Reducing Invalid Planning Applications A service pattern for digital planning submissions
Show & Tell 12
20 November 2020
Partners collaborating:
working with
Open Systems Lab
Ho Lam User Researcher
Project website: www.ripa.digital
Blog: medium.com/@digitalplanning
Twitter: @DigitalPlanTech
Facebook: Facebook.com/Digitalplantech
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/reducing-invalid-planning-applications
digitalplanning@lambeth.gov.uk / OSL (Open Systems Lab)
The Problem
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Southwark - BoPs - www.bops.digital
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Show and Tell No. 12
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1.a Content Design
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Reviewing the Prototype
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Adding to the Back Log
1.b Planning Officer / Validator Survey
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1.c Workshop with enforcement officers
What to submit with a LDC application
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Drawings:
Information:
Evidence:
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Summary:
Immunity:
1.d Other Sprint things
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Other
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Steps ahead and monitoring the private beta
2. Show & tell: User research
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What we’ve up to this sprint
Conducted 4 usability testings ��Journeys tested:
- LDC 4 years immunity submission journey. Prototype V.011 (Figma clickable prototype). End to end journey-’Landing’ page to ‘Application submitted’.
User group we spoke to:
4 participants, all agents applicants. 1 agent applicant applied for LDC for her own property
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LDC 4 year immunity submission journey V.01 overall:
All participants were able to complete the journey by themselves with no major difficulties. Participants thinks the new service is pretty clear and neat.
“...it all seemed simple which is appropriate for an LDC e.g. very limited information required (although the evidence could be difficult to work out) - quite a streamlined process, neat, clear…”-P17
‘It's a very simple form, I think anyone could go through it and find it simple to use...in an application such as this I think you need a very detailed guidance form to say to somebody “in this form of application, these are the things that are the basis to which the application must be determined.” A good guidance form is almost as important as the form itself.’ -P16
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LDC- 4 years immunity submission journey V.11 Key findings:
Landing page:
All participants find the information on the landing page quite clear and knows how to navigate to start an application.�
Some commented they would like to know what exact documents would be needed from the outset.
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Dashboard:
It is really clear to participants that where they can click to start a new application here.
2 participants would like to see postcode & the reference number to be shown on the project cards.
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About the project�What did the work involve:
Some of the options needs to be explained in more details.
A couple of participants wonder what ‘Demolish’ & ‘Modify’ would mean.
Participant also commented that some applicants may get confused between ‘Build new’ & ‘ Extension’.
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About the project�‘The work were completed on’:
It can difficult to find out the exact date of completion sometimes.
The word ‘completed’ may need clearer definition. For architects, completion means when a building is safe to move in but for other, it could mean when the decorations is completed.
'if I were a homeowner, I may get confused by the wording of when the works were 'completed''.
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About the property:
Participants likes that they are able to see the information the system have on the property. 1 participant wonder if we could incorporate the information we pull out onto the map also
Eg. showing conservation area on map�
Participants also ask if the ‘Property area’ means the size of the land area or if it means the size of property?
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Drawing/ evidence:
Participants understands that this is evidence to support their application. While all of them think the list of options currently showing is comprehensive, they questioned how they may prove the photo is taken at a certain date and if date on digital photos could be faked.
�2 participants suggested statutory statement as a form of evidence.
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In what way do these documents prove date of completion/use?:
Agents participants we tested with this round think the question is clear and understood what it is for but some agents commented this may confuse some homeowner applicants.
A participant suggested that we could have the question immediately after each of the chosen option to make it specific to the each option itself.
Declaration:
Participants found this page straight forward.
Some would like to have more explanation of why is it important and how may this affect their application if they are related/partnered with someone in the council.
Payment methods:
Credit card/ debit card are the most common payment methods.
A participant commented ‘we can't do many credit card payments because of the credit limit..." hence the "Nominate to pay" on Planning portal is very helpful for them and hope we will have something similar to allow their client to pay for the application themselves.
Another participant's company still uses cheque as the finance department still uses it. But he further commented that it won’t be an issue if cheque is not an option, he will choose other payment method instead.
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Application submitted:
All participant understood their application is now been submitted. Thinks this page is clear.
What happen next:
A participant really likes the and he instinctively thought this section is a live tracker of the application.
Participant questions bits of the content and wording. e.g. more clarification on what a 'disputed' scheme means
One participant commented that we should add a paragraph to let applicant know what are their options if they don’t hear back from the council.
Other findings:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/103VG7eG1FADJkNPfvHfCJV894Rn3ucmROcLcF0PFiVE/edit#gid=0��
Upcoming sprint �
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3.Show & Tell / OSL
Explore the service mockup here
Project Types / User Journeys
Project Types / User Journeys – What we might expect traffic to look like
- Question
- Checklist (normal / expandable)
– Text (short / long / email address)
– Number (with units)
– Date
– Address
– File upload
– Find property
– Property information
– Draw map boundary
– Result
– Review
– Task list
– Content
– Notice
– Pay
– Page
– Page with sections
– Decision
– Notify
– Calculate
– Checkpoint
– List
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Component progress
Q&As
Thank you.
Project website: www.ripa.digital
Project Log Link: https://www.ripa.digital/Project-log
Blog: medium.com/@digitalplanning
Twitter: @DigitalPlanTech
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/reducing-invalid-planning-applications
digitalplanning@lambeth.gov.uk / OSL (Open Systems Lab)
3. Collaboration session
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WORKSHOP SESSION
5. Any other business