User-Centred Regulatory Solutions: The ORP Alpha Phase
The UK Government’s Open Regulation Platform (ORP) is revolutionising regulatory processes by simplifying navigation and compliance for businesses, regulators, and legal professionals. In the Alpha phase, Big Motive partnered with BEIS to design user-focused solutions for both front-end and back-end needs.
THE PROBLEM
The ORP project required the development of a robust framework to support diverse users, including legal professionals, regulators, software engineers, and business support groups. This posed significant challenges in aligning stakeholder priorities and ensuring the platform would meet the needs of all user types. The key objective was to define technical requirements and propose solutions to create an accessible, user-centred platform that supports regulatory engagement and innovation.
OUR APPROACH
Big Motive applied a multi-faceted research approach to uncover user needs and inform design decisions. Activities included:
- Qualitative research: Conduct interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders to understand their workflows, challenges, and expectations.
- Co-design workshops: Facilitating collaborative sessions to gather input on editorial, API, and citation graph interfaces, ensuring stakeholder alignment.
- Prototyping: Developing and iterating prototypes to validate ideas and explore potential solutions for both user journeys and technical functionality.
- Service mapping: Mapping user journeys for both front-end and back-end users, identifying pain points, and opportunities for improvement.
These activities supported iterative feedback loops, enabling the team to adapt designs based on user insights.
THE OUTCOME
The ORP Alpha phase delivered a range of outcomes that advanced its vision:
- Technical framework: A fully documented API website, complete with guidance and implementation examples, supporting user engagement and platform scalability.
- User-centred insights: Findings and recommendations that addressed the needs of all user groups, including insights into regulatory navigation and data interactions.
- Service artefacts: Comprehensive documentation, including service blueprints, wireframes, and user personas, to guide further development.
- Actionable feedback: Recommendations framed as user stories to support the development team’s ongoing efforts.
Through our involvement, Big Motive contributed to the creation of an accessible, future-focused platform that enhances regulatory compliance and efficiency, empowering diverse user groups across the UK regulatory ecosystem.
