Skip to main content

user research

Better Together: Co-Designing with Local Authorities

Our family hubs digital project is complex - we knew we would need sustained involvement.  The DfE’s family hubs digital team are developing services to help families and the local authority professionals who work with them. As local authorities open …

Desk Research in Discovery

Screenshot of a Google Search

Desk research can help you find your bearings at the start of a project. Finding information about your users’ habits and priorities will give you a good basis to work from when user research begins. In some cases, you may …

Working Collaboratively Across Professions

Working in a multi-disciplinary team is important to deliver great services. Equally, it is important to make time for community. There are lots of ways we work in collaboration with our users and professionals in DfE (Department for Education). Our …

Innovative Approaches to User Research Recruitment Challenges

Childrens play area at a family hub

User researchers help teams understand the people who will be using Government services. We investigate who the users of a service are, what their experiences have been and what they need. We then consider how we can meet those needs through design and delivery of services.  

Overcoming different ways of working to improve a public service

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: multidisciplinary teams, Service design, user research
Illustration showing ‘Previous flow’ and ‘New flow’. The previous flow starts with a screen titled ‘Requesting a reference’, then ‘Check your answers before sending your request’ then there’s an alarm clock with the title ‘Wait for references’ followed by a screen titled ‘Which 2 references do you want to include in the application?’ followed finally by ‘Send application’. In the new flow, the first screen is titled ‘References to be requested if you accept an offer’ followed by sending the application, then a step titled ‘Receive offer’ and then a screen titled ‘Confirm your reference details and accept your offer’ followed by an alarm clock with the title ‘Wait for references

People who apply for teaching training have found that getting 2 references before submitting an application, can be a real barrier. Here, Frankie Roberto and Myles Jarvis go into more detail about how data, research and working more closely with policy colleagues has brought about a significant change.

Podcast - Think digital, act human: future ways of working

black text on a yellow background reading 'DfE digital and technology' with a podcast icon

What is future ways of working and why is it important? Jack Collier, Head of Digital for School Services, talks to Adaobi Ifeachor about designing office spaces now that we return to work, and how this impacts culture as well as diversity and inclusion.

Podcast - Think digital, act human: Black voices in digital and technology

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: culture, podcast, race, Service design, user research, User-centred design
black text on a grey background reading 'DfE Digital, Data and Technology' with a podcast icon

What does it mean to be a Black digital and technology expert in government? Adaobi Ifeachor speaks to Virginia Brown, a Black Content Design Lead, Courtney Allen, a Black Associate Product Manager and Keisha Herbert, a Black Senior User Researcher, to learn about their journeys into the Civil Service.

Making the 'Apply for teacher training' service accessible from start

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Accessibility, digital inclusion, Service design, user research
Point 5 of the service standard on GOV.Uk website. Make sure everyone can use the service

Application forms and personal statements are not always the easiest things to do online. Here we explain how users' different accessibility needs have opened up this popular application service to a much wider audience.