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
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GOV.UKPutting user needs
at the heart of content design
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
The story of GOV.UK
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Once upon a time there were loads of government websites
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
2004 directgov
businesslink
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
2012Mainstream Users & Needs
Specialist Users & Needs
GOV.UK
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
2013
Why?
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Simpler
Clearer
Faster
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
(And it’s loads cheaper)
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
£42 million
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Digital by default
20x cheaper than phone
30x cheaper than post
50x cheaper than face-to-face
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Digital by default
Post: £6.62
Phone: £4.11
Online: £0.22
Design of the Year 2013
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
D&Ad Awards 2013
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
How did we do it?
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
User needs
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Defining the user need
“As a _______ I want to ________
so that I can ________”
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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
Who’s the audience?What’s the action?
Why do they want to do it?
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
“As a self-employed person I want to file my tax return
so that I can avoid nasty fines.”
We put user needs first
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
What’s the evidence of need?
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Holiday entitlement
Annual leave
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSLana Gibson GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Holiday entitlement search
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Should we duplicate content to cater for different audiences?
Student financePart-time students
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSLana Gibson GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
User journeys should be:
short, simple and specific
users won’t read your content - so don’t make
them!
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
F-shape reading pattern
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
•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
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
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
GDSLana Gibson GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
Steps through pension calculator
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
User journeys should:
•be written in language used by real people
•while taking account of language used by government
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
User journeys should:
Take the stress out of living in
the UK!
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen
GDSGDSPadma GillenPadma Gillen