User needs

How to write and record a user need. 

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What a user need is

Every part of our website design and architecture, and every piece of published content, should meet a valid user need.

‘User needs’ are the needs that people have of us. For example, people may need to visit our website to help complete a task, like apply for a school place, blue badge or find out how to vote.

Our users could be members of the public, businesses or organisations. 

Writing a good user need means we can create content to help them do the things they need to.

How to write a user need

To create content or services on our website, you must start with the user need. It’s a simple concept, but is sometimes a bit harder to put into practice.

All user needs follow the same template:

  • As a [Who is the user?].
  • I need to [What does the user want to do?].
  • So that [Why does the user want to do this?].

They’re written from the user’s perspective and in the language a user would recognise and use themselves.

Good example

  • As a [carer].
  • I need to [get financial help].
  • So that [I can carry on looking after the person I care for].

This is a valid user need because it does not suggest a specific solution. You might need to produce a combination of features and content to make sure the user need is met.

Bad example

  • As a [carer].
  • I need to [use a benefits calculator].
  • So that [I can find out if I can get Carer’s Allowance].

This is not a valid user need because it creates a ‘need’ to justify existing content, and suggests a specific solution that may or may not be right.

Assumptions we make when designing a piece of content or service can often be wrong. We need to find the best solution to meet each user need.

Acceptance criteria

Write acceptance criteria, or list of what must be done for the need to be met. Acceptance criteria can help you define a user need.

In the carer example, this could be when the user:

  • understands what carer’s allowance is
  • understands if they are eligible
  • can apply for carer’s allowance
  • understands how much they are entitled to

Define the user

Do not begin the user need simply with ‘as a user.’

Most government policies and legislation are aimed at a clearly defined group. You should know who the user is, and define them in relationship to what they’re trying to do.

A user does not have to be just one person. It can mean a broad group of people if their relationship to the need is the same.

For example, someone applying for a school place could be a parent, grandparent, foster carer or legal guardian. You do not need to write a separate need for each one. They could collectively be defined as ‘someone with parental responsibility.’  

Other user groups can be more vague, but are still defined as more than just a ‘user’:

  • a business
  • a person who has reached state pension age
  • a company
  • a teacher
  • a parent
  • a vehicle owner

What the user wants to do

User needs and our content must be based on actions or tasks.

Active user needs are things like:

  • applying
  • appealing
  • paying for
  • submitting
  • changing an address
  • claiming
  • requesting
  • challenging

Avoid using:

  • understand
  • know
  • be aware of
  • using (as in a tool or service)

You should only use ‘understand,’ or ‘be aware of’ if the user needs to know it to fulfil a certain task, like comply with the law.

Why would a user need to ‘understand’ something? If they do not need it to take action, it’s not a valid user need. Complying with the law is still an action because it’s something users need to do to achieve something, like remain in business or avoid penalties.

Good example

  • As a [resident ].
  • I want to [understand  which recycling centres accept paint].
  • So that [I can dispose of paint correctly].

Bad example

  • As a [resident ].
  • I need to [understand which recycling centres accept paint].
  • So that [I am informed].