COM-B
COM-B is a behavioural framework developed in 2011 by a group of academics at University College London (UCL). COM-B stands for capability, opportunity, and motivation, which are all key factors …
Course: User Research in Government: Developing Further
Understanding users and how they think
User researchers come from all sorts of backgrounds – you do not need to have a psychology degree, but you do need to have an interest in understanding how people …
How the universal barriers framework can help in user research
In user research, universal barriers can be a helpful way to think about the different issues, problems, and concerns you discover from your users. You can also use them to …
What are universal barriers?
In the previous step, we learned about how people can experience temporary or situational barriers to accessing services. These are important to consider, but we can also think about access …
Accessibility
Accessibility is a fundamental requirement for modern society, but people often have different understandings of what the term means. Simply put, accessibility means removing barriers to access. Some people may …
Inclusion in user research – during and after sessions
As we learned in the previous step, inclusive recruitment is just the start. You need to ensure that your user research sessions are designed to be inclusive, so that all …
Inclusion in user research – who needs to be involved?
Inclusion in user research is an active process. It means actively involving people with a variety of needs and life experiences in your user research, and then actively ensuring that …
Government services – designed for everyone
People use government services because they have to use them. We do not have the option to shop around for alternatives that are cheaper or easier to use. Public services …
Welcome to Week 3!
This week, we will be learning about the importance of inclusion and accessibility in research. We will learn more about the universal barriers framework and introduce you to some psychology …
The risks of AI
This week, we have spent a lot of time thinking about the various risks involved in user research, and how we can minimise them through careful planning and preparation. AI …
Data protection
As we explained in step 2.2, every piece of information you collect about individual users during user research counts as personal data. This may include their names, contact details, and …
Risk assessments and planning
Planning to minimise and mitigate risk is essential, and a key part of this is conducting a risk assessment. As we explained in previous steps, you cannot prepare for every …
Identifying risk
In the previous steps, we learned about ethics, safeguarding, and trauma awareness in user research. We began with these as separate categories, because they are fundamental to good user research …
User research is a team sport
As a user researcher, you are never working alone. User research is a team sport. This is one of the core principles of user research in government. We work collaboratively …