Zooming out: How understanding context can help GOV.UK better understand its audience with Chris Marshall and Marina Filiba

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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

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

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GDS

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

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GDS

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

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GDS

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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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GDS

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🌱 Temperature controlled

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🌱 Temperature controlled 🌱 Transparent

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🌱 Temperature controlled 🌱 Transparent 🌱 Safe space to plant seeds

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

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Why we are here Thinking contextually

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PEOPLE GDS

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GENDER AGE OCCUPATION PEOPLE CITIZENSHIP STATUS FINANCIAL SITUATION GEOGRAPHY GDS

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GENDER AGE OCCUPATION PEOPLE CITIZENSHIP STATUS FINANCIAL SITUATION GEOGRAPHY GDS

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

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

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❒ Family ❒ Fun ❒ Health GDS

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❒ Occupation ❒ Financial Situation ❒ Family GDS

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How we’ve innovated Testing different methods

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DISCOVERY ALPHA BETA LIVE ON GOV.UK GDS

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DISCOVERY ? ALPHA BETA LIVE ON GOV.UK GDS

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

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“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.”

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Going beyond interviews GDS

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

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Play LEGO Serious Play GDS

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GDS

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Futures Speculation Postcards from the Future GDS

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GDS

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Adapted Ethnography 50+ Digital Drop-Ins GDS

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GDS

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Co-Discovery Southwark Pensioners Forum GDS

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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

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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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GDS

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GDS

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Zoom in closer out wider

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GDS

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GDS

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GOV.UK Segmentation GDS

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GDS

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Sounds great. How will we build it? GDS

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

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

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

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

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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