Innovate UK underwent a digital transformation to improve its grants management process. It collaborated with a software development partner and user experience partner to redesign its system based on user research. This identified pain points like a non-collaborative application process. Prototypes were iteratively tested with users. An agile approach including daily standups and retrospectives was used. Feedback influenced the design. The transformed process embedded digital into operations, with a focus on user needs. Ongoing work looks to use technology proactively in areas like duplicate applications and fraud detection.

1. Innovate UK’s GDS
journey to digital
transformation
Sarah Vodden
Director of Operations

2. We can’t stop
thinking about
the future
The UK’s innovation agency
Innovate UK drives productivity and growth by
supporting businesses to realise the potential of
new technologies, develop ideas and make them
a commercial success.
To stay competitive as an advanced economy, we
need to do things that others cannot do, or to do
things in different and better ways.

3. 3
Achievements since
2007

4. Operating across the whole of the
UK with a combined budget of more
than £6 billion, UK Research and
Innovation brings together the
seven Research Councils, Innovate
UK and Research England.

5. Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
§ Industry-led and powered by multi-disciplinary research and business
academic collaboration
§ Develop UK industries that are fit for the future, driving progress in
technologies where the UK can become a world-leader in research and
commercialisation
Investing in science, research and innovation
We must become a more innovative economy and do more to commercialise
our world leading science base to drive growth across the UK

6. Industry Challenge Fund
Find out more:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk
Industrial Strategy

7. The problem..

8. 8
Our journey to Gov.uk

9. Before transformation
Finance systemGrants system built by IT supplier
Applications:
Manual paper based process
Reports
IT Department

10. 10
Government Digital Strategy
Government as a Platform
Gov Transformation Strategy
Business transformation
Better use of data
Internal tools & process
Skills & culture
Reusable components
GOV.UK Verify
GOV.UK Pay
GOV.UK Notify
Digital by Default
25 exemplar projects
Fix transactions
Go wholesale
Publish centrally
Create GDS
+ 2017
+ 2015
+ 2012
Baroness Lane-Fox Review2010
Innovation Funding Service
InnovateUKDigital
Transformation
Government Digital Services

11. 11
The old process

12. 12
Typical competition: number of users
GOV.UK, competition search
Applications
submitted
Project Setup
Successful
applicants
Application
Assessment
Start project
2,000 Users
500 Applications
20 Awarded
20 Funded Projects

13. 13
Customer Support

14. Innovate UK’s digital
transformation
journey
and why collaboration
was key…

15. 15
Operations process
Competition
Preparation
Pre-application
eligibility &
suitability
Application Assessment
Funding Decision
And Award
Due Diligence Monitoring Payment
Continuous
ReportingOriginal Scope of IFS
Current additional project (post award)

16. The Government Digital Service
Standard
1. Understand user needs
2. Do ongoing user research
3. Have a multidisciplinary team
4. Use agile methods
5. Iterate and improve frequently
6. Evaluate tools and systems
7. Understand security and privacy issues
8. Make all new source code open
9. Use open standards and common
platforms
10.Test the end-to-end service
11.Make a plan for being offline
12.Make sure users succeed first time
13.Make the user experience consistent
with GOV.UK
14.Encourage everyone to use the digital
service
15.Collect performance data
16.Identify performance indicators
17.Report performance data on the
Performance Platform
18.Test with the minister

17. 17
Collaboration
Software
development
partners
User
experience
partner

18. Innovate UK’s digital
transformation
journey
allowing us to
transform to different
ways of working….

19. 19
User design: user research

20. User design : user pain points
External users
Collaborative nature not reflected in application
submitting an application does not currently reflect
how users need to share, save, edit and review their
collaborative application
Applicants do not make use of relevant guidance
guidance exists but is not presented to the applicants
at the point it is required, with useful information
overlooked.
Manual data entry and file uploading - not intuitive
and requires repetition of data entry
Applicant feedback - applicants can struggle to
understand reasons for being unsuccessful and what
their next steps should be
Internal users
Manual data entry - many processes within
Innovate UK still require manual input of data and
manual movement of files
Duplication of effort - between internal teams
Transparency and visibility of processes - poor
transparency and visibility both internally and
externally about processes involved, timescales and
ownership.
Reporting and use of data - current systems are
difficult to interrogate for data and information is
collected in a variety of formats, making
comparison and analysis difficult.

21. 21
User design: user journeys
Initial interest
start at GOV.UK
Application
Submission
Allocate
assessors
Produce
panel sheet
Notification of
outcome &
feedback
Successful
Competition
set-up
Feedback
Project
set-up
Live Project
(integrate with existing system)
Invite assessors
& assessor account
creation
Assessment
Applicant
Assessor
Innovate UK
Manage
competition Decision
Process
External Users
Internal Users

22. User design: Personas - tell us about our users

23. User design: prototypes

24. User design: Iterating
April 2015 June 2015
February 2016

25. User design: iterating

26. 27
Agile: Analytics & feedback loop

27. Show & tell to business Observing user testing
Agile

28. Agile ceremonies
• Daily virtual stand ups
• Daily scrum of scrums (SoS)
• Backlog refinement
• Show & tell
• Sprint retrospective
• Sprint review
• Sprint planning

29. 30
Collaborating across different locations

30. User feedback influencing design
“just wondering about the colours of the
icons on the right, the blue flags and the
green ones wondering what they are”
Feb 1 2017 Participant #2

31. “On the whole I would feel quite
confident [completing at home]”
End2end participant#3 12/03/17
“Overall it was quite clear”
End2end participant#4 12/03/17
“Definitely a 10” [How likely would you be
able to complete at home?]
End2end participant#2 11/03/2017

32. 33
Assessors (463 responses)
Applicants (2510 responses)
Numberofrespondents
Task specific
Considering the needs of all users

33. I’m not confident
with computers
Phone call
Scribe
Assisted digital
Video call

34. What did we learn ?
• Never assume you know your Users
Needs
• Ensure your business users are part of the
project
• Keep evidence of everything you learn
(for assessments)
• Plan ahead but keep it agile
• Keep your team happy!
• The standards can help you build a
fantastic service

35. 36
Transformation: Digital embedded into Operations
Head of Innovation Funding
& Customer Service
Competitions Team
Plan, manage and run the
competition for our stakeholders
IFS Team
Support, maintain and enhance
the digital service
Customer Support Services
Multi-channel support desk for
applicants, assessors and other
stakeholders

36. We are now transforming our
organisation to proactively use technology to help us do
more…
Duplicate applications
Fraud
Assessor allocation
Forecasting
Know your client
Digital passport?
Digital cabinet office
Grants Efficiency Programme