Business Context
Service design and discovery closes the gap between technical expertise and usability to create services that meets users’ needs.
The world has changed dramatically—user-centric software dominates the marketplace and people have higher expectations of user interface design.
Our client, the Department for Work and Pensions needed to replace their jobs board website (Universal Jobmatch) because it was expensive to run and was difficult for users to set up and use. They asked our consultant to ensure that their service met National Minimum Wage standards, Welsh language compliance and accessibility requirements.
The Client
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers.
The Situation
- The existing service was expensive to run and difficult for jobseekers to set up and use
- Employers and jobseekers were dependent on the Jobcentre network to administer accounts
- The need to ensure that job posts are genuine, legal and compliant with best practice
- It was critical to carry out research and iterate designs based on user needs to create a new service that could be used first time by all
- Ensure job posts were genuine and legal
The Solution
- Completing Discovery, Alpha and Beta
- Introducing processes to make the service more trustworthy and to safeguard vulnerable jobseekers
- Using analytics, interviews, observations and surveys
- Interviewing key user groups to establish their needs including jobseekers, front-line staff in jobcentres, employer support teams, employers (large and small), agencies, student bodies and organisations to support people with disabilities
- Testing prototypes with real users in jobcentres and via remote testing, including those with disabilities and low digital literacy
The Outcome
- Improved the service-80% of users agree that it is easy to use
- Met employer needs-81% of employers would use the service again to advertise vacancies
