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PADMA GILLEN & EDWARD LOCKHART-MUMMERY
GOVERNMENT CONTENT STRATEGY
AND USER NEEDS
@ScrollUK
Hello!
@ScrollUK
First we’ll tell you the story, then talk through lessons learned.
@ScrollUK@ScrollUK
A story about… 1The Smarter Guidance project
@ScrollUK
The story starts in 1609 with the Devon and Cornwall
Sea Sand Act
@ScrollUK
150 environment acts, 1200 regulations, and
100,000 pages of guidance later…
@ScrollUK
No one knows what to do - and the environment is getting worse.
@ScrollUK
Government red tape challenge trawls through every regulation.
@ScrollUK
We suggest designing regulations around users:
• 1 act instead of 150 • 1 process for transactions not 250 • 1 version of what you have to do
@ScrollUK
Ministers decided that sorting the content was the first most
important thing to do.
@ScrollUK
32 documents 6 organisations
340 pages
Batteries waste (before Smarter Guidance)
@ScrollUK
For Defra, this led to:
• government costs of £20m to 30m p.a. • business costs of £200m+ p.a. • low awareness and understanding of the
rules • fear and stress for small businesses • potential businesses deciding not to
bother
@ScrollUK
There was a strong business case for a content strategy
based on user needs.
@ScrollUK
We started with 120,000 pages. We reduced that by 80%.
@ScrollUK
We achieved this by designing content around user needs.
@ScrollUK
Smarter Guidance was about increasing the quality
and reducing the quantity of Defra guidance.
@ScrollUK
Before GOV.UK government content was like this:
@ScrollUK
As a…
I want to…
So I can…
A user story articulates a user need
dog owner
get a pet passport
take my dog on holiday
@ScrollUK
Use data to validate the user need
@ScrollUK
Mapping content to user needs
@ScrollUK
Before After32 documents, 6 organisations,
340 pages.1 guide for each of the 5 user
groups. Each guide is 5 pages long.
@ScrollUK
That was batteries waste. We did the same thing to 119 other topics.
@ScrollUK@ScrollUK
Lessons learned2
@ScrollUK
It’s easier to manage quality and instil the (counter)culture if you have a central
content team.
1
@ScrollUK
@ScrollUK
Make sure your content team can say no. Get your governance and proposition clear.
2
@ScrollUK
Require a user story, acceptance criteria and source content before starting work on
an item.
3
@ScrollUK
Have a clear agile workflow and stick to it.
4
@ScrollUK
@ScrollUK
From request to icebox
Content designers ask:
• is there a user need?
• how do you know it's a user need? (any data?)
• is it in proposition?
• is it already met on GOV.UK?
• is it already met elsewhere?
• are there clear acceptance criteria?
• is there clear source material to work from? (or an SME who can explain?)
OK, we'll do something…
@ScrollUK
From backlog to done
Ideally this:
• Backlog
• Draft
• 2i
• Fact check
• Fact check amends
• 2i
• Published
@ScrollUK
@ScrollUK
Make sure people know why you’re messing with ‘their’ stuff.
5
@ScrollUK
@ScrollUK
Know what you mean by ‘quality’ and know what your MVP is.
6
@ScrollUK
What does quality mean?
It’s quality content if it meets your needs as a user. That means:
• you can find it
• you can understand it
• it’s factually accurate
• it’s complete
• it’s consistent with the rest of the site
• you can act on it
@ScrollUK
Sharpen the saw.
7
@ScrollUK
You can make specialist content plain English if you try.
8
@ScrollUK
@ScrollUK
Talk directly with the lawyers whenever you hear “the lawyers said it must say
[insert gobbledygook here]”
9
@ScrollUK
BAU will probably take longer to arrive than you think. Plan for a slow handover.
10
@ScrollUK
Thank you!
Content design, content strategy and training in all aspects of digital content delivered at your office or our training suite.
Find out more at:
www.scroll.co.uk
© Copyright 2017 Scroll LLP