Alpha phase user research at the Home Office
The alpha phase is about learning which options work best.
To do this your team needs to test the hypotheses developed during the discovery phase.
Work as a team to create prototypes
During alpha you’ll work with interaction and content designers to create prototypes that will let you test possible solutions and approaches.
Through testing, you’ll refine and challenge discovery hypotheses and questions.
Your team should build small, quick, low cost prototypes. If they’re not, it’s a sign you’re in beta. A prototype can be:
- bits of code
- front end prototypes
- design sketches and paper prototypes
- words in the service
Alpha is not about making a minimal viable product (MVP). It’s about learning which options work best and concentrating on areas of complexity to reduce risk.
You’ll need to try more than one idea and test more than one hypothesis.
Participatory design and design research
You can run design workshops with your designers and team, then use prototypes to test ideas. Start with sketches, move to paper prototypes then into code.
Good things to make at this stage are:
- sketches and design concepts
- paper, HTML and 3D prototypes
- discussion guides, test plans and strategies
- photos of the team co-designing to use in presentations
Review what the team knows
Build on the work done in discovery by:
- reviewing existing research assets in the user research repository
- establishing if there are any gaps in the insight
- studying lists of user needs, user groups, transcripts, case studies and other outputs
Good things to make at this stage are:
- refined outcomes for success and ways those will be measured (key performance indicators - KPIs)
- a research plan with enough detail to book research space, organise home visits and recruit participants (including people with access needs and low digital skill or confidence)
- discussion guides and test plans
Involve your team in user research
Everyone in your team should observe 2 hours of research every 6 weeks.
You should also:
- find out what questions your team has
- involve your team in analysis and debriefs
- use note taking templates for faster analysis and train your team in note taking
- use show and tells and user research playback sessions to feed back findings
Good things to make are:
- photos of affinity diagrams and summaries of findings generated by the team
- note taking templates
- show and tell slides that follow Home Office style
Do contextual qualitative research
This stage is about formative testing. Spend time with users to try out new ideas. Do different kinds or research and testing such as remote, guerrilla, in a lab and home visits.
Good things to make are:
- updated lists of user needs and user groups
- photos of affinity diagrams and summaries of findings generated by the team
- anonymised clips of important moments and anonymised photos of users in context
- a summary of your research and techniques
- high level findings
Videos and transcripts are the most accessible ways to record interviews, and photos and diagrams are good for people who find text difficult. You can use Sketch, ScreenFlow or similar software to anonymise images. Find out more in the MRS Code of Conduct or from the User Research Ethics Lead. Email them at ethics@digital.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Inclusion and access needs
Test with real people early and get help from the Assisted Digital and Access Needs teams. Email them at access@digital.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Over-sample users with access needs and low levels of digital skill and confidence. Use a digital inclusion plotter to chart where your participants are in terms of inclusion and access needs.
Investigate existing support models and explore extending them to your service
Depending on the access need, you may not be able to test using prototypes. Plan your research accordingly and test with the right groups at the right time. Ask the Access Needs team for advice.
Good things to make are:
- screeners and recruitment briefs
- a digital inclusion scale to map your users
- data for service assessments
- sketches, storyboards and text to show what appropriate support might look like
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