Internal systems
There is a lot of discussion among designers working in government about how to design for agent interfaces – systems that are not public-facing but are used by staff.
Many patterns, components and other design guidelines were originally created with public-facing services in mind. Which parts are applicable to agent-facing services, and which need to be modified or adapted?
Differences that are often highlighted include:
- ‘one thing per page’: is this design principle appropriate for expert users who prioritise moving through a journey quickly?
- a more predictable equipment and technical environment
- constraints of off-the-shelf systems that have limited flexibility for customisation or redesign
However we also need to be careful not to abandon user-centred design standards altogether because a service is agent-facing.
Work so far
The DWP User Centred Design Manual includes principles for designing internal facing systems.
The DWP Design System now includes some practical guidance on how to design for data interfaces.
The design system also includes collections of elements for both internal and public-facing services:
Could we improve this page?
Send questions, comments or suggestions to the DWP Design System team.