Exploring personalisation for GOV.UK

GOV.UK makes it simpler, clearer and faster for people to find and use government services and information in the UK. However, it is a largely static, one-way experience for users. It appears to be one whole thing but services are not joined-up, and administrative burden is placed on users with no option to use saved information.

I led a small team on a 3-month discovery to explore the concept of personalisation and how it might improve outcomes for users of UK government services. In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it was essential I develop a vision that struck a balance between radically ambitious futures and responsible use of technology. We called it ‘boring magic’.

Over a 6-month period, I led a team to make the vision more tangible through developing a series of proofs-of-concept and prototypes, using techniques from user-centred service design, futures thinking and the burgeoning ethical design practice. We also explored what needed to be true from a technical, legal, funding and capability perspective for the futures to be possible and plausible. Alongside this, we crafted a cross-government strategy and narrative which we presented to Cabinet Ministers and a Chief Advisor. This formed the basis for GOV.UK’s Spending Review representation in 2020.