The ten Principles are the foundation on which we build services for our users.
These principles have been put in place to allow us to work more effectively with each other, and colleagues across Sport Wales and the sector.
You can find out more about how we decided on these Principles.
Never rely on assumptions. Find out who the users of the service are or would be and why they need the service. Talk to users and let their needs guide our design. We’re building services and solutions, not just products and websites. Solutions must meet evidenced user needs.
More information:
What do we mean by Service Design – Government Digital Service
User Need Statements – NN Group
Good solutions are sustainable solutions. We’ll ensure the right people and resources are in place to see services and products supported over the long-term. Sustainability also means ensuring our services meet long-term user needs.
More Information:
User-centred Practices for Sustainable Technology - MadeTech
We’ll use resources like user interviews, metrics, data insight and research to guide our decision-making. Again, don’t rely on assumptions and use all the available evidence. We’ll use creative ways of finding insight to understand needs if evidence doesn’t exist.
More Information:
What is User Research? - Interaction Design Foundation
Designing successful services needs people with all different types of skills. From content design, product management, service design, subject matter experts and digital development; all contributions are valued and needed. We’ll value diversity of background and opinion.
More Information:
Digital Transformation Is Not About Technology – Harvard Business Review
We’ll deliver services that are accessible to all, regardless of disability, digital literacy or social background. We’ll design our services in Welsh and English. When creating for the web, we’ll be guided by accessibility best practices and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We’ll make transitions between physical, offline, and digital services smooth, leaving no users behind.
More Information:
Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
Digital accessibility: best practice essentials - Government Communication Service
New services work with or enhance our infrastructure and can be built on over time. They’re based on open standards and the cloud. They avoid dependencies on a single vendor and can be integrated with other software by design.
More Information:
What is the Cloud? - Cloudflare
Government Cloud-First Policy – GOV.UK
Open source vs Open standards - IBM
By openly and regularly sharing our work with colleagues, partners, the public sector and the sports sector, we can gain feedback and keep pushing ourselves. We'll share our successes and our failures.
More Information:
The benefits of coding in the open – Government Digital Service
Create. Test. Change. Then test again. We’ll take small steps often, releasing early live solutions and testing them with users. This process is sometimes called ‘iterating’, and it’ll be a guiding principle for how we produce solutions over the long term.
More Information:
User Testing: The Ultimate Guide - Hubspot
We’ll respond to feedback, user needs, and insight as we go. We’ll start with the problem we’re trying to solve, and not rush to find a solution. We’ll rise to shifting needs and meet change with an open mind.
More Information:
A Quick Guide to Agile - CDPS Sport Wales Design Sprint Blog - Perago
We want a culture where we can explore new ways of thinking and creating. Services and products should adapt to new evidence. Digital practices and service design are ever-changing fields, and we'll dedicate time to learning and innovating.