ICO website user research

Description

Summary of the work The ICO is looking for a supplier to advise and implement on a programme of user research to help us better understand the users of the website and their needs. Expected Contract Length 24 months with option to extend for a further six months Latest start date Tuesday 1 March 2022 Budget Range It is estimated that the work can be delivered within the budget range £25,000 to £50,000 Why the Work is Being Done The ICO Communications Department is looking for a supplier who can provide guidance on, and undertake a wide range of user research activities to help us better understand our website and digital services, including their needs, and how the site is currently performing. Problem to Be Solved The ICO website is visited over 5 million times a year and has a large amount of content and services. It is one of the most direct and well engaged with tools we have for communicating with our various stakeholders. The current website design was introduced 2014 - since then the organisation has grown and evolved and so have the needs of stakeholders. We need to constantly be developing and evolving the content and functionality of the website to ensure it meets the needs of users, in the short and long term and these changes need to be informed by solid user research and intel. All changes must be informed by solid user research. The ICO doesn't currently have a user research team or specialist within its communications or IT teams who can advise on methodology or best practice or conduct the research required. Who Are the Users As a citizen, I need to understand my information rights (eg access to my data, access to official information, right to complain etc), so that I can exercise my information rights. As a data controller, I need to understand and meet my information rights obligations, so that I can comply with the law and be seen as a good and trustworthy organisation by my customers/stakeholders. As a creator of website content or online services at the ICO, I need to get advice on and commission user research from an expert so that I have data to inform the creation of new products or changes to existing products. As a creator of website content at the ICO I need to have insight into who my users are and what they need so I can advise my colleagues on the best approach to projects and content creation. As a leader at the ICO I need to understand website user needs so that I can prioritise work in the roadmap. Existing Team The supplier will be working with the ICO Corporate Communications Team with their main contact being the Senior Digital Communications Officer who is responsible for UX and user focused design at the ICO. Current Phase Live Skills & Experience • . Extensive experience of user journey mappings. • Extensive experience of planning, and conducting user research programmes (including lab based user testing). • Experience writing actionable recommendations reports • . Experience conducting and moderating a various types of user testing • Experience researching and writing user personas • Evidence of exploring different kinds of users with access or assisted digital needs in user research. • Experience of advocating for inclusive practices and helping teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users. Nice to Haves Experience working with organisations who must adhere to the accessibility regulations Work Location We expect the work will be completed remotely, and/or at the supplier's user research lab. We do not require the supplier to carry out work at the ICO's offices. Working Arrangments We need a supplier who is able to carry out the research remotely; the supplier should also be able to provide and conduct user research in a lab environment, that would also allow ICO staff to observe the research. There is no requirement for the supplier to work in the ICO offices. We are interested to explore different approaches to complete this work. Security Clearance BPSS or similar. Suppliers will need to secure Cyber Essentials certification if awarded the contract." Additional T&Cs Standard Framework and Call Off Terms and Conditions. A draft will be published during the second stage of the procurement. All vendors are obliged to provide sufficient guarantees to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures so that the processing meets the requirements of GDPR and ensures the protection of the rights of data subjects. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Technical solution • Team structure • Resources (ie user research lab, eye tracking facilities, online platforms) • Approach & methodology • Start date and availability Cultural Fit Criteria • Be accountable and take responsibility for their work • Transparent and collaborative when making decisions • Work as a team with our organisation • Be comfortable standing up for their discipline • Be comfortable and adaptable speaking to non-technical user base • Ability to share knowledge and upskill ICO staff Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Work history • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 70% Cultural fit 10% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Can you say more about the second round process? What will you expect from shortlisted bidders? Do you have timescales in mind? The second stage will involve completion of a tender submission document, including a written proposal in response to specific questions and a pricing schedule. Following invitation to the second stage, tenderers will be allowed 10 working days to prepare their submission, 2. Can you advise how you see the resource plan for this project operating? For the budget, do you need a full time resource over the entire contract length, or are you looking at more ad hoc consultancy? Alternatively, are you looking at an initial discovery/research project followed by ad hoc support? We are looking for an initial programme of work (discovery) that will inform work in the future – this could be ad hoc or another planned programme – we are looking for input on how to produce the best outcomes 3. Is the budget range exclusive of VAT?Please explain the budget range and what you’re expecting to see in terms of pricing? The budget is exclusive of VATThe budget was based on limited previous experience. We do not have many expectations associated with what can be achieved and are looking for best value for money. 4. We have extensive experience in user research. However, the majority of our experience isn’t within lab based settings. Would this be detrimental to the overall evaluation? We have outlined in the essential experience that we require "Extensive experience of planning, and conducting user research programmes (including lab based user testing)." Therefore we will be looking for suppliers who can support lab based website testing. Not having essential criteria will impede a suppliers score. 5. The Skills and Experience questions have a requirement for Accessibility, but it’s not mentioned in the brief specifically. Is the organisation already doing or planning to carry out accessibility WCAG audits of the website(s)? Is the accessibility requirement in this opportunity purely for testing with real users with impairments, rather than WCAG audit requirements? We view our obligations around accessibility as equally about meeting the needs of real users with access needs and meeting WCAG requirements. Our aim is to understand the needs of all our stakeholders, and we’d expect the research outcomes/reporting to demonstrate an understanding the needs of those with access / assisted digital needs. However, we don’t want to be prescriptive about how much research fieldwork might focus specifically on particular users. We do already, and are planning to conduct further WCAG audits of the website and we would be open to the idea that these could complement the work outlined. 6. Is there a requirement for quantitative user research such as surveys etc. on a larger scale? Or is it only for smaller scale qualitative user testing and research (e.g. website user testing, interviews etc)? We expect that to achieve the desired outcomes, the research will need to take account of quantitative and qualitative data. The successful supplier will have access to recent survey results, and can be provided with aggregated data from analytics. We would be open to proposals that utilise these, as well as those that advise complementing these with further research. 7. What is the size and roles within the team, the supplier will be working with? The supplier will be working with the ICO Corporate Communications Team with their main contact being the Senior Digital Communications Officer who is responsible for UX and user focused design at the ICO.Other relevant roles include a Communications Officer and a Lead Communications Officer involved in website content design and uploads, a Senior Communications Officer involved in website content editorial reviews, and the Digital Architect (IT), responsible for the website platform and transactional services. 8. What is the level of experience the team have had with previous user research? How have user stories previously been created? Previously we have conducted our own surveys, used those to focus our own lab-based user research, which have informed user stories. 9. Do you have a set of objectives and KPIs that the performance of the site is measured against? We have some existing KPIs that include user satisfaction, and quantitative measurements from our survey about specific areas. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss KPIs as part of the Discovery phase. 10. Is there a planned piece of work that this user research will inform or would this likely be multiple phases? We expect that the research will lead to multiple pieces of work, from the short- to long-term. 11. Is there a particular reason behind this research being required in a lab-based environment? No – we expect the work will be completed remotely and/or using a lab-based environment. We would be happy to have the research take either/both forms. 12. Has any existing research been conducted in the past conducted with the website? Previously we have conducted our own surveys, used those to focus our own lab-based user research, which have informed user stories. 13. Do you have any defined audience segments that could be shared? User groups and needs include: Practitioners (seeking advice about information rights obligations, information about ICO enforcement activity, making changes to their data protection registration or reporting a security breach)Members of the public (wanting to complain or raise concerns about organisations’ compliance with information rights legislation, seeking advice and guidance, wanting to find out what action the ICO is taking, wanting to view the public register of data controllers)Other audiences include: special interest groups; intermediary organisations (eg Citizens Advice Bureaus, trade associations); legal profession; government; job seekers; ICO suppliers / contractors; international data protection and FOI equivalents; ICO staff. 14. Do you have a series of questions about those who are using your website you’d like to answer within this programme of user research? We would welcome the opportunity to refine a list of questions with the successful supplier. Generally speaking, we want to achieve a deep understanding of why different groups of users come to the site and what is the ‘need’ they are looking to meet, and; when they arrive, to what extent are their needs met, and; what could be improved to better meet those needs. 15. Could you please confirm that for the stated budget you are seeking a time-bound discovery piece of work into user requirements for the ICO website, and that any future UR needed over the 24 months + six months you mention will be subject to additional funding? We are looking for best value for money. We envisage an agile approach to the research, with an initial short discovery phase to inform further work. We expect that further work would also involve short ‘rounds’ of research, with timings to be agreed. The stated budget range is intended to cover 24 months.