We helped DWP make Universal Credit work better for self-employed people. Self-employed claimants were frequently making mistakes in their monthly journal reports, especially on expenses, leading to sanctions and delays in getting their money.
We used a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods: usability testing the end-to-end service, shadowed in-person meetings between work coaches and claimants, and reviewed the content of web pages along the user journey. We collated these findings alongside web analytics data.
We rapidly prototyped new, accessible and inclusive content over three iterative cycles, improving after each round of testing.
We proved statistically that users were making fewer mistakes, saving DWP money and meaning more people got an accurate UC payment on time and without penalty.