Zooming out: how understanding context can help GOV.UK better serve its audience Chris Marshall — Lead User Researcher, GDS Marina Filiba — Senior Service Designer, GDS London 2024

GOV.UK Future Thinking Team 🌱 Chris Marshall & Marina Filiba Government Digital Service

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700,000+ pages 11 million weekly visitors 74% visits on a mobile GDS

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Zooming out How understanding context can help GOV.UK better understand its audience

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New Strategy ● Grow GOV.UK to reach people when and where they need government information ● Make GOV.UK more proactive in helping people ● Evolve to match user expectations for new technologies GDS

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🌱 Temperature controlled

🌱 Temperature controlled 🌱 Transparent

🌱 Temperature controlled 🌱 Transparent 🌱 Safe space to plant seeds

Enable GOV.UK to understand its current and future users better, and to anticipate and respond to their changing expectations GDS

Why we are here Thinking contextually

PEOPLE GDS

GENDER AGE OCCUPATION PEOPLE CITIZENSHIP STATUS FINANCIAL SITUATION GEOGRAPHY GDS

GENDER AGE OCCUPATION PEOPLE CITIZENSHIP STATUS FINANCIAL SITUATION GEOGRAPHY GDS

FAMILY GENDER AGE IDENTITY OCCUPATION FRIENDS FUN PEOPLE CITIZENSHIP STATUS BELIEFS FINANCIAL SITUATION GEOGRAPHY HEALTH GDS

FAMILY GENDER AGE IDENTITY OCCUPATION FRIENDS FUN PEOPLE CITIZENSHIP STATUS BELIEFS FINANCIAL SITUATION GEOGRAPHY HEALTH GDS

❒ Family ❒ Fun ❒ Health GDS

❒ Occupation ❒ Financial Situation ❒ Family GDS

How we’ve innovated Testing different methods

DISCOVERY ALPHA BETA LIVE ON GOV.UK GDS

DISCOVERY ? ALPHA BETA LIVE ON GOV.UK GDS

● Preconceived assumptions ? ● Who are we excluding - why? ● Broader context GDS

“Context is fundamental to the way we come to understand people, situations, and ideas. (…) It is the background information that allows people to make informed decisions.”

Going beyond interviews GDS

● User interviews & usability tests ● Service usage & support data ● Secondary data ● Context-driven methods Comprehensive understanding of users GDS

Play LEGO Serious Play GDS

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Futures Speculation Postcards from the Future GDS

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Adapted Ethnography 50+ Digital Drop-Ins GDS

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Co-Discovery Southwark Pensioners Forum GDS

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Trying new approaches can help us: ● Challenge assumptions ● Unlock creative thinking for how we can remove barriers to digital government ● Include “underserved” groups in the research and design process GDS

GOV.UK? Never heard of it “I wouldn’t even think to go on a government website” “We don’t automatically think about digital” GDS

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Zoom in closer out wider

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GOV.UK Segmentation GDS

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Sounds great. How will we build it? GDS

FAMILY GENDER AGE IDENTITY OCCUPATION FRIENDS FUN PEOPLE CITIZENSHIP STATUS BELIEFS FINANCIAL SITUATION GEOGRAPHY HEALTH GDS

What we’ve learnt And what we can do with it

Default methods contextual GOV.UK MICRO Immersive Methods MACRO Audience Segmentation GDS

Thinking contextually helps us consider design interventions as part of a broader landscape GDS

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Insights ● Lack of understanding around eligibility ● Contextual and timely support is needed ● Expectation of a government that proactively reaches out to offer support GDS

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SPECULATIVE CONCEPT GDS

SPECULATIVE CONCEPT GDS

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Questions? 🌿

Thank you! 🪴 Chris Marshall & Marina Filiba