Making the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard accessible

Pensions dashboards and the services that make them work are being designed from the ground up to be accessible to as wide a variety of users as possible, including people with disabilities or low digital skills and those who use assistive technologies.

As Senior Policy and Propositions Manager for the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, I’m pleased to share our plans for making sure accessibility is being considered at every step of the user journey. This includes how we are involving people with accessibility needs in our current user testing.

Designing for accessibility

The MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is being designed to accommodate users with visual or hearing impairments, motor difficulties, cognitive or learning disabilities and low digital skills or confidence. As part of this approach, it is being built to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA standard.

We have also undertaken an Equalities and Vulnerabilities Impact Assessment. This is a comprehensive assessment of the service against its impact on equality and those with vulnerabilities, to ensure it is fit for purpose for all users.

Design consideration examples

Our research has showed that combining visual elements with text helps communicate complex information, particularly for users with access needs such as dyslexia. This is especially important during situations of tiredness, stress or cognitive overload.

Following user research, the team moved from complex charts to a simpler timeline format to show how estimated retirement income changes over time. This approach tested better across multiple research rounds and works better on mobile devices as it reduces the cognitive load for users.

We have introduced clear visual design elements such as 'traffic light' red-amber-green colour schemes and icons to help users differentiate between their initial matching outcomes and pension types.

Our content design team has been working to provide clear information in plain language, tooltips and callouts where appropriate for complex information, and links to support on each area of the dashboard. There are also multiple warnings and alerts on avoiding scams, to which people with accessibility needs or low digital skills may be particularly susceptible.

Our testing programme for the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, which we discuss in more detail below, is proving invaluable in helping validate and improve our design features from an accessibility perspective. Therefore, the examples provided here may be iterated upon further as testing progresses.

The identity verification process

The identity service for the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is GOV.UK One Login. This is a UK government-provided tool that is already used across multiple government services. Therefore, those choosing to use a pensions dashboard can be assured that their personal data and pensions information is in safe hands. It will also save users time and effort in accessing a dashboard.

Verifying their identity through GOV.UK One Login necessarily means that users must be taken away from the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard to complete this process before being returned to the dashboard. This can be done either on a web browser or on the GOV.UK One Login app.

GOV.UK One Login was created by the Government Digital Service (GDS). While this part of the pensions dashboards user journey is outside the remit and control of the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), GDS is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. GOV.UK One Login is designed to be used by as many people as possible and has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

More details are available in the accessibility statement for the GOV.UK One Login website.

Accessibility in testing

User testing, which is currently under way, includes people with a broad range of accessibility needs, including those with mobility, visual, hearing, cognitive, learning and physical impairments. This helps us identify issues and solve or improve them before the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is made publicly available.

Testing targets

Phase 1 of testing began with usability and industry expert testing last summer and is currently in progress with a low volume of users in moderated and unmoderated sessions. In the second phase, the number of test participants will ramp up progressively over time.

For both phases, our testing programme aims for up to 20% of users with a range of access needs and low digital skills. This includes people with impaired vision, motor difficulties, cognitive or learning disabilities, and deafness or impaired hearing.

We have set indicative demographic quotas reflecting UK population accessibility statistics, to help achieve our goal of testing with as wide a range of users as possible across multiple characteristics.

Comprehensive research methods

To build our testing participant network for Phase 2, we are using specialist recruiters, pre-screened panels and partnerships with charities and networks. This helps reach users with accessibility needs and those who are digitally excluded.

When users sign up to our testing research panel, they will go through a screening process. Screening will help ensure we are taking forward a broad sample of user demographics and characteristics, considering financial knowledge, digital confidence and accessibility requirements.

As user testing volumes increase, moderated testing will allow researchers to observe user behaviour and body language while building rapport and eliciting feedback. This is particularly valuable for understanding how users with access needs interact with the service. There may also be home visits for deeper contextual insights for users with specific needs, with the appropriate ethical and safety considerations.

Initial testing insights

The MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard is being tested with different devices and browsers, in line with government principles. The team is also conducting tests with a broad range of accessibility software to assess how the dashboard works with assistive technologies. Testing with people who use assistive technology has been hugely informative, delivering insights that will help improve the overall experience for all users.

Users with dyslexia have been pleased with the readability of the end-to-end journey, although some found certain pages overwhelming. We have also found variation in screen reader support and performance with the users we have tested with so far.

We have also gained valuable insights from participants regarding the identity verification process. We understand taking a photo of their ID is difficult for blind and low vision users trying to verify their identity, and these users welcomed the alternative routes for carrying out this process. We have provided feedback to the GOV.UK One Login team about potential improvements in this space as well as considering how we can support users who may contact us for support during the journey.

Building a service fit for everyone

I am very grateful to all those across MaPS, industry and delivery partners who have provided valuable insights and collaborated to help achieve our goal of building a product that is accessible to as many people as possible.

Accessibility is an ongoing commitment woven through the design, development and testing of the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard. By listening to users, adapting based on testing and by focusing on those who may face the greatest barriers in a digital financial service, the aim is to create a more accessible and effective service for everyone.