User Experience GuideResources
We’ve collected the following templates, presentations, checklists, etc. as starting points — feel free to contribute to this guide via GitHub and help us keep this list up-to-date!
As indicated below, some of these resources are available only to staff of GSA (General Services Administration) or TTS (Technology Transformation Services).
Research
Research plan. ( 18F only, Google Doc research Plan).
Prompts for planning research. Pairs well with our research planning article.
Usability test quality heuristics. ( 18F only, Google Docs usability test quality heuristics).
A list of indicators to help you and your team determine if your usability test will produce useful results.
Privacy and informed consent
18F’s Design Research is covered by GSA's Privacy Act Statement for Design Research.
Privacy Act Notice Example. ( 18F only, Privacy Act Notice Example).
Example of a statement to include in your participant agreement.
Please note: you should run substantial customizations by your supervisor, GSA’s Privacy Office, and GSA’s Office of General Counsel.
Design research participant agreement.
Design research participant agreement in Spanish.
Example agreement for people participating in moderated design research.
Note: You can customize this template, but it must include a Privacy Act statement. If the interview is with a Federal employee, or otherwise will not include compensation, the agreement must also include an Anti-deficiency Act clause.
Looking for PRA (Paperwork Reduction Act) information? See the UX Guide Legal page.
Interviews
Interview checklist. ( 18F only, Google Doc interview checklist).
A checklist for planning and conducting in-depth interviews.
Interview guide. ( 18F only, Google Doc interview guide).
An example guide for moderating in-depth interviews with users.
Usability test script. An example guide for moderating usability tests with users.
Interview debrief guide. ( 18F only, Interview debrief guide).
An example guide for teams leading a post-interview debrief.
Findings presentation
18F only, Research findings presentation template A starting point for sharing what you learned during a discovery sprint. ( 18F only, Report template 1, 18F only, Report template 2)
Email templates
Stakeholder introduces researcher. ( 18F only, Google Doc: Stakeholder introduces researcher).
An email for stakeholders to introduce and legitimize 18F design researchers to their staff.
Researcher introduces themselves to a participant. ( 18F only, Google Doc: Researcher introduces themselves to a participant).
An email for introducing yourself to potential participants (for example, people who responded to your invitation to participate in the research) and finding a good time for them to participate in a moderated research session.
Researcher sends agreement to participant. ( 18F only, Google Doc: Researcher sends agreement to participant).
An email asking participants to review and sign a participant agreement before they participate in moderated research.
Design
Presenting the work
We most commonly share our work via presentations. These presentations can vary widely based on the audience. Here are a few presentation-building tips:
- Utilize our 18F-branded templates found on the 18F brand site to maintain consistency and save time.
- The presentation deck should tell a compelling story and be easy to read. Make sure to include enough content so those not able to attend the presentation can view the deck later and understand what you’re aiming to communicate. Refer to this presentation on 18F only, How to design a better deck for additional pointers and guidance.
- Check out the 18F only, Project resources folder for reusable content and templates; browse previous 18F strategy development project artifacts [Github] for inspiration; or view the Design wiki [Github] for additional examples.
- Feel free to include references or links to further reading at the end of your presentation.
Tools
General
- 18F only, Six weird tips for protecting PII
- 18F only, Artifacts from design-led projects
- Checklist of requirements for federal government websites
- 18F only, Quickstart: Intercept (pop-up) research in GSA buildings
Presentations
- 18F only, How to design a better deck
- 18F only, What is design?
- 18F only, Introduction to design
- 18F only, Writing research questions
- 18F only, Research presentation template
