Cabinet Office

To improve the success rates of candidates applying from all walks of life, FS wanted to understand its users better and identify the reasons why some candidate segments are more or less likely to succeed. We kicked off with a discovery phase to build our understanding of how the FSAC works, and what the candidates needed from the service.

Working together with key FS stakeholders, we built empathy/journey maps drawing from their knowledge and experiences with candidates.

We also carried out ethnographic research by observing a cohort’s complete end-to-end experience, from the moment they walked in, through to the final exercise. We did this over two days, with the second day focussed more specifically on under-represented candidates recruited through the FS’ Early Diversity Internship Program.  

We conducted in-depth user interviews with a broad range of past and current candidates from different socioeconomic groups, ethnicities, and disabilities.

By design, we wanted to provide an informative yet welcoming atmosphere that could reduce stress and help every candidate to feel welcomed, comfortable, and included.

For example, the FSAC exercise starts with a tutorial that introduces candidates to their device, schedule and notes. It instils confidence by reaffirming that the candidates are in the top 6% of applicants (so they absolutely deserve to be there!).

We consciously chose diverse imagery so candidates could see people who ‘look like them’.

We developed a robust Drupal CMS, configured as a learning management system (LMS) platform. This would give the FSET team the flexibility to create and manage the assessment material. We chose Drupal because it would provide the most efficient customisable data structures and storage for dynamic pieces of content.

The platform required unique functionality; on most websites, a user would click to access different sections. Instead, the Ops team needed to be able to control each candidate’s experience from their own ‘master’ tablet device. We developed a dynamic timetable for candidates to check their personal schedule between or during exercises.

The Ops team would unlock an exercise for candidates; their tablets were refreshed with a password to access their next exercise, which they entered when they wished to start. Dynamic content was then delivered to the candidate. This password protection was important, as all exercises were strictly timeboxed.

To ensure the new web application could meet FSET’s goal of increasing diversity and identifying leadership skill, it was critical to test for accessibility.

We began validation and iteration at the prototype stage with neurodivergent candidates, including people with dyslexia and autism. 

We ran tests that simulated a standard FSAC assessment day, with 20 candidates for alpha and beta versions of the tool. This allowed us to observe how candidates would naturally use the device during and in-between the exercises.

The days also tested the Ops team functionality, e.g. the activation of exercises.

We investigated the following areas:

Based on empirical research and testing, Cyber-Duck crafted a web application that could deliver the core FSAC exercises in an accessible, usable, and ultimately inclusive way.

Through a series of Agile sprints, we configured Drupal and HTML5 technologies to deliver the assessment exercises with high performance and security.