Good services scale

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The Good Service scale was devised by Lou Downe based on the 15 principles of good service design.

Give your service a score from 0 – 4 on how well it delivers against each principle based on these criteria:

  1. It is not possible for users to do this
  2. A small minority of users can do this with extreme difficulty or effort
  3. Some users can do this, but it still requires difficulty or effort for most
  4. Most users can do this, but it requires difficulty or effort for some
  5. All users can do this easily and consistently

Principle 1: Be easy to find
What this means The service must be able to be found by a user with no prior knowledge of the task they set out to do. For example, someone who wants to ‘learn to drive’ must be able to find their way to ‘get a driving licence’ as part of that service unaided
What this means in practice The name of the service should describe the task a user would recognise that they’re trying to achieve. It should not contain legal or technical language, the name of a technology or acronyms
You’ve achieved good when Your users can find your service unaided by looking to complete the task they set out to do.
  • 0

Principle 2: Clearly explain its purpose
What this means The purpose of the service must be clear to users at the start of using the service. That means a user with no prior knowledge must understand what the service will do for them and how it will work.
What this means in practice

The service’s name, description and the way that it’s designed all make it clear to your user:

  • What the service does
  • Why the service exists
  • How the service works
  • Who the service is for
You’ve achieved good when Your users can understand what your service is, who its for, why it exists and quickly understand whether the service is what they’re looking for
  • 0

Principle 3: Set the expectations a user has of it
What this means A good service must clearly explain what is needed from the user to complete the service and what that user can expect from the service provider in return. This includes things like how long something will take to complete, how much it will cost or if there are restrictions on the types of people who can use the service
What this means in practice A user understands how the most important elements of your service works – like how long it will take, how much it costs and whether or not they’re eligible to use it
You’ve achieved good when At every point in your user’s journey, it is clear to the them what they can expect from your service and can plan accordingly
  • 0

Principle 4: Enable each user to complete the outcome they set out to do
What this means A good service helps the user to achieve a goal – be that start a business, learn to drive or move house – in as much of a seamless stream of events as possible. This starts from the moment that a user is considering doing something to the moment they have achieved their goal, including any steps needed to support the user after they have reached their goal
What this means in practice The service enables a user to achieve the goal they set out to achieve as one, seamless string of events, and does not require the user to piece together their own pathway through a set of separated complex tasks or interactions
You’ve achieved good when Your users can achieve the outcome they set out to do without having to use multiple disjointed services and interactions to do so
  • 0

Principle 5: Work in a way that is familiar
What this means People base their understanding of the world on previous experiences. If there’s an established custom for your service that benefits a user, your service should conform to that custom. But be mindful that not all customs benefit users – some have been put in for the benefit of the organisation running the service, rather than users. Avoid customs that negatively affect your user or those that are inefficient or outdated.
What this means in practice

Every element of the service works in a way that your users would recognise and understand from other, similar services they might use.

our service does not expect your user to adjust their expectations or behaviour wildly from the rest of their experience of the world.

You’ve achieved good when Your users can use your service without having to learn new rules and ways of working that are different to the other services like yours that they might use.
  • 0

Principle 6: Require no prior knowledge to use
What this means A service should not work in a way that assumes any prior knowledge from the user
What this means in practice The service is equally as findable and usable by someone with no prior knowledge of the service as it is by someone who does have previous experience
You’ve achieved good when Users with no knowledge of your service can use your service as well as someone who has used it before 
  • 0

Principle 7: Be agnostic of organisational structures
What this means The service must work in a way that does not unnecessarily expose a user to the internal structures of the organisation providing the service
What this means in practice The structure of the organisation(s) providing the service aren’t visible to the user when using the service. There are no delays or barriers to a user reaching their goal that were caused by the structures of the organisation(s) providing the service
You’ve achieved good when Your users can achieve the outcome they set out to do without having to become aware of or negotiate the links between separate organisations, data or structures themselves
  • 0

Principle 8: Require the minimum possible steps to complete
What this means A good service requires as minimal interaction from a user as possible to complete the outcome that they’re trying to achieve. Sometimes this will mean proactively meeting a user’s needs without them instigating an interaction with your organisation. This may also mean occasionally slowing the progress of a service in order to help a user absorb information or make an important decision
What this means in practice The number of steps in the service is proportional to the amount of, and size of decisions a user has to make. No user is forced to make a decision too quickly by being sped through steps
You’ve achieved good when Your users complete with as little effort and steps as possible, at a pace that enables them to make decisions properly 
  • 0

Principle 9: Be consistent throughout
What this means The service should look and feel like one service throughout, regardless of the channel it is delivered through. The language used should be consistent, as should visual styles and interaction patterns
What this means in practice

The service is consistent:

  • Across user entire journey
  • In each channel
  • Between users (even if the experience a user has is unique, it should be consistent with the quality of experience others have)
You’ve achieved good when Your users can trust your service because it looks, feels and acts as one constant service
  • 0

Principle 10: Have no dead ends
What this means A service should direct all users to a clear outcome, regardless of whether the user is eligible or suitable to use the service. No user should be left behind or stranded within a service without knowing how to continue
What this means in practice There is no point in your service where a user might be left stranded with no way to continue, or no information on what to do next
You’ve achieved good when Your users can stray off the desired path of your service at any point and return to their journey without being stranded. At no point will they find themselves in a situation where they are unable to continue without being given a way to resolve their issue
  • 0

Principle 11: Be usable by everyone, equally
What this means The service must be usable by everyone who needs to use it, regardless of their circumstances or abilities. No one should be less able to use the service than anyone else
What this means in practice

No user is excluded from your service because of:

  • what they can do
  • who they are
  • what they have or don’t have access to

You’ve achieved good when

Regardless of who your user’s are, and the resources they have at hand, they can use your service equally as well as anyone else

If your service is dependent on payment or location as a threshold of using it, try to find ways to make sure your service is accessible to users who might otherwise struggle to use it

  • 0

Principle 12: Encourage the right behaviours from users and service providers
What this means The service should encourage safe, productive behaviours from users and staff that are mutually beneficial. For users, the service should not set a precedent for behaviours that may put the user at harm in other circumstances – for example, providing data without knowing its use. For staff, this means they should not be incentivised to provide a bad service to users, for example, through short call- handling time targets
What this means in practice

The incentives, KPIs and business model of your organisation, and the interactions a user has with your service encourage behaviours that positively affect:

  • Your user 
  • Your staff
  • The ability of your company to thrive and be sustainable
  • The world

You’ve achieved good when Your users can use your service in a way that does not encourage them to put themselves, your staff, your organisation’s sustainability and the world in danger whilst using the service or in the future
  • 0

Principle 13: Respond to change quickly
What this means The service should respond quickly and adaptively to a change in a user’s circumstance and make this change consistently throughout the service. For example, if a user changes their phone number online, their new phone number should be recognised in a face-to-face service
What this means in practice Your service responds quickly to the changing needs and circumstances of your user and works on the assumption that nothing is fixed – making it easy for users to change things about themselves and let you know easily
You’ve achieved good when A user can experience massive or minor changes in their life and their experience of your service responds promptly and proportionally
  • 0

Principle 14: Clearly explain why a decision has been made
What this means When a decision is made within a service, it should be obvious to a user why this decision has been made and clearly communicated at the point at which it’s made. A user should also be given a route to contest this if they need to
What this means in practice
  • Your decisions are based on valid evidence that isn’t biased
  • The reason why you made a decision is transparent to the user
  • Your decisions are clearly communicated to users in a relevant and timely way
  • There is a clear way for users to dispute the decision you’ve made
You’ve achieved good when Your users can understand the decisions that have been made about them and why those decisions have been made. They have a way to dispute that decision if they need to
  • 0

Principle 15: Make it easy to get human assistance
What this means A service should always provide an easy route for users to speak to a human if they need to
What this means in practice There is always a way for your user to contact a human being if they need to, that method of contact is not obscured or hidden in any way
You’ve achieved good when Your users with complex or difficult to serve needs can contact a human decision maker quickly and easily to resolve their issue. The person they speak to is empowered to help them and provides support that is consistent with the rest of the service
  • 0

Your score

0

0-20 – Level 1 – Bad

It is not possible for all but the most expert and determined users to find and use this service.

It may pose significant risks to those users who are able use it by encouraging unsafe behaviours, and may make it extremely difficult for users to understand and resolve issues when they arise.

21-30 – Level 2 – Poor

Though a minority of users might be able to complete your service it is unlikely to get them to the goal they need to achieve

The majority your users are likely to struggle to find or use your service, either because it is not inclusive, or it is designed for expert use.

31-40 – Level 3 – Unsatisfactory

Though some users will be able to use your service to reach their desired goal, the service is still difficult to use for the majority of users, and is likely to favour those with time and previous experience

Your users may face delays in the use of your service due to organisational silos or unnecessary bureaucracy, and may still become confused by inconsistencies in the service or ways of working that are unfamiliar

41-50 – Level 4 – Moderate

Most users are able to find and use your service successfully, although some users may stil be excluded

A user’s ability to achieve the goal they set out to achieve, in one seamless service is still likely to be made more difficult by organisational silos or more inconsistencies in your service

51-60 – Level 5 – Good

Your service is easily findable and usable by anyone who needs to use it, enabling all users to consistently achieve the goal they set out to achieve.

Your service is likely to encourage behaviours that benefit not just your user and staff, but society and the planet as a whole

Oh, and well done!

What to do with your results

For each principle, ask the following questions:

  1. What is your service failing to do for users?
    • For example, the name of the service contains an acronym that some users will find hard to understand unless they’re already familiar with it
  2. What does good look like for your service?
    • For example, the name of our service clearly describes what our users need to do, instead of A.S.H.E.E.P we should call the service something like ‘legally move sheep or goats’ or ‘register the legal status of a sheep or goat’
  3. What’s stopping your service doing this now?
    • For example, Policymakers named the service when it was created (a long time ago!), we don’t know who owns the change or whether we’re allowed to change it
  4. What could you do to change it?
    • For example, gather evidence on how users find it difficult to find our service. Look at the number or people who need to use the service and compare that to those who do so now

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