Apply for your first provisional driving licence
The report for the Apply for your first provisional driving licence alpha assessment on 09 September 2020
Service Standard assessment report
Apply for your first provisional driving licence
| From: | Government Digital Service |
| Assessment date: | 09/09/20 |
| Stage: | Alpha |
| Result: | Met |
| Service provider: | Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) |
Service description
The service will allow users to apply for a provisional driving licence and be granted provisional driving entitlement for applicable vehicles with the aim of taking a test. The service allows users to fulfil their legal obligation before learning to drive. The service will also provide users the ability to upload a photo and have it confirmed by another person. Successful users will be able to fulfil any additional application tasks without failing to a paper process.
Service users
Overview of service users
- users who wish to learn to drive
- users who have driving licences from another country that we don’t mutually recognise and need to pass a test.
- users aged older than 15 years and 9 months
- users aged 16-24 years old make up 75% of annual applicants.
High level user needs this service aims to meet
- as a learner, I need to have a provisional driving licence so that I can learn to drive.
- as a non-Passport holder, I need to submit a digital photo of myself so that I can complete my application online.
- as a GB Passport holder, I need to submit an alternative digital photo so that my photo is recent and a true likeness.
- as an applicant, I need simple and accessible user interaction with guidance so that I confidently complete and submit my application.
- as an applicant, I need to be informed of progress and supplementary tasks so that I don’t progress chase with a call centre.
1. Understand users and their needs
Decision
The service met point 1 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team utilised a good range of qualitative and quantitative user research methods and it was clear how the findings had shaped the service
- the team has good protocols around recruitment and regularly works with assisted digital and accessibility users. They are using what they learn to influence upcoming recruitment for example looking at technical ability above digital inclusion
- the team has tested on a range of devices despite the challenges of covid-19 and only being able to use Microsoft teams for remote sessions
- the team demonstrated a good understanding of pain points in the existing service and how they impact on user needs for example teenagers not wanting to use passport photos taken when they were much younger
- a lot of time and effort has gone into exploring options for photo upload and digital signatures, recognising the key user need of completing the task online and in one go
- the team showed a good understanding of how users may struggle with the beta service and therefore where to focus their efforts for example information around organ donation
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- consider whether the personas could be better presented to reflect what they are trying to convey. Using fictional names, ages, stock pictures etc. to represent what has been learnt about a range of users risks the team and stakeholders believing everyone in that user group is the same. Important differences, subtleties and needs can be lost
- undertake more work with assisted digital and accessibility users. The panel acknowledged covid-19 has made this difficult, but it’s important to get back to working with the full range of users when restrictions allow
- do further work to understand the needs and behaviours of those who apply just to get identification and make those users visible to the team
- undertake research with users who will countersign applications to ensure the correct user needs and behaviours have been identified through the work done with proxy users
- prioritise work to test and iterate parts of the service where the team has identified users may need additional or alternative information for example on the start page
- focus on the parts of the journey where people who are not eligible for private beta get redirected to the current service. The team knows people need to complete the task and won’t give up. They need to demonstrate that users can easily transition into the old service and complete it. This is their riskiest assumption and should be a priority. The panel were particularly concerned that people with health conditions could be disadvantaged through being pushed into a service that is inaccessible
- clearly outline the plans for recruiting people who will be using the service in private beta. It’s essential to capture their experiences as or shortly after they use it for real
2. Solve a whole problem for users
Decision
The service met point 2 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the service is being built to ensure that the current user journey is improved to cover the whole journey
- the service is part of the step by step process for learn to drive
- the team have worked well to ensure that users are aware of the eligibility criteria for the service prior to starting their journey
- the service will allow users to pause their journey and log back in if they need to
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- have a robust roadmap for including other users, particularly those with medical problems. Submitting further information about medical conditions is one of the most difficult part of the current journey for users, so it’s important that these users are able to get the same user experience as those without a medical condition as soon as possible
- research further the new parts of the service eg photos and signature upload
3. Provide a joined-up experience across all channels
Decision
The service met point 3 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team has tested with mobile, tablet and desktop and considered that younger users might not only opt for mobile but also find it easier to use a mobile device if they need to ‘take’ vs ‘upload’ a photo
- a business analyst is part of the team to understand the touchpoint needs of users around contact and expectation management and is creating templates, reminders and other artifacts for the post application phase
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- spend time with the front line operations staff working to support the users- help desk, call centre- to ensure the service is addressing the reasons why people need additional support
- further tests on the expectation management patterns, channels and frequency with the users to not only reduce call centre contact but also ensure users understand where they are in the process and when the next steps should happen
- ensure that explanations to users are clear and tested, from why users who are redirected away cannot use the service to guidance for countersign users
- test with a fresh set of countersign users who have not recently seen other parts of the user journey as countersign users have currently have tested the other parts of the service may have a bias
- ensure that the online and email versions that users see is consistent. For example, countersigning users will see ‘Mr Wheeler’ in the email and the full name on the service
4. Make the service simple to use
Decision
The service met point 4 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team has utilised GOV.UK patterns as well as re-used tested DVLA patterns. They have also repurposed patterns, such as photo upload and guidance from the HMPO
- they have reached out to other government departments who have similar needs to understand what was working - some of their research has been fed back to those teams
- content has been iterated to make it plain English and remove DVLA specific jargon
- the team tested a variety of hypothesis around both photo and signature upload and have iterated several times before they reached the current, simplest, option
- the team have examined the photo uploads and have a clear understanding about why images are rejected - which contributes to the guidance
- the team have built in a break in the service for users who might not immediately know who to ask as for a countersignature
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- consider what the break in the service will look like for users who were redirected out - will the change in patterns to the old system be jarring - will the old system require the user to re-enter details they just entered?
- ensure that signatures are also audited as they images have been and that the team understands why they might be rejected so they can create guidance, if needed, for users
5. Make sure everyone can use the service
Decision
The service met point 5 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team has researched with users, and has ongoing testing plans, that are country-wide, not just southern-facing
- their accessibility work has considered autism, stress and cognitive disorders, and they maintain a strong working relationship with DAC
- accessibility statements are already being planned and tested
- the team have considered assisted digital may also include parents helping younger users who are completing their first government transaction - and have allowed longer times in points of the journey for those users to get help
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- test with users who do not plan to use the service to progress to drive but rather as identification purposes only
- consider the needs, particularly around verification, for non-native English speakers as well as foreign born people who do not have a UK passport
- continue their work to ensure all the pages have a Welsh equivalent that has been tested with Welsh speakers
6. Have a multidisciplinary team
Decision
The service met point 6 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- there is a multidisciplinary team in place that is made up of permanent civil servants without the need for contractors
- the team have adapted well to remote working with senior leaders in particular being able to attend more sessions and become more involved in the work
- the same team will continue into beta and beyond
7. Use agile ways of working
Decision
The service met point 7 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team has adapted well to working remotely in an agile way
- demos are recorded and published on a central teams channel, with a monthly town hall held for the wider group
- there is a governance process in place that allows the team to escalate where necessary - this has been helped by more senior colleagues being actively involved enabled by remote working
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- ensure that the service is continually improved and expanded to cover all user groups including those with medical issues and that the risks of excluding these users in the MVP is mitigated and understood by senior leaders
8. Iterate and improve frequently
Decision
The service met point 8 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team demonstrated that they learned from the users and adapted both the process for and the guidance for uploading images
- they have a content designer and have also accessed the cross-government design community
- using sketch they have created a collaborative environment for the team to view and collaborate on iterations
- when deviating from standard patterns, for example a grey upload button to a green one, they have done so based on testing with users
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- ensure content, particularly guidance content, is consistent across channels
- further test the ‘non-happy’ path and continue to improve it for the users beyond the MVP, particularly around error messages and redirects
- ensure that the demo shown in assessment is the most up-to-date version
9. Create a secure service which protects users’ privacy
Decision
The service met point 9 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team was making sure that storage and retention of photo and signature data was appropriate, including for those that were ultimately not used. They had separated image and meta information appropriately so no PII stored with image
- the team had considered users privacy ensuring cookie consent had been considered at this very early stage and it was handled throughout the agency with a consistent approach
- the team had made appropriate use of security in transit , SSL, Private ApiGateways and separation in the Kubernetes cluster
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- consider extra antivirus scanning on s3 storage buckets
10. Define what success looks like and publish performance data
Decision
The service met point 10 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team have considered other performance metrics in addition to the mandatory KPIs
- the team are working with internal management information teams to create a data lake to understand user journeys properly and are looking at how they will operate during beta
- there is a robust process in place for managing data, with an independent team from the information assurance group working to SIRO. The team are working with the Information Commissioner’s Office and policy teams, with final sign off by SIRO
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- explore how they will measure the impact of not having the service open to all user types for the MVP
- the team should contact the GDS Performance Platform team
11. Choose the right tools and technology
Decision
The service met point 11 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- there was a very considered and pragmatic approach to building on top of evolving the 90 legacy platform
- there were pattern based approaches to applications resulting in easier application of standards and approaches
- there was good use of asynchronous image checking and manipulation, including the use of machine learning based services to identify images
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- explore more use of prototype kits to get HTML and CSS prototypes earlier in the life cycle.
12. Make new source code open
Decision
The service met point 12 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team were using a common wizard flow application published on github across DVLA https://github.com/dvla/dvla-wizardflow
- the team had a policy towards responsible open sourcing
13. Use and contribute to open standards, common components and patterns
Decision
The service met point 13 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team were doing extensive sharing within department for example the use of common cookie consent code
- the teams were guided by the internal architectural reference and this aligns with the government technology code of practice
What the team needs to explore
Before their next assessment, the team needs to:
- explore sharing of the image manipulation api, once in beta other government departments could benefit form this
14. Operate a reliable service
Decision
The service met point 14 of the Standard.
What the team has done well
The panel was impressed that:
- the team have fully considered and carry out appropriate non functional testing
- the team have deployed appropriate monitoring
- the team has deployed an event driven architecture that allows for retries
- the team use of identity and payment broker solutions allowed for flexibility and redundancy
Updates to this page
Published 15 December 2022