Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Client Case Study

Increasing Census Completion Through Inclusive User Research & Service Improvement

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) needed to better understand why some communities were struggling to complete the Census and identify barriers preventing successful participation.

While national completion rates were high overall, the organisation recognised that certain groups remained underrepresented, creating risks around data quality, inclusion and national decision-making.

We focused on improving accessibility, trust, usability and engagement across harder-to-reach audiences.

The Challenge

The Census is one of the UK’s most important national data collection exercises, informing funding, policy and public service planning across government.

However, not all users experienced the service in the same way.

ONS needed to better understand:

Why some users were not completing the Census
Which barriers were preventing participation
How digital confidence, accessibility and trust impacted engagement
Where communication and support services were falling short
How the experience could better support vulnerable or underrepresented groups

The challenge extended beyond usability alone. Many barriers were behavioural, cultural, emotional or situational, requiring a deeper understanding of user context and lived experience.

Our Approach

We led a user-centred research programme focused on understanding the needs, behaviours and concerns of diverse user groups across the UK.

The work involved:

In-depth qualitative interviews
Assisted digital research
Accessibility testing
Journey mapping
Community engagement sessions
Prototype and content testing
Insight synthesis workshops

Research included participants with a wide range of accessibility and support needs, including:

Users with low digital confidence
Older adults
Users with English as a second language
Neurodivergent participants
Participants using assistive technologies
Vulnerable and harder-to-reach communities

We worked closely with delivery teams, stakeholders and operational staff to ensure findings translated into actionable service improvements.

What We Discovered

The research identified that non-completion was rarely caused by a single issue.

Instead, barriers often combined across:

Trust and concerns around how information would be used
Difficulty understanding questions or terminology
Low confidence using digital services
Accessibility issues impacting completion journeys
Lack of awareness around available support channels
Fear of making mistakes or providing incorrect information
Limited confidence in government systems among some communities

We also identified that some users abandoned the process because the experience felt overly formal, complex or intimidating.

These insights helped shift conversations from simply improving completion rates to designing a more inclusive and supportive service experience.

What We Delivered

Inclusive Research & Insight Generation

We conducted extensive research across diverse audiences to uncover unmet needs, accessibility barriers and behavioural challenges impacting completion.

Insights were synthesised into:

Actionable recommendations
User needs frameworks
Journey maps
Persona development
Accessibility findings
Prioritised improvement opportunities

Accessibility & assisted digital improvements

We helped identify improvements to accessibility support, assisted digital pathways and guidance content to better support users requiring additional help.

This included:

Improving clarity of language and instructions
Reducing cognitive load within journeys
Identifying friction points causing abandonment
Supporting more accessible completion experiences

Stakeholder alignment & decision support

We worked closely with programme teams and stakeholders to ensure findings informed strategic decisions, delivery priorities and future iterations of the service.

Research findings helped teams:

Better understand underrepresented users
Prioritise service improvements based on evidence
Reduce assumptions around non-participation
Align delivery decisions with real user needs

The Outcome

For parliamentary and regulatory organisations, effective case management is fundamental to accountability, public trust and organisational integrity.

This work demonstrated how a user-centred, governance-led approach can modernise complex investigative processes while meeting the highest standards of security, transparency and assurance.

Services Provided

Discovery & Service Design
User Research
Case Management Design
Workflow & Process Mapping
Governance & Audit Design
Accessibility & Inclusive Design
Secure Evidence Management
Reporting & Oversight Design
Microsoft 365 Integration
Stakeholder Engagement & Facilitation

Why This Matters

The work helped ONS build a stronger understanding of the barriers impacting Census participation and informed improvements across service design, accessibility and user support.

Key outcomes included: