Apply the Service Standard in the Department for Education
4. Make the service simple to use
- Last reviewed
- 31 March 2026
- Owner
- DesignOps
This guidance will help you apply standard point 4.
Everyone is responsible for meeting the Service Standard. This standard point is most relevant to:
Why it's important
People expect services to work. They need things to be easy when they are trying to complete a task or find information.
As a public sector organisation we have a legal duty to consider everyone's needs when designing and delivering services.
Discovery
Things to consider:
- evidence how policy decisions can be implemented in a user-centred way
- use plain English and language that your users understand
- research the types of users and scenarios relevant to your service
- use existing technologies, GOV.UK components and patterns
- develop your understanding of your user needs and pain points
Things to avoid in discovery
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designing solutions without understanding user needs
Alpha
Things to consider:
- the user journey being simple to use and understand, and based on research
- risks associated with your service have been mitigated through design
- a consistent user experience with other DfE services
- review routes users take to your service
- how your service will look and work on every browser or device users access it on
- map and consider offline elements, including assisted digital routes
- technology decisions supporting accessible and usable design
- test content to make sure that users understand it
- build and test prototypes with users identified in discovery
- any unique component or pattern, or adaptation of an existing component from the GOV.UK Design System or DfE Design System, are shared and tested. Plus, a plan for how you'll keep them up-to-date with existing systems
- how users will report a problem with your service and how they'll be supported and updated on any resolution
Things to avoid in alpha
-
dead ends in the journey or a disconnect between online and offline actions
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where your service starts and ends not being clear
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your service not achieving the users' goal
Beta and live
Things to consider:
- how data has been used to understand service performance and a plan for how you'll use this in live
- evidence of continuous improvement to make changes to the user journey or content
- continual monitoring of feedback and testing usability
- evidence of usability testing, including users with the lowest level of digital skills
- how your service meets accessibility requirements
- user research to understand any performance issues
Things to avoid in beta and live
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not having a plan to continually improve your service
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not understanding how user needs might change over time