Unit 5 · Lesson 20 of 20
Capstone: improve a complete service
Apply the full UX process to a new, evidence-rich library reservation case.
01 / Learn
Learn the method
Fictional case
A city library lets members reserve study rooms online, receive a phone message, use a lobby kiosk, and ask library staff for help.
Terms for this lesson
- Case dossier
- A connected set of maps, evidence, design choices, tests, and decisions.
- Transfer
- Applying a learned method to a different service context.
- Revision rule
- A stated condition that guides the next change to a design.
The capstone brings together the course's methods in a new service. Begin with the member's goal: reserve a room and arrive knowing the booking is confirmed. Map the visible route and the staff and system events behind it. Use the supplied case evidence as the starting material for every claim.
Separate observations, system facts, and possible explanations. Several members reached the library with a confirmation message while the staff ledger still showed an earlier view. The booking service issues a receipt when it accepts a reservation; the staff ledger updates later. This timing suggests several design and operational questions.
Frame one consequential problem, compare at least two responses, and specify received, pending, changed, and help states. Then write a test task that could reveal whether members understand the status. Plan a revision rule and a decision owner. The complete chain matters more than visual polish.
Use the same evidence discipline you practiced with the clinic. A small test can reveal how participants interpret a message; service records can help estimate frequency in operation. Finish with a decision record that states the chosen route, its assumptions, and the next check.
Use the method
- Map the member goal and the service events behind each channel.
- Frame a supported problem and compare two complete responses.
- Plan a test, write a decision record, and name the next review condition.
A capstone demonstrates a connected chain from task and evidence through design, testing, ownership, and revision.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Designing good government services: an introduction ↗Consider a service from beginning to end, front to back, and across channels.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Provide a joined up experience across all channels ↗Coordinate digital, phone, paper, and face-to-face help as needed by users.
- Nielsen Norman Group: Service Blueprints: Definition ↗Make visible the staff, systems, and processes behind a touchpoint.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Using moderated usability testing ↗Write believable, neutral tasks that answer a research question.
02 / See the reasoning
Worked example
A member reserves Room B online at 14:02 and receives a booking receipt. The staff ledger shows the reservation at 14:05. In one observed session, the member asks staff whether the room is ready; staff use a direct booking lookup to confirm it. An expert maps the interval, distinguishes reservation receipt from physical room readiness, and tests whether a clearer arrival message reduces uncertainty. The decision record assigns the ledger and staff routes to their owners.
Try a decision →03 / Decide
Guided decision
A member has a booking-service receipt while the staff ledger still shows an earlier view. Which first design direction best supports the member's arrival?
Feedback on your choice
What could change the answer: A ledger that becomes the library's official reservation record would change the event that controls the final confirmation.
Use this feedback to examine your choice and written reasoning.
Build your case file →04 / Build the case
Your case file
Fictional case update
The independent case dossier includes a changed room assignment, a member who uses staff help, and an evening arrival after the desk closes.
Evidence and constraints
- Fictional observation: in six moderated sessions, two members visited the help desk after receiving an online booking message because they expected a staff handoff.
- Fictional observation: one member arrived after the desk closed and used the lobby kiosk to confirm Room B.
- Fictional system fact: the booking service issues a receipt when it accepts a reservation; its receipt includes room, date, and time.
- Fictional operations fact: the staff ledger refreshes from the booking service every three minutes; staff can query a booking receipt directly during open hours.
- Fictional service fact: room readiness is recorded by a separate facilities process and can change after a reservation receipt.
- Fictional access fact: the lobby kiosk has large text and keyboard controls; the team has scheduled a screen-reader study for the online route.
- Fictional channel fact: phone messages send after the booking service issues a receipt; members can choose a staff phone call during desk hours.
- Fictional delivery constraint: the next release can change message copy and the staff lookup script; ledger timing and facilities integration require later work.
Create a compact case dossier: task map, evidence ledger, problem statement, two alternatives, state sequence, one test task, and a decision record. Give the evening arrival a usable recovery route and name the owner of each service handoff.
Create: A reviewable service decision dossier with map, evidence, problem, alternatives, states, test, and owner-led follow-up.
The proposal connects supplied evidence to a coherent member journey, accurate status, accessible help, and a testable decision.
- Observations and system facts support each major claim.
- The map shows booking receipt, ledger update, and room readiness as distinct events.
- Two credible alternatives address status and the evening help route.
- The test task can reveal member understanding of reservation and readiness.
- The decision record names owners, assumptions, and a revision trigger.
The completed dossier is a reusable example of evidence-based UX reasoning.
Path complete
Keep using what you learned.
You have worked through all five capabilities. Return to these methods as your work changes, and keep testing them in real settings.
05 / Keep working