Initial assumptions

Our discovery phase kicked off with the identification of 12 core assumptions. These assumptions (or mini hypothesises) were about what users wanted from the service, how they would (or would not) use and interact with it. We planned to test and validate as many of these fundamental assumptions with real users as soon as possible - in essence to check whether they were true, but also to start to capture any hidden issues (technical or behavioural) or barriers and drivers, which may not have been identified in our initial research.
At this stage, it didn’t matter whether the assumption was right or wrong, the value was in asking, using them as a means to collect richer insights into why users behave the way they do.

Here they are:

1. People want an online service
2. People want an online account
3. People will complete a risk assessment online
4. People will order a full STI test kit
5. People are happy to receive their kit at home
6. People are confident in doing the test at home
7. People will return the test by post
8. People will prefer to receive their results by text
9. People will be prepared to log into their account for more details about their test(s), diagnosis and treatment
10. People will want to talk to a sexual health professional, if they receive a positive diagnosis
11. People will be happy to pick their prescription up from a named pharmacy
12. People will want to notify their recent partners of diagnosis

The first assumption is obviously the most fundamental - do people want it?

We tested the assumption by talking to real people - those who currently use sexual health clinics and those who have no experience of them whatsoever. We did this by simply talking to prospective end users and clinic staff, posing 'what if...' questions.

Thankfully our first assumption proved to be true. We collected a host of insights, many of which were not expected, but all of which we will use to develop some initial prototypes and  tune our offer.