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Designing digital services for the UK's largest government department
The brief
DWP needed to transform complex, often paper-based services into accessible, scalable digital products that meet the rigorous Government Digital Service standard. Show+Tell were brought in to support multiple programmes — from public-facing benefit applications to health and disability services — helping teams move through GDS assessments and deliver services that work for some of the UK's most vulnerable users.
What we delivered
Apply for a Budgeting Loan
Budgeting Loans are interest-free loans available to people on certain benefits, historically reliant on a paper-based application process. We joined the service team shortly after it entered private beta, acting as interaction design lead and helping guide it through to passing its public beta GDS assessment. Our work included mapping high-level user flows, end-to-end service design, and designing and prototyping individual page components.
A hypothesis-driven approach
Rather than designing by assumption, we used a hypothesis-driven approach to validate design decisions through user testing. As the service scaled to every jobcentre in the UK, we continued to iterate based on analytics — ensuring the service kept pace with real-world usage. The result was a dramatically simplified online application process that eliminates unnecessary questions, reduces errors, and cuts the time for applicants to receive their loan.
Simplicity at scale
The Apply for a Budgeting Loan service receives thousands of applications each day. It stands as an example of how a rigorous, user-centred design process — grounded in testing, iteration and adherence to the GDS service standard — can transform a legacy paper process into a scalable digital service that genuinely works for its users.
What we delivered
Understanding user neeeds
Under DWP's health transformation programme, we conducted discovery research and service mapping to understand the needs of healthcare professionals interacting with the department's systems. This research-first approach ensured subsequent design work was grounded in real user needs rather than assumptions — a critical foundation when designing services used by people navigating complex health and disability circumstances.
Responding to COVID-19
When the pandemic made face-to-face assessments impossible, we designed a tactical service enabling claimants to apply for Personal Independence Payment from home. The work required moving quickly without sacrificing quality or accessibility — delivering a solution that kept vulnerable people connected to vital support at a time when the existing process was no longer viable.
Meeting the service standard
We also supported Employment and Support Allowance teams in meeting the government service standard. Across our DWP work, the outcomes have been consistent: simplified digital services that scale nationally, improved usability and accessibility for vulnerable users, services that meet the rigorous GDS standard, and reduced administrative overheads for the department.
