User research
Some excellent discovery-stage user research for planning submissions services was carried out by Snook for Hackney Council, and can be found
here.
User stories
As
an applicant I want to
clearly see what information is required so
I can avoid my application being rejected
As
an applicant I want to
complete the whole process in one place so
I can avoid hunting around multiple websites and documents
As
an applicant I want to
be able to leave and come back to my application so
I can complete it over multiple sessions
As
an applicant I want to
be kept up to date about the progress of my application so
I know when to expect a decision
As
an applicant I want to
be able to share the application with my agent so
they can do some of the work for me
As
an applicant I want to
be able to see anything my agent has filled in on my behalf so
I can check that it’s correct
As
an applicant I want to
spend the least possible amount of time submitting an application so
I can get on with my life
As
an applicant I want to
be able to do some or all of the work myself so
I’m not paying my agent to do something I could do
As
an applicant I want
to use the same login I use for other council services so
I don’t have to remember multiple passwords
As
an applicant I want
to see where my proposal can better meet policy so
I can avoid my application for planning permission being refused (not in alpha scope)
As
an agent I want
to manage multiple applications at once so
I can see all my live applications for all my clients
As
an agent I want
to be able to share the application with my client so
they can fill in the information that they know, instead of me having to ask them
As
an agent I want
to process any requests for further information as part of the same original application so
I can keep track of applications more easily (not in alpha scope)
As
an agent I want
to the process and requirements to be as standardised as possible across all councils so
I don’t have to relearn the process every time
As
a customer service agent I want
to be able to access and view a customer’s applications so
I can complete an application if they have already started it
Stakeholder Stories
As a planning officer I want to get all the information I need about a proposal so an assessment can be made without needing to request further information
As a planning officer I want it to be impossible to submit an invalid application so I don’t have to spend time manually validating applications
As a planning officer I want users to know what planning constraints (eg conservation areas) apply to them so they don’t need to call us to ask
As a planning officer I want to spend less time doing data entry so I can spend more time planning
As a planning officer I want applications to come in pre-assessed against policy so I can focus only on key issues (not in scope yet)
As a planning officer I want relevant consultees to be notified automatically so I don’t have to (partially in scope)
As a planning officer I want to be able to request further information and attach it to the original application so I all the information about a submission is in one place (not in scope yet)
As a planning officer I want to be able to adapt the service to our local requirements as a council so we can respond to particular local priorities
As a consultee I want applications to contain all the information I need to assess them so I can make informed decisions
As a consultee I want a say over which projects are brought to my attention and which aren’t so I can apply my time only where it is most needed
As a manager I want to reduce operational overheads so officers can spend more time on actual planning work
As a manager I want to validate and decide applications within the allotted time so we are achieving our targets
As a manager I want analytics and monitoring so I can understand demand on the service and where it can be improved
As a manager I want to liberate planning officers from repetitive, de-motivating work so we can retain staff
As a manager I want to ensure consistency and quality of decisions so we can avoid appeals
As a manager I want to increase user satisfaction with our service so we know we’re doing a good job
As a manager I want to ensure interoperability with our legacy systems so I can implement changes gradually not in scope
As a data maintainer I want to receive new entries automatically as structured data so they don’t have to be manually entered into datasets
As a data maintainer I want to pre-define fields for data so the data we receive is consistent and reliable
As a data maintainer I want to get feedback on inaccurate entries so I can keep data checked and up to date more easily not in scope
As a government agency I want to promote standards across local government so I can ensure consistency of service