Introduction to user research for public services

User research is key in designing and delivering cost-effective and efficient services.

It helps you learn about your users, so you understand their: 

• behaviours 
• needs
• motivations 
• their experiences and understanding of the world

This way you identify things you did not know, empathise with your users, and build the right thing in the way that works for your users.

User research is an evidence-based approach to identifying and testing your assumptions and learning about your users. 

Beyond sending surveys or asking people what they want, it’s about observing them using services, testing designs with them, and exploring why things do or do not work.

You need to understand:

• who your users are
• what they’re trying to find, do or get, and why
• how they’re trying to do it now
• how their life experiences and worldviews influence what they do
• how they use and experience existing services

This helps you to create services and products that work for your users.

Read about the principles of good user research.

Delivering a service without understanding your users and their needs can create serious problems for your users in their everyday lives. 

For example, they may miss an important healthcare appointment, or they may not be able to receive financial support or apply for a permit.

It can also impact your business and organisation by:

• increasing cost and inefficiency
• using resources to building the wrong thing
• damaging your reputation
• causing a policy to fail at achieving its goals

Using evidence from user research to design, build and deliver your service, you create something that:

• works for your user
• solve the right problem
• solves their problem in the most effective and efficient way

Learn about how to research your users and their needs.