GOV.UK
Doing less by focusing on user needs
Doing less by focusing on user needs
Interaction designer Sam Wakeling explains why it's essential not to lose sight of user needs when building government services
The hidden benefits of user centred design
Delivery teams across the Home Office spend a lot of time observing and testing ideas with users. It’s an essential component of user centred design and helps us understand if our ideas work.
Building the ‘registration district’ register alpha
We have recently launched the alpha of the registration district register which we’ve been working on with the General Register Office to list registration districts across the UK.
Sharing best practice on assisted digital and digital inclusion
On 26 January GDS and UK Visas and Immigration jointly hosted an interactive ‘show and share’ event to share best practice on digital inclusion and developing assisted digital services. The interactive workshop, held in London, included visitors from the Home …
Problem solving with a design sprint
While my team was going through a quiet period on current projects, I decided to run a week-long ‘design sprint’ with a smaller sub team to begin to tackle our next project. Our service is focussed on building systems that …
Tips on measuring performance
I’m on the Digital and Technology Fast Stream, and currently coming to the end of my first placement as a performance analyst in the Home Office.
Discovering the value of access needs research
Chris has worked in UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) since 2003. Aspasia, a user researcher working on visa applications, invited Chris to observe a research session. Together they went to visit John, who has a degenerative eye condition that’s left …
Designing for accessibility: an update on our accessibility posters
I wrote a blog post back in September about the accessibility posters we've created at the Home Office called ‘Dos and Don'ts on designing for accessibility' - and I thought I'd give you an update.
Creating a common language to describe services
When we build teams to work on services, the individuals may have never worked together before, and may have different ways of describing their work.
The power of pictures in service design
In October 2015 the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Service had got off to great start. User researchers had done some excellent discovery work to paint the general picture of the existing Syrian refugee resettlement process in the UK.
How will this new shiny thing deliver value?
As a user researcher working on immigration case working, I was recently asked ‘How will this new shiny thing you’re designing deliver value?’