About us
Est. Manchester, 2007
Design is
a decision
Sigma is an independent research publication examining how digital products are designed, built, and experienced by real people. We cover UX research, digital accessibility, enterprise technology, and the organisational decisions that determine whether technology includes or excludes.
The Work
Every interface is an argument about who matters. A checkout flow that ignores screen readers argues that blind users do not. A government portal that collapses on mobile argues that people without desktops are an afterthought. An enterprise dashboard that takes fourteen clicks to complete a common task argues that employee time has no value.
Sigma examines these arguments. We publish research-driven analysis on how organisations design digital experiences — the assumptions embedded in their interfaces, the trade-offs they accept, the users they overlook, and the measurable consequences of those choices. Our work spans accessibility audits, dark pattern investigations, service design critiques, and case studies of teams that got it right.
We do not review apps. We do not rank tools. We investigate how design decisions propagate through systems and affect the people who have no choice but to use them.
14M+
UK users impacted by accessibility failures
78%
Top retailers using deceptive UX patterns
112
Hours lost per worker annually to poor tooling
9
Years of the Camp Digital conference series
Coverage Areas
Six domains where design, technology, and human experience intersect — and where the gap between intention and impact is widest.
01
Digital Accessibility
WCAG compliance, assistive technology support, inclusive interaction patterns, and the gap between legal obligation and genuine usability.
02
Dark UX Patterns
Deceptive design in e-commerce, subscription traps, consent manipulation, and the regulatory response emerging across Europe and beyond.
03
Enterprise Technology
Workplace tools, digital transformation failures, information architecture in large organisations, and the hidden cost of software that wastes time.
04
Public Sector Design
Government digital services, civic technology, benefit claim interfaces, and the unique design challenges of systems people cannot opt out of.
05
AI & Interface
Machine learning integration in consumer products, conversational UX, AI-driven personalisation, and the design ethics of automated decision-making.
06
Design Leadership
Team structures, design maturity models, research operations, and how organisations build — or destroy — the conditions for good design work.
Our Story
Sigma began in 2007 as a UX consultancy in Manchester, working with organisations across financial services, healthcare, retail, and the public sector on problems where design failures had real consequences — inaccessible banking interfaces, government forms that broke under assistive technology, workplace tools that cost more time than they saved.
Between 2012 and 2020, we produced Camp Digital, a conference series held at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre that brought together hundreds of designers, researchers, and product leaders. Speakers included practitioners from the Government Digital Service, Barclays, and leading UX agencies. Topics ranged from democratic design and civic technology to the ethics of persuasive interfaces. Camp Digital was supported by the Co-op, which funded one hundred free student tickets, and was consistently listed among the UK’s best creative conferences.
The conference concluded in 2020, but the editorial mission it represented did not. Sigma now operates as an independent publication, extending the research and critical perspective we developed through a decade of client work and conference curation into long-form analysis accessible to anyone working at the intersection of design and technology.
Bad design is not a minor inconvenience. It is a form of exclusion — and the people it excludes are rarely the ones who signed off on the wireframes.
Who Reads Sigma
Product & Design Teams
Designers and researchers building consumer and enterprise products who need evidence-based perspectives on accessibility and UX.
Technology Leaders
CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and Heads of Design navigating digital transformation, tooling decisions, and team structure.
Accessibility Specialists
WCAG auditors, inclusive design advocates, and compliance professionals tracking regulatory and technical developments.
Policy & Regulation
Consumer protection researchers, digital rights advocates, and policymakers examining dark patterns and platform accountability.
Get In Touch
For editorial enquiries, research collaboration, corrections, or story leads — reach us at info@wearesigma.com
We read everything. We do not publish sponsored content or accept vendor briefings in exchange for coverage. If your pitch starts with “exciting new solution,” we are probably not the right outlet.
Sigma is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with any technology company, design agency, or industry body. All content is original editorial commentary and analysis. © 2026 We Are Sigma. All rights reserved.