Department For Transport (DFT)

Department For Transport (DFT) – Legislative Process Transformation

Brief:

The Brief of this project was to firstly create a new digital system to allow users to submit applications for Traffic Regulations Order (TROs) and Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs) online, instead of having to follow the old paper process. The old process previously obligated them to publish news articles about a road closure in newspapers and have to wait for long extended periods of time to receive notice on whether their applications for road closure will be approved. Secondly, we were also required to propose potential legislative changes to the old guidelines and legislation for the old TRO application process to allow the new digital system for applicants to be allowed, because the old legislation was created before the invention and global adoption of the internet and digital technologies. The old legislation severely limited the implementation of new technologies to transform the old TTRO/TRO application process. The output for this project was to deliver a new digital process and experience proposal for users, of the old applications process, to drive some business transformation for Department for Transport. The second output for this project was to deliver legislative recommendations to allow the new digital process, and any future changes to the applications process, to be implemented.

The Team

We were a team of 5 people 2 UX/UI Designers/consultants — including myself, 2 Transport & Mobility specialist consultants and a User Researcher.

Personas/Entities:

Based on my user interviews, we created 3 entity groups. These personas represented all the scenarios that came up in the user journeys.

  1. Local Authorities
  2. British Utilities Companies
  3. Event Planners

As Is User Journey & Experience Map

We interviewed stake holders from local authorities across the UK, event organisers from British private companies and stakeholders from utilities companies, who frequently use the old process to apply for Temporary Traffic regulation orders. We mapped out the key stages in the users journey and recorded details about the users paint points and feedback about the steps required in the old user flow, which caused them problems and made the process difficult to complete.

The Problem & Assumptions

From conducting an initial User interview Session and mapping out the current user journey/process we learn that:

  1. It takes 6 months for information to be processed in the old applications process.
  2. There is inconsistent applications costs information available to users at the beginning of the TRO/TTRO applications process.
  3. Each Local Authority entity has varying timescales to submit TRO/TTRO applications and vary applications costs.
  4. There is no cohesive consistent applications process or experience for all Local Authority groups.
  5. Stakeholders/Entities across British utilities, local authorities and events companies are unsure about the starting point in the the old TRO/TTROs applications process.
  6. Stakeholders are currently obligated to post physical newspaper advertisements about potential road closures and TRO/TTROs, that causes significant delays and is very expensive for stakeholders.
  7. People in the general public don’t read newspapers as often especially in order to access information about road closures.
  8. only 5-7% of he general public reads physical newspapers.
  9. Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders are sometimes executed unsafely if approved.

We also recorded data and feedback about their key user needs for the new digital user journey and potential system design

Initial Sketches for the beginning of the new user journey for TTRO applications and users

Sketching out the main stages of a new potential user journey, to allow users to apply for traffic regulation orders and road closures online.

User Research Session: Local Authority Stakeholders

We presented the first version of a potential now digital user journey to users from Local Authorities from across the UK and allowed them to discuss the viability, potential problems and potential pain points which could occur during each stage of the user journey. We recorded data and feedback on options which can be added to modify the old TRO/TTRO applications process, recorded improvement to be made to this first draft of the new journey flow/experience to test our initial assumptions. We also discuss potential legislative changes and recommendations which would be necessary to be passed by government to allow new digital processes and technologies to be implemented.

From the User Research Session with Local Authority Stakeholders we found:

  1. Legislative recommendations/Proposals: We found that the new legislation for TRO/TTROs will not need to be too specific or over prescriptive about what technologies to include in the new legislation for Traffic regulation order applications to allow the implementation of new technologies as part of the process, in the future, which may not currently exist today.
  2. That disruptions and road closures will need to be digitised and data will need to be distributed to the general public. Potentially through a native or 3rd party GPS system.
  3. Local Authorities need consistent guidelines to follow to apply for TRO/TTROs across the UK so they will comply and pay the same costs.

User Research Session – Local Authorities Stakeholders

Final user experience proposal for the TRO, TTRO and applications processes.

Click images to enlarge

Next Steps

  1. Continue to identify key features for the system and to refine the usability and design.
  2. Start working on screens and user flows for the system/ application process.
  3. Start working on adding additional features suggested by users.