Agree the focus
Define the service, users, priority tasks and decisions research should inform.
Citizen Experience
Understand what people need to access public services, complete important tasks and get the right help.
People & Behavior
Citizen Experience research that informs clearer decisions.
A public-service journey can involve information, documents, forms, appointments and several organisations. Citizen experience research explores how people navigate these steps, what they understand and where they need help. It brings the service user’s perspective into decisions about delivery.
What we look at
Form comprehension and completion- Channel switching between digital and in-person
- Clarity of eligibility and next steps
- Accessibility of civic journeys
How we study it
- Usability tests on forms and portals
- Citizen interviews across segments
- Journey mapping of service requests
- Plain-language and process recommendations
What we investigate
Questions the research can address
Can people find the right service and understand what to prepare? Do forms make sense? Are status updates and next steps clear? What happens when a document is missing, an application is interrupted or someone needs another way to get help?
Potential study areas include applications, permits, appointments, civic reporting, service enquiries and complaint journeys. Research investigates the experience of these tasks; it does not decide eligibility, entitlement or individual case outcomes.
Research focus
Including people who may be missed
Recruitment reflects the actual service audience, which may include residents, non-citizens, carers, representatives and people seeking help for someone else. Relevant differences can include disability, language, literacy, digital confidence and access to devices or transport.
We consider people who completed a journey as well as those who struggled, stopped or used assisted channels. Online recruitment alone may miss important groups. Feasibility, accessible arrangements and appropriate recruitment routes are discussed before fieldwork.
Our approach
Choosing the right methods
Interviews explore recent experiences and support needs. Usability testing examines task attempts, while journey mapping brings evidence across touchpoints together. Field observation or feedback analysis can add context where access is appropriate. Surveys may support clearly defined measurement questions with a suitable sampling plan.
Timing, completion and reported ease can be included where the study supports them. Small qualitative studies identify issues but cannot estimate how many people across the whole population experience each barrier.
From context to opportunity
Our research process
Review context and safeguards
Examine relevant material, permissions, operational constraints and participation risks.
Plan inclusive recruitment
Agree user groups, routes to participation and practical support requirements.
Research the experience
Use suitable interviews, observation, content testing or usability sessions.
Analyse and check
Identify barriers, variations and evidence gaps, with stakeholder context kept distinct from user findings.
Discuss next steps
Prioritise opportunities, responsibilities and further evaluation needs.
The output
What your team can receive
Depending on scope, outputs can include journey maps, form or portal findings, content comprehension issues, support needs and prioritised improvement opportunities. Each finding connects evidence to an affected task, with relevant context and uncertainty documented.
Reports explain the audience, methods, service version and coverage. A findings discussion helps service, content, product and operations teams agree owners and next actions. Implementation, specialist assessments and retesting are separately scoped.
What we investigate
Forms, portals and understandable information
Task-based testing can explore instructions, terminology, document requirements, error messages and completion steps. Content research examines what people think information means, not just whether they say it looks clear. We identify where users hesitate, guess or seek assistance.
Recommendations may concern clearer wording, better sequencing or more useful support. Changes to eligibility statements, mandatory information and official notices need approval from the relevant policy or service owners. User research does not replace that review.
Research focus
The journey beyond the digital channel
People may start online, call for clarification and then visit an office. Journey research explores whether information follows them, whether they repeat steps and who explains what happens next. Where appropriate, staff interviews provide operational context alongside service-user evidence.
We distinguish interface problems from barriers related to policy, capacity or coordination. A clearer screen cannot by itself resolve a missing support route or an operational delay. Findings identify dependencies so recommendations reach the teams able to act on them.
Research ethics
Respectful and safe participation
Participants should understand the study, how information will be used and that participation is separate from the handling of their service case. Recruitment should avoid pressure from perceived authority. Agree consent, recording, observer access and how participants can pause or stop.
Use test scenarios or de-identified material where possible. Do not submit a real application, alter a case or expose sensitive documents merely to complete a research task. Studies involving sensitive circumstances need appropriate support and escalation arrangements agreed before sessions.
Global research
Local contexts and accessibility
Services differ between jurisdictions and communities. Multi-location research uses shared questions while documenting local language, channel availability and service requirements. We agree feasibility rather than assuming every location can be studied in the same way.
Inclusive sessions can explore practical access barriers with relevant participants and technologies. Findings do not constitute a formal accessibility certification or a guarantee of compliance. Specialist evaluation, where needed, requires its own agreed scope.
Before we begin
Frequently asked questions
Yes. A focused study can examine a priority task and relevant user groups. Wider journeys can be studied later, with conclusions kept within the coverage of each project.
This service focuses on how people access and use public services. Political opinion, policy impact and population-level outcomes require different research questions and designs.
No. Findings inform improvements but cannot guarantee operational outcomes. Retesting and suitable service measures can help assess whether changes make tasks clearer and easier in practice.
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Let us help shape the next step
Understand the people behind the service request.
Find opportunities for clearer journeys.
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