Kin and Carta

User Experience Research and Testing

Kin + Carta has deep expertise in qualitative/quantitative user research and user testing, using a variety of tools/methods to help you understand the user experience equation: users, tasks, needs, desired outcomes, constraints, platform and environment. Our evidence-based insights provide recommendations for designing and optimising user experiences.

Features

• Primary and secondary user research methods
• Contextual and ethnographic research, lab-based user testing and guerrilla testing
• In-the-moment and longitudinal studies
• User testing participant recruitment
• Stakeholder observation/participation
• User experience audit, heuristic and expert evaluations for interaction/content
• WCAG Accessibility evaluation and user testing
• Competitor/parallel service benchmarking
• Deep analysis, prioritised recommendations and insights
• User analytics, heat-map/click-map analysis and data-based research

Benefits

• Supports user-centred design in Agile/Lean UX delivery
• Inclusive and accessible user experiences
• Deep understanding of user needs, desired outcomes, considerations and constraints
• Actionable insights and recommendations
• Test and improve usability, experience, desirability and interactions
• Test and improve navigation, information architecture and visual design
• Research for user-experience, business objectives and technical feasibility
• Flexible teams
• Collaboration driven up-skilling of your user experience team
• User research and testing to meet Gov Service Standard

£400.00 a unit a day

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at public.sector@kinandcarta.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

748753074737958

Contact

James Davis
07914966898
public.sector@kinandcarta.com

Planning

• Planning service: Yes
• How the planning service works: We take an outcomes approach to understand the benefits and priorities for new digital services, and for modernising existing services. We research the business, market, users and technology to understand the current-state, painpoints and opportunities for improvement. We assess business operations, looking for potential efficiencies, and assess the organisation's readiness and capabilities to adopt new practices and plan strategies for change and adoption. ; ; To help you make the right technical choices, we assess cloud hosting suppliers for best-fit, including multi-cloud approaches. We model these on costs, business benefits, features, existing organisational adoption and experience and a variety of other non-functional requirements, drawing up a comparable options matrix with recommendations. We identify target state and prioritise a roadmap. We assess build/buy/modify and options that enable speed to value, whilst maintaining flexibility and reducing costs. We may run proof of concepts for architecturally risky considerations and plan further mitigation strategies. We may be able to provide immediate cost-savings through recommendations on minor adjustments and configuration. We will propose clear next-steps that will realise early benefits quickly, and rapidly validate a deeper cloud modernisation approach to deliver long-term value.
• Planning service works with specific services: No

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: We work closely with our clients and partners to ensure that we’re not just delivering, but building capabilities and upskilling teams. As we identify training needs throughout our engagement, our highly experienced resources work closely with you to embed best practices, coach, and upskill digital teams. We ensure that the knowledge we gain through each phase of delivery is transferred to your team in accessible and re-usable formats, supported by our Communities of Practice and 1-to-1-or-more knowledge transfer activities such as workshops or pairing. Our aim is to super-charge our clients’ capabilities so that the products and services we implement are able to be supported in a BAU capacity by our clients’ teams.
• Training is tied to specific services: No

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: Our team will work with you to plan and coordinate research sessions, including participant selection and management.
• Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services: No

Quality assurance and performance testing

• Quality assurance and performance testing service: Yes
• How the quality assurance and performance testing works: We take an integrated approach to delivering quality. Every member of our cross-functional teams is involved - from Product Owners and Strategists to Designers, Developers and Testers. We believe quality requires high standards and attention to detail at every stage of delivery, and a range of tools and techniques. Throughout our iterative development process, we continuously apply a range of testing techniques and methodologies covering behavioural, functional, exploratory, regression, performance, security, usability and accessibility.

Security testing

• Security services: Yes
• Security services type:
  • Security strategy
  • Security design
  • Security testing
• Certified security testers: Yes
• Security testing certifications:
  • CHECK
  • CREST
  • Cyber Scheme

Ongoing support

• Ongoing support service: Yes
• Types of service supported: Hosting or software provided by a third-party organisation
• How the support service works: We support cloud platforms and products with technical support at 2nd and 3rd line, up to 24/7, using both in-team DevOps enabled roles and dedicated service desks.; ; As we work with your team to discover, define and develop your cloud products and services, considering the long-term plan for operation and support will be key in achieving its outcomes and meeting organisational service resilience standards. We can play various roles in support; from advising on the appropriate operating model to ensure service resilience, training your existing support function, through to putting in place dedicated teams with well defined SLAs to execute on the model.; ; As the product or service evolves towards live, our team will work with your product and operational leaders to ensure that there is clarity in the desired operational KPIs, and the operational model through which it will run. This will inform a clear set of functional and non-functional requirements that ensure the service is built with resilience and operation in mind.

Service scope

• Service constraints: There are no significant constraints within the context of this service offering.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support response times: Typical SLA response times:; P1 (Critical) - 30 mins response, 1 hour target resolution; P2 (High) - 1 hour response, 4 hour target resolution; P3 (Medium) - 3 hour response, 8 hour target resolution; P4 (Low) 5 hours response, 16 hours target resolution; P5 (Change) - 8 hour response, resolution at next scheduled release, case by case; Out of hours is available - SLA agreed based on needs.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Support levels: Kin + Carta operates a support service desk that can work to agreed SLA terms. Our standard support service operates during normal UK business hours, with the option for extended hours or complete 24/7/365 where required. We operate with standard response and resolution times built into an SLA, operating a tierd support structure. The terms of the SLA can be bespoke depending on the requirements of the service. In addition to service desk engineers and 2nd/3rd line engineers, we also include a Service Manager who has operational responsibility for the overall service.

Resellers

• Supplier type: Reseller providing extra features and support
• Organisation whose services are being resold: Microsoft Office, Dynamics, Azure, AWS, GCP, G-Suite, Optimizely

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Developed Vetting (DV)

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Kin + Carta’s approach to fighting climate change is rooted in a comprehensive and proactive strategy that encompasses both our organisation as a whole and the projects we undertake. Our recognition as a B Corporation cements our commitment to making a positive environmental impact. At an organisational level, our Climate Strategy and Action Plan sets out our approach to reducing our carbon footprint and mitigating the effects of climate change.; ; We have set ambitious targets to be Net Zero by 2040 and net zero in our UK business by 2027. We are undertaking a number of initiatives to support this and achieved zero waste to landfill across our UK offices. We also undertake global offsetting in parallel with two non-financial KPIs for carbon intensity and absolute reduction of scope 1 & 2 published in our annual impact report, alongside the reporting of Scope 3 emission reporting which we are developing methods to minimise emissions. ; ; Our Carbon Reduction Plan outlines our specific actions to reduce our environmental impact. We lead by example and actively engage with our clients, suppliers, and communities to raise awareness and promote sustainable practices. We provide thought leadership through speaking at high-profile events and partnering with organisations like the Civil Service Environment Network. We also offer sustainability services that consider the impact of software, cloud modernisation, and data services on the environment. Furthermore, we have developed a program to educate and support our staff, suppliers, customers, and communities in increasing their efforts towards environmental protection. This includes awareness seminars and webinars, how-to guides for energy-saving techniques, and encouraging our clients to reach out to their colleagues for support and advice; ; We annually assess and review our approach and publish these results.

  Tackling economic inequality

  Aligned with our B Corp commitments, Kin + Carta drive for teams and suppliers to be as diverse as the regions we operate in. Our Code of Ethics policy and Inclusion, Diversity, Equality, Awareness (IDEA) Strategy Action Plan, rooted in the Equality Act 2010, guide progression through targeted programmes. ; ; We drive for a diversity-first approach to sourcing potential candidates, targeting underrepresented groups through specialised job boards, and assessing candidates through skills-based assessment and structured interviews.; ; We leverage our external partnerships to provide apprenticeship opportunities across our service lines, providing on-the-job training and tailored support. We host a number of community outreach initiatives, offering further training and upskilling sessions to underrepresented groups through volunteering and sponsored workshops. For example our people volunteer with non-profit organisations that empower underrepresented people to follow a career in the tech industry and areas facing skills shortages. Our women leadership and BAME accelerator programmes provide targeted support and opportunities. ; ; We track and report on diversity statistics within Kin + Carta annually, challenging ourselves to ensure that we have the right mix of people to bring a rich diversity of experience to each project. We also measure our progress in increasing representation of underrepresented groups within our workforce.; ; We actively seek out suppliers outside of our current networks - we engage with business networks and events to connect with a wide range of suppliers, including SMEs, start-ups, and businesses owned and controlled by individuals from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds. We leverage our B Corp Supplier Code of Conduct and supplier selection process to evaluate suppliers' commitment to innovation, and their ability to bring disruptive technologies to the table.

  Equal opportunity

  At Kin + Carta, we are committed to fostering an environment of equal opportunity for all individuals. Our approach to equal opportunity is rooted in our Code of Ethics and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Awareness (IDEA) Policy, which explicitly prohibits discrimination based on the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010. ; ; We take a diversity-led approach to sourcing candidates, actively seeking individuals from underrepresented groups. We advertise job openings on specialised, diversity-focused job boards and train our recruiters and interviewers on diversity sourcing techniques, inclusive job ads, and unconscious bias. We also include diversity statements on all job adverts and encourage existing employees to refer candidates from underrepresented groups. Our recruitment process is founded on fair and objective assessment methods, focusing on skills-based assessment. ; ; We reward people fairly and equitably inline with our B Corp commitments. We complete company-wide equity studies and incorporate these reviews into our bi-annual compensation review process, alongside bonus and compensation package reviews to ensure these are equitable. ; ; We have launched a comprehensive IDEA programme that promotes inclusion, diversity, equity, and awareness. This includes initiatives such as women leadership and BAME accelerator programmes, monthly diversity speakers and panellists and support for staff-run affinity groups. We support flexible working from day one and continually audit all of our offices to ensure these are accessible for disabled and neurodivergent staff. These initiatives aim to create a culture that values and embraces diverse perspectives and experiences. ; ; We track and report our diversity and mix bi-annually to monitor our progress and identify areas for improvement. This data-driven approach allows us to measure our diversity representation and make informed decisions to ensure equal opportunity across our organisation.

  Wellbeing

  Kin + Carta’s approach to supporting staff wellbeing is rooted in our belief that our people are our most valuable asset. We prioritise creating an environment of psychological safety where individuals feel they can bring their authentic selves to the workplace.; ; We have implemented a comprehensive wellbeing programme at organisational and contract levels to support our people. ; ; At organisational level we offer a year-round programme of mental health and wellbeing activities and support materials. These activities are curated, implemented, and communicated by our Mental Health & Wellbeing taskforce and 44+ mental health first aiders. Initiatives include open mental health awareness sessions and access to therapy sessions (provided by our external partner), wellbeing workshops and coaching sessions, fitness classes and practice resources. We offer flexible working arrangements from day one. We offer Mental Health First Aid training to all staff and dedicated communication channels for awareness, feedback and learning. ; ; At contract level, measures include daily and weekly touchpoints with individuals and teams, providing open channels for ad-hoc discussions. Our Delivery Managers receive mental health first aid training to ensure they can support their team. To ensure that we capture any issues and take appropriate action, our Delivery Managers measure team mood from day one for every team. We use light touch tools to track mood trends across sprints, enabling us to quickly identify negative trends and address them appropriately. Team members are encouraged to voice their opinions and monthly face-to-face meetings and socials foster team bonding and morale. We measure the impact of our commitments through various metrics, tools, and processes. We conduct bi-annual staff wellbeing surveys to monitor wellbeing company-wide and gather feedback and continuously improve our approach.

Pricing

• Price: £400.00 a unit a day
• Discount for educational organisations: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at public.sector@kinandcarta.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.