ruday manchester | gov.uk and user needs at the heart of content design | gds
DESCRIPTION
Padma Gillen, a content designer at the Government Digital Service (GDS), gave this presentation at our Really Useful Day: GOV.UK & User Journeys, 20 November 2013, in Manchester. The presentation looked at the creation of GOV.UK and how to put user needs at the heart of content design.TRANSCRIPT
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GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GOV.UKPutting user needs
at the heart of content design
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1. The story of GOV.UK
2.What’s a ‘user need’ and where do I get one?
3. User needs and content design
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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The story of GOV.UK
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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Once upon a time there were loads of government websites
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2004 directgov
businesslink
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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2012Mainstream Users & Needs
Specialist Users & Needs
GOV.UK
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
2013
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Why?
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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Simpler
Clearer
Faster
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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(And it’s loads cheaper)
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£42 million
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Digital by default
20x cheaper than phone
30x cheaper than post
50x cheaper than face-to-face
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GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Digital by default
Post: £6.62
Phone: £4.11
Online: £0.22
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Design of the Year 2013
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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D&Ad Awards 2013
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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How did we do it?
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User needs
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Defining the user need
“As a _______ I want to ________
so that I can ________”
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Defining the user need
“As a self-employed person
I want to file my tax return
so that I can avoid nasty fines.”
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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Who’s the audience?What’s the action?
Why do they want to do it?
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GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
“As a self-employed person I want to file my tax return
so that I can avoid nasty fines.”
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We put user needs first
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What’s the evidence of need?
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Holiday entitlement
Annual leave
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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GDSLana Gibson GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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Holiday entitlement search
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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Should we duplicate content to cater for different audiences?
Student financePart-time students
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GDSLana Gibson GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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User journeys should be:
short, simple and specific
users won’t read your content - so don’t make
them!
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F-shape reading pattern
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•Front-load sentences with the important stuff
• If it’s not essential, leave it out
•Break it up - use:
- short sentences and paragraphs- subheads- lists- active voice
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User journeys should:
•define the audience
•be ordered around what people need to know when
•include enough information so the user can make a decision or take an action
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GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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User journeys should:
•be based on evidence of how users actually behave
•not how you think they behave
•and definitely not on what you want to tell them
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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GDSLana Gibson GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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Steps through pension calculator
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User journeys should:
•be written in language used by real people
•while taking account of language used by government
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User journeys should:
Take the stress out of living in
the UK!
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GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen