Fixing a broken process so agents can focus on people, not paperwork
Organisation
UK Government
Role
Interaction Designer
Timeline
February - July 2024
Overview
I led the redesign of the Additional Support section within Universal Credit (UC). Collaborating with a cross-functional team, we focused on improving the usability and overall engagement of the agent-facing service. From initial UX discovery to prototyping and testing, I helped shape an intuitive interaction design that was refined and optimized based on user feedback.
> Over 5x more page visits & actions per agent after launch
> Agents have ~80% higher confidence in data accuracy, leading to claimants receiving the right support
Field research
Workshops
UX
Rapid prototyping
Interaction design
User testing
The Challenge
Improving the experience to rebuild trust and accuracy
In Universal Credit, the Additional Support section is where agents record accessibility needs and personal circumstances so claimants get the right help. Over time, it became underused and outdated, leading to inaccurate data and inconsistent support.
Our goal was simple: improve the user experience so agents would use it more, keeping information accurate and up to date. By making the section more intuitive and accessible, we aimed to restore trust in the data and ensure claimants received the right support at the right time.
The cycle of agents using the Additional Support section
Discovery
Getting out of the office and into the Job Centre
We visited Job Centres to observe agents in action and spoke directly with claimants to understand their experiences. These sessions revealed how fragmented processes and confusing interfaces led to errors and disengagement. Our research helped define priorities and align teams on a clear, human-centred vision for improvement.
Research from a Job Centre in South London
High level scope formed from the discovery workshop
Design Iteration
Making progress without breaking things
We started by mapping the full experience to understand how journeys and features connected. From there, I broke it into modular pieces that could ship safely across multiple sprints.
Working closely with BAs and engineers, we refined each part as tech spikes and user stories evolved, keeping the design scalable, flexible and aligned from sprint to sprint.
Modular user flow mapping out high-level user experience
Archive instead of delete
Previously, when agents removed a support need, it disappeared completely, wiping out valuable history and context.
We introduced an archive view that preserved past records while keeping current needs front and centre. Agents could now see what had changed, when and why, building confidence in the data and reducing accidental loss of information.
This small change gave agents a clearer picture of each claimant’s journey without adding complexity or extra training.
UX of moving support needs between active and archived state
The solution
Designing for trust, speed, and accessibility
We redesigned the flow to feel clear, predictable, and easy to complete. Complex forms were broken into simple, guided steps with instant feedback and confirmation.
The layout used familiar GOV.UK and Universal Credit components for consistency, separating content from actions so agents could scan and act quickly. Accessibility was built in from the start, ensuring compatibility with assistive tech and meeting WCAG standards.
The result was a clean, scalable experience that reduced friction and helped agents focus on people, not process.
Results
A modern interface that agents can trust
Working on a live service meant small changes could make a big difference. We iterated quickly based on user testing and feedback, releasing updates over multiple sprints.
Once live, usage increased significantly, with more page visits and actions in the support area. Agents updated information more often and reported higher confidence in the data, leading to better support for claimants.
Impact:
> Over 5x more page visits & actions per agent after launch
> Agents have ~80% higher confidence in data accuracy, leading to claimants receiving the right support