Visa Service Innovator

The Challenge

The British government's Collaborative Tuberculosis Strategy placed a significant emphasis on latent tuberculosis testing and treatment for new entrants from high TB incidence countries. However, the manual collection of data hindered the efficient sharing of information across various government departments.

The Approach

In 2020, a project was initiated to address this challenge by creating a database and website aimed at tracking applicants from high-incidence countries seeking long-stay visas to the United Kingdom. The application would be employed by clinicians across multiple clinics, hospitals, and laboratories spanning 68 countries worldwide. These journeys typically included chest x-rays, and the application stored critical certification data.

Role: Service Designer

Client: Public Health England

Project owners: Visbion

Research

To ensure a user-centric design approach, we aimed to replace the analog data collation process, which relied on Excel and email, with a real-time data solution. This involved working extensively on content and UX deliverables during the Discovery and Alpha phases of the agile project, including creating user journey maps, defining service blueprints, designing wireframes, UX copywriting, developing clickable prototypes for testing, and conducting user research and testing.

The Solution

Throughout the project, I actively participated in user research and testing, presenting our designs to both internal stakeholders and representatives from Public Health England. Following an agile development approach, we delved into understanding the real-life processes at clinics through initial user interviews. These insights were translated into user journey maps, which subsequently formed the basis for detailed service blueprints, outlining both online and offline processes that clinicians would follow when processing visa applicants.

As soon as the initial wireframes were ready, they were subjected to review by clinicians, and feedback was promptly integrated. Multiple rounds of testing were conducted to ensure user-friendly journeys. Given that many users were non-native English speakers, a plain English approach to copywriting was adopted to ensure universal comprehension.

Impact

The project not only streamlined the visa application process but also facilitated data sharing among government departments. It empowered clinicians with real-time data, transforming a previously cumbersome manual process into an efficient digital solution.

Key Achievements

Led the design and development of a user-centric visa application system.
Transformed analog data collection into a real-time digital process.
Successfully implemented agile methodologies to enhance project efficiency.

Key Takeaways

This project underscored the significance of user-centered design in optimizing complex government processes, particularly those with a global reach.

Tools & Technologies

User-centric design methodologies
Agile development practices
Adobe XD for wireframe design

Team Collaboration

Collaborated closely with clinicians, internal stakeholders, and Public Health England representatives to ensure the project's success.

Conclusion

The project exemplified the transformative power of user-centric design and agile development in simplifying and streamlining complex visa application processes, ultimately benefiting both applicants and government departments.