UK Government Seeks User Researchers and Labs

The UK government is looking for freelance user researchers and organisations with user research labs to apply to become approved suppliers. The search is part of a new procurement initiative 'Digital Outcomes and Specialists'.

The programme will kick off in England in February, and aims to make it easier for those in the public sector to buy the services and products they need. Suppliers or freelancers who want to sell to government through the scheme, must fit into one of the following four categories:

• Digital outcomes: helping research, test, design, build, release, iterate, support or retire a digital service
• Digital specialists: to work on a service, programme or project
• User research studios: providing space and facilities to carry out interviews, usability tests and focus groups; where it is possible to watch and record people as they engage with designs, prototypes and live public sector services
• User research participants: offering access to a diverse range of user research participants including people who are digitally excluded, as well as those who have low literacy or digital skills, and those who need assisted digital support.

Former Digital Service 2 (DS2) framework suppliers will need to apply to move across to the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework. New organisations or individuals wanting to apply should visit the Digital Marketplace homepage: www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk , and will receive an email when their account is live and the initiative has started. The deadline for application is 19th January 2016 at 3pm.

For more information, go to: https://goo.gl/PijdHP .