GOVERNMENT
Client
The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) is a UK government department, focused on benefit payments. It’s currently the UK’s largest government department, with about 20 million customers and 83,000 staff.
Program partner was BT (UK telco).Program/Project 2
Add Postcode (zip code) collection, plus benefit claim eligibility questions, for new Universal Credit program.
My Role
UI Design Lead for all project phases.
My Responsibilities
Facilitated Requirements and Design workshops with client teams.
Documented Requirements Specification and High/Low-level Designs, for review/approval by client and partners.Worked with BT/Nuance Technical Leads on data interface needs/formats. Documented Data Interface Design, for review/approval by BT.
Challenges & Opportunities
Quite a limited scope, but a couple of critical issues:
> postcode collection had to be optimized for very high traffic volumes. I worked with our Speech Scientist and Technical Lead to maximize use of available data from the client’s back end systems, and the relative probability of certain postcodes, based on the caller. When confirmation was needed, we simplified/optimized this by splitting confirmation of the two blocks of the postcode.
> eligibility questions were considered very sensitive. They referred to family relationships, including partners and children, and these can be taboo for some cultures. The client’s internal rules were clear enough for agent/SME use, but too confusing for many potential callers, and considered too blunt to make a positive impression. Sensitivity was vitally important, as this was a high-profile government initiative, with many detractors. I worked closely with DWP SMEs to create appropriate prompt wordings, which would both satisfy their needs, and come across as neutral and reasonable to callers.
Program operated under very strict national security, so I had to perform tuning at a secure site during a fixed 2-day period, with limited access to tools.
Whiteboarding of question constraints and optimal sequencing:
a chance to mentor a junior design colleague