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
700,000+ pages 11 million weekly visitors 74% visits on a mobile
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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
Enable GOV.UK to understand its current and future users better, and to anticipate and respond to their changing expectations
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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.”
● User interviews & usability tests ● Service usage & support data ● Secondary data ● Context-driven methods Comprehensive understanding of users GDS
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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Insights ● Lack of understanding around eligibility ● Contextual and timely support is needed ● Expectation of a government that proactively reaches out to offer support GDS
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