Key points.
Measure completed tasks, errors and support demand against a defined purpose.
Follow the handovers connecting an interface to the service behind it.
Test a proposed change against a baseline, including people who need assistance.
A digital service can appear straightforward while creating significant work for its users or the team operating it. The gap often becomes visible in repeated enquiries, incomplete forms, duplicate records and the manual work required to resolve an exception.
Measure the service people use
The Government Digital Service's Service Manual treats performance measurement as part of service development and operation. Its guidance provides a useful starting point for defining what a service is expected to achieve and how that will be assessed. [1]
For a business service, relevant measures may include completed tasks, time to completion, error frequency and requests for assistance. The appropriate selection depends on the task and its consequences. A page view alone rarely establishes whether a person achieved their purpose.
Follow the handover
An enquiry form is connected to the process that receives it. A booking page is connected to availability and the service delivered afterwards. A portal is connected to the accuracy and timeliness of the information it presents.
A design review should examine those connections. If users have to contact the organisation to correct information or confirm that a task was completed, the interface and the operating process need to be considered together.
Tiph's assessment
Begin with a defined task and a baseline. Identify the points of uncertainty, test a proposed change and compare the result against the baseline. Include users who need assistance or an alternative channel.
The resulting evidence can support a decision about the service. It should not be extended into a claim about revenue or organisational performance unless those outcomes have also been measured.
Published evidence. Scope and limitations.
- [1]Government Digital Service / Service ManualMeasuring success
The guidance treats performance measurement as part of developing and operating a service.
ScopePublic-service guidance. Measures must be selected for the objectives and users of each organisation.
Analysis of digital strategy, service design and applied AI.
Further analysis
