Championing a value-based design approach: lessons & ideas from designing an appeal service for vulnerable groups in UK immigration detention

Human-centred design is often a balance between idealism and practicality. In sensitive policy areas, such as immigration and asylum detention, striking this balance is challenging.

Through a case-study of designing a paper-based tribunal appeal service for vulnerable unrepresented detainees, we share lessons about policy design from the perspective of practitioner and civil-servant product-owner.

This entails building what we call a value-based design approach, anchored in ethical practice and aligned with diverse stakeholders around shared values of equal access to justice.

Participant takeaways:

• An understanding of the challenges and opportunities of human-centred design practice in sensitive policy areas.
• Strategies for building a value-based design approach.
• Testing designs in context to help bridge the gap between policy and delivery and flag policy blind spots early-on.
• Insights and lessons for accessing, engaging and protecting hard-to-reach vulnerable groups.

Themes:
Inclusion, Immigration, principle-led design, hybrid paper & digital journey, accessible design, user research, emerging policy, contentious policy, ethics, cross-governmental project.