Technology

Faster, better, cheaper: delivering improved outcomes for citizens

Digital is about working smarter, streamlining how we operate, making policies more responsive, and creating a culture of collaboration. Earlier this autumn, our digital team set out a vision within the department of using digital ways of working to deliver improved outcomes. Find out about the objectives, principles and approach that underpin our ambition.

Updated: Wed Dec 18 2024

Making the most of design histories

At the Department for Education (DfE), all designers working on service teams are required to work 'in the open'. One way we do this is by sharing our design thinking through design histories. Design history posts are blogs that record ...

Updated: Fri Dec 13 2024

Content workflow tips

When working on content-heavy services like our Early years child development training and Support for social workers, it's crucial to agree on and document a workflow. This is because: For guidance, refer to reviewing and approving content and user-centred design ...

Updated: Thu Nov 28 2024

Evolving our approach to benefits analysis

'Evolve' is a portfolio of projects within Justice Digital, improving the way workplace technology services are delivered. We aim to make sure that the 100,000 people working across the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have the digital tools, services, equipment, connectivity ...

Updated: Thu Nov 28 2024

Transforming Lives: Coding Workshops Partnership

In 2002, I lost my Internet company. With a new baby and a mortgage to pay, I took a temporary job teaching in a prison, never imagining I would still be in that role 21 years later. But one thing ...

Updated: Thu Nov 14 2024

A journey to modernisation: Digitising dogs records

In the rapidly evolving world of digital transformation, the MoJ has embraced a modern strategy, one that centres around flexibility, data-driven decisions, and user-led services. This approach is aimed at delivering justice that's faster, simpler, and better for all. Recently, ...

Updated: Wed Oct 30 2024

What might a Policy Standard in government look like?

Government is becoming more familiar with doing user-centred policy design, whether in creating programmes, support interventions, funding or even legislation. This post discusses the potential for a Policy Standard in government, built on the broader application of service design principles beyond digital services.

Updated: Wed Oct 30 2024

Empowering voters: behind the scenes of the Choose My PCC service

Teams in MHCLG build and run digital services related to elections, including Apply for a photo ID to vote and Register to vote. In this post, the team behind one of the services - Choose My PCC - talks about the work that went into preparing the service for the latest Police (Fire) and Crime Commissioners (PCC) elections, what they learnt and what's next for the service.

Updated: Thu Oct 17 2024

Microwaves on the Moon

An innovative UK project funded by the UK Space Agency is using microwave technology to help us build a sustainable presence on the Moon.

Updated: Thu Oct 17 2024

Enabling Technologies Programme: Aiding Exploration

An overview of the ways that the UK Space Agency funds national efforts to drive innovation in space exploration and human space activity through the Enabling Technologies Programme (ETP).

Updated: Mon Oct 07 2024

User needs and user biases: telling them apart

This post discusses the difference between user needs and user biases, the consequences user biases can have, and the strategies and techniques the Common Tools as a Service team has implemented in their user research to counteract them.

Updated: Mon Oct 07 2024