Professional standards and guidance

As a user centred design (UCD) community, we must maintain a high level of professional specifications to meet user needs and comply with internal and external standards.

Role standards are a set of practices, ethics and behaviours that members of a particular professional group must adhere to. They include expectations around the required knowledge, skills, approaches, tools, accountabilities and responsibilities.

This information will cover the essential elements of the user researcher role, including the role standard, project on-off boarding and approved tools.

At the Home Office we have user researchers at different levels, from HEO to Grade 6. If you are looking for skills and practices that are relevant to your level or grade, take a look at the DDAT framework for user researchers. If you are a user researcher and there is anything on this page that you need any further support with, speak to your line manager.