end-to-end, applying the same research-led, conversion-focused approach used on enterprise products, without the enterprise price tag.
- Fully managed websites from £200/mo
- Every site designed and built personally
- Long-term partnership, not one-off handovers
Expertise
What that experience means
for your website
These aren't services bolted on from a checklist. They're disciplines practised daily for seven years, applied to every site we build.
UX & UI Design
Interfaces designed around how your customers actually think and behave, so visiting your site feels effortless and ends in an enquiry.
Design Systems
Built design systems for BAE, Velo, and CyberSmart. Your site gets the same consistency, so every page feels like one considered brand.
Design Engineering
A designer who codes: React, TypeScript, HTML, and CSS. No lost-in-translation handovers. What gets designed is exactly what gets built.
User Research
Years of running research and testing on enterprise products. Design decisions are grounded in evidence about your audience, not guesswork.
Accessibility
WCAG best practice applied to every build, so your site works for every customer, on every device, and stays on the right side of the law.
SEO & Conversion
Fast, technically clean sites structured to rank on Google, with clear calls to action shaped by products measured on user growth.
Why Norman UX
Enterprise standard,
without the enterprise price
Agencies charge enterprise prices because of their overheads, not their output. Norman UX has none of those overheads, just senior work, done properly.
Senior from start to finish
No juniors, no outsourcing. The person who designed for BAE and CyberSmart is the person designing your site.
Honest, predictable pricing
From £200/mo with £0 up-front. See exactly what's included on our pricing page. No surprise invoices, ever.
A partner, not a supplier
Launch in four weeks, then continuous support: updates, security, SEO, and improvements as your business grows.