Usability Testing Services for the Department for International Development

DFID is the part of the UK government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty

The Brief
A review of Top Management Group identified the need for improvements to the way that Parliamentary Questions, Ministerial and Treat Official correspondence is dealt with in DFID. 

Innovation Digital were commissioned to identify usability and accessibility improvements to the way the DFID handle corporate correspondence through a web based application that was available to all staff in the UK and overseas.

The Solution
Innovation Digital carried out the usability testing of the application and assessed the performance of the site design by observing small groups of users using the site and undertaking particular tasks and scenarios.

The testing was one-on-one with the users and Innovation Digital observed the respondents’ interaction with the application. Throughout the testing session, the consultant asked the tester to explain why they have taken the action/s they have.

Innovation Digital also tested the application against checkpoints for Levels A, AA and AAA of the W3C guidelines and tested the mark-up validation and CSS.

The Results
Innovation Digital’s report was presented in 2 formats:

• A report detailed the findings from the usability testing, highlighting any specific problematic areas that may impact on the user experience of the web application.
• We also provided a detailed list of recommendations of how the application can be changed or improved in terms of usability.
• The Accessibility testing was conducted with a DFID developer present.  Findings were discussed with the developer at the time.

The high-level report of the findings from the usability testing were delivered to senior stakeholders in London. This review helped ensure that the application is accessible and usable by all target groups.

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