Forum Home → Discussion → Universal credit administration → Thread
No Save Button when applying for UC
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/apr/26/universal-credit-pilot-launch
It states “Nigel Morgan, district manager of Tameside CAB, said he had been trained on the new system over the past fortnight. He described it as user-friendly, although he said that it took about 45 minutes to fill in the forms, and noted that there was no save function, which meant that if claimants needed to go home and get more information, they had to begin all over again” - oversight?
BBC Radio 4 had a report on the Tameside Pathfinder (including the ‘no save option on the claim form’ issue) this afternoon:
Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01s39z4
Relevant part is from 05:10 to 15:20
The claim portal specifies: “Complete and submit your claim in one session.”
does it have a print button ?
No, you have to use the screen capture key to print a page. There’s a page at the end that tells you how much your UC is likely to be and when the first payment is due, but you have to know to capture this and print it, then submit your claim. Claimants in the first pilots will be able to get support with making their claims. Hopefully some of these issues will be sorted out over time, but I’m not holding my breath.
It’s been designed by Jobseekers of course; none of them were IT professionals, they’d all been sent home before they thought about the customer interface.
The interview on R4 really disappointed me this morning. No indication that the IT is in turmoil whatsoever.
So much for in depth journalism.
worth having a click around ...
- the ‘claim portal’ ... https://www.universalcredit.service.gov.uk/uc/
- their ‘about’ pages ... http://about.universalcredit.service.gov.uk/kms/SitePages/home.htm
- an A-Z ... http://about.universalcredit.service.gov.uk/kms/SitePages/glossary-let=a.htm
- terms and conditions ... http://about.universalcredit.service.gov.uk/kms/SitePages/TermsConditions.htm
plus ... check out the universal credit ‘personal planner’ -
‘Use this Personal Planner to find out if you’ll need to do anything differently to manage a Universal Credit claim. For example, some people may need to set up a bank account or budget for a monthly payment instead of a weekly payment. You’ll also get information to help you start making changes right now.’
https://secureonline.dwp.gov.uk/universal-credit-preparation/
See the Register story today
Brits on benefits: ‘Dole office site only works on PCs over 10 YEARS OLD’
UK.gov snubs blind, disabled and pensioners
at
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/30/universal_credit_dwp_browser_compatibility_snafu/
‘Teething troubles on day one of universal credit pilot scheme’ from Guardian -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/apr/29/universal-credit-pilot-scheme
although of course gov.uk is a design classic -
The website Gov.uk has picked up the prestigious Design of the Year award.
.... Judges unanimously voted for Gov.uk above other category winners including fashion, furniture and architecture, for its “well thought out, yet understated design”.
Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic said the site was “the Paul Smith of websites”.
“It makes life better for millions of people coping with the everyday chores, from getting a new passport, to paying their taxes,” he said.
“Gov.uk looks elegant, and subtly British thanks to a revised version of a classic typeface, designed by Margaret Calvert back in the 1960s,” he added.
Design of the Year jury member Griff Rhys Jones said the website was “a clear winner”.
“It creates a benchmark for which all international government websites can be judged on,” he added
From this Explanatory Memo for the SSAC:
In the vast majority of cases advance claims should not be required because we intend the online system will retain for a certain period of time a partially completed claim, enabling claimants to complete their claim in advance and then submit it through the gateway.
If this is the case, can a UC claim be somehow saved at the end, then “submitted” later?
the online system will retain for a certain period of time a partially completed claim, enabling claimants to complete their claim in advance and then submit it through the gateway.
Equivalent to the length of time an Italian driver waits after traffic lights turn green before blowing his horn?
[ Edited: 1 May 2013 at 03:41 pm by Gareth Morgan ]iain duncan smith has said he doesn’t want to be bogged down with these sort of ‘nitty gritty’ issues -
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/29/iain-duncan-smith-universal-credit_n_3176903.html
I use the dwp website a lot for the DMG and amended regs, and having seen the information that has already been migrated across to the gov website I am dreading the rest moving. I was shocked that it got awards for design, and I’ve found it harder to navigate and distinctly dumbed down.
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/values
Civil service code:
The Civil Service Code, first published in 1996, sets out the core Civil Service values and the standards of behaviour expected of all civil servants in upholding these values.
•Integrity – putting the obligations of public service above personal interests
•Honesty – being truthful and open
•Objectivity – basing advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence
•Impartiality – acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving governments of different political parties equally well
do the new pages on http://www.gov.uk/dwp comply with this?
Howard Shiplee, new DWP Universal Credit Director-General, was asked by the Work and Pensions Commitee last week whether the lack of a ‘save and return’ feature was a ‘glitch’ that could be fixed and replied -
‘I do not think it is a glitch. There are aspects of security about that-getting halfway through, leaving something effectively open and then returning to it. In many ways it is safer to shut it down and start again from a security point of view. But that is being looked at at the moment. As I mentioned, I was looking at what we call a “show and tell” yesterday that was one of the first stages of looking at couples and how it works. It is very interesting that it was being tested not on a computer screen but actually on a telephone face. That is quite an interesting point, because in order to get facts and figures on the telephone, you have to really sort out exactly the questions you are asking and the responses. Many of us have tried to design forms, and you have always designed a form that is very complicated. Again, the way we are doing this is getting down to the real nitty-gritty and making it very user friendly by minimising questions and making it very clear as to what is happening. I think the answer to your question is, yes, in time, we will address that issue.’ (Q66)
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmworpen/uc569/uc56901.htm
I can’t understand most of this quote, but it doesn’t seem to me to bear much (if any) relationship to the question!
As for the bit that purports to be an answer, words (almost) fail me. How on earth can anyone think the system is user friendly when you can get 90% of the way through & then need to come back later because you haven’t got the answer readly available to whatever question comes up so you have to enter the whole of the 90% again?
Isn’t telling someone they have a “telephone face” rather hurtful….?
Seriously though….w.t.h. is he going on about??
....w.t.h. is he going on about??
Early UC claim prototypes made both partners in a couple go through the online claims process individually. Presumably the system would carry forward some of the information entered by the first partner to claim, for the second partner to confirm. This would require similar programming to that needed to enable save and restore for claimants in general.
Perhaps that is what he’s getting at.