User-centred design at the Home Office is about designing our products and services in collaboration with the people who will use them. We aim to create simple, clear and joined-up user experiences that help people achieve their goals.

We work on some of the most challenging and important government services. Our work helps to keep people safe and the country secure. This includes things like helping people move to the UK, protecting those seeking asylum, or giving people faster access to other countries as a British passport holder.

Whether we are building services for the public, law enforcement or for front-line staff we help drive a more user-centred approach to the services that we offer and improve the lives of the people we serve.

What you could be doing

• User researchers plan, design and carry out research activities to inform the design of our services and help teams get a deeper understanding of the people that use them
• Service designers work across the department to design end-to-end services and enable teams to see the bigger picture
• Content designers communicate complex concepts in simple logic, with plain language that a user can understand quickly
• Interaction designers design the detailed actions a user needs to make in order to use a service

Find out more about the kind of work we do:

• A product-centric approach to the EU Settlement Scheme
• Refugee integration Loans: a Policy CoLab case study
• How inclusive services help us delivery effectively
• Analysing data to identify risks at the border
• Making our design system a useful tool for teams
• How CoLab helps the Home Office solver problems

The benefits of working in User-Centred Design in the Home Office

As well as the benefits generally available to Home Office staff and members of the Digital, Data and Technology Profession, there are number of benefits specific to working in the User-Centred Design cluster.

You’ll join a thriving community of user-centred design practitioners

We are over 250 people strong. Whatever level of experience you are, you will always be able to find friendly and helpful support from colleagues from all over the organisation.

You can help shape how we do design and research

We support our designers and researchers to become practice leads to pursue work which provides value to the community. We currently have practice leads in diversity and inclusion, sustainability, design ethics, content design reviews (2i), and workshopping.

Our people are encouraged to take up pairing, shadowing and mentoring opportunities to share learning and expertise.

You are supported by a government-leading UCD Operations Team

We have a team of passionate people who help support designers and researchers with tools, recruitment support, professional onboarding, guidance and our research library. We also manage our own Home Office Design System that works alongside the cross government version.

Lots of ways to learn and develop

In addition to our online training catalogues in O’Reilly and PluralSight and connections with professional training providers, we also offer peer learning, a comprehensive induction and time to volunteer or do charity work.

Regular external speakers from government and the wider industry are invited to speak at our quarterly UCD event meetups.

Tooling

You’ll have access to a high specification laptop as well as design and research software such as Sketch, Optimal Workshop, Figma and Mural.

Our organisation is committed to user-centred design

Along with our growing UCD leadership team across our key delivery areas, the organisation has made key strategic commitments to its approach to user-centred design in our DDaT Strategy, as well as our vision and principles.