work.
The ‘Stadskamer’
the UX lab of the
municipal of The Hague
To pioneer a UX lab and prove
that user research is a fundamental
part of delivering high-quality
public services.
◊ UX Research
◊ Service Design
work.
The ‘Stadskamer’ the
UX lab of the municipal
of The Hague
To pioneer a UX lab and prove
that user research is a
fundamental part of
|delivering high-quality
public services.
◊ UX Design
◊ UX Research
◊ Service Design
Background
The ‘Stadskamer’ opened in 2018. The ambition: a user centered approach in the development of public services. As the first UX professional within the municipality I set up the organisation of the UX lab.
In the ‘Stadskamer’ residents, business owners and colleagues were involved in all sorts of qualitative research. It was here that colleagues came to understand how important it is to design public services not based on assumptions but grounded in the real experiences and needs of users.
52
Researches
570+
Residents involved in research
+67
NPS score
An artistic impression of the 'Stadskamer' developed by the interior designer.
In the observation room, users finally became real people.
The room
The UX lab was designed as a stylish living room within the city hall so respondents could immediately feel at home. Around a large table I spoke with young people about how they experienced becoming 18 years old - a lot of things change! On the couch I tested how understandable written letters from the municipality were, and observed with the help of eye tracking hardware how residents apply for welfare benefits.
Cameras and microphones were connected to an observation room, where I facilitated the research and brought insights to life for colleagues.
Organisation
Municpal employees are not used to involve users during development but with my approach I created this awareness. The observation room was integral in this process; providing opportunities to study video’s, gain valuable insights and share these directly with the team afterwards. During its existence, the UX lab became less of a goal but more of a key way to involve users.
In the first six months I mostly did singular research. It wasn’t very motivating, because I felt I had little impact on the project. Later on I developed a way of work where I advised colleagues how to keep involving their users. This created a logical flow from insight to development.
Result
After the first six months I was able to convince the board of directors of the added value of qualitative research. The high number of research requests and the enthusiastic reactions from colleagues made it possible to expand the team with two additional UX Researchers.
During my two years there, more than 570 residents of The Hague participated in over 50 research studies. The team grew from one to four members. Thanks to the positive reception of the UX lab, a dedicated team of service designers has now been established to further develop public services in The Hague with the ‘Stadskamer’ now an integral part of that effort.
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