The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is in the process of introducing a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP), to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) from 2013, for people of working age (16-64). The DWP is currently undertaking a programme of consultation to
influence the design of the new benefit.
As PIP is a new benefit, the process of turning policy into delivery provided DWP with a unique opportunity to design the application process from scratch. Alongside the broader programme of consultation, IFF research was, therefore, commissioned to establish a panel of people in order to carry out a programme of user-centred design research. This is research that seeks to place the user’s/potential user’s needs and wants at the heart of the design of the claims process.