Defence users are diverse

Our users are very diverse, from recent school-leavers to experienced and highly qualified specialists.

Military personnel are located around the UK and overseas. They have very different access to IT and most do not spend all day working at a desk or in front of a computer.

Find out more about defence environments and accessibility.

Users come from a range of organisations

In Defence, the 3 Front Line Commands (FLCs) are:

• Royal Navy
• British Army
• Royal Air Force

There are other organisations, including Defence & Equipment Support (DE&S), and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

When conducting user research, you should recruit participants from every organisation that will use your service.

Digital skills can vary

Military personnel can be positioned widely on the digital inclusion scale, stretching from 4 to 9+. This means that usability and accessibility testing of design solutions is very important.

User research and military rank

Participants may need approval

Some staff will need approval from their commanding officer to take part in user research.

It may take longer to recruit military personnel for research. When planning research, allow plenty of lead time for recruitment.

Rank can influence results

Military personnel are rank-conscious and may adapt their behaviour. For example: a participant may moderate their answers to questions in a research interview if someone more senior is in the room.

It is best to arrange one-to-one research sessions with users or potential users. If you hold a focus group or workshop with military personnel of different ranks, consider the impact of the chain of command on what users decide they can or cannot contribute.

Ask how participants want to be addressed

Civilians do not have to address officers as Sir, Ma’am or by their military title. But you should still ask participants what they want to be called.

Using rank in email

If you are contacting someone for the first time by email, address them using their rank. You can find it in their email address.

Help with acronyms

Acronyms are common in Defence. This is not always a choice: some acronyms are mandated and maintained by organisations like North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

If possible, bring someone with military experience to help translate acronyms during research sessions. If this isn’t possible, you can check the Defence acronym glossary.