Apply the Service Standard in the Department for Education
Guidance and information for how to apply the Government Service Standard to design and build accessible, usable and understandable services in DfE.
Understand users and their needs
Everyone is responsible for meeting the Service Standard.
- Phases primarily assessed
- Professions primarily responsible:
Things you must consider
-
An understanding of the types and numbers of users who might use the service
Who are your users? How many of them are there? Use DfE data, existing research and the How many people tool to build a picture before primary research begins.
Common failure indicators
-
User needs that describe solutions or business requirements
“Users need a dashboard” or “users need to submit form XY23” are not user needs - they are design decisions or process requirements. User needs describe goals, not solutions.
You must be able to evidence
-
Research notes or recordings from sessions with real users
Evidence the numbers and groups of people who you spoke to, their context, and what you learned. Sessions must have included users with access needs - not planned for alpha.