Information needs when making complex decisions: research report

This research paper proposes principles to help council services increase their focus on customers. It aims to put the customer at the heart of ‘joined up’ access to and delivery of services.

It is the result of a joint research project between the:

• Cabinet Office
• Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) 
• Department of Health (DH)
• Improvement and Development Agency (now Local Government Improvement and Development)

It aims to get better understanding of the ways that people prefer to receive complex information from government and councils in relation to complex decisions. 

The principles are designed to enable policy makers, strategists and communicators to be able to map the information – channel and content – requirements of the target audience at each stage of the journey. Thus they will be able to answer the question:

"What information does this type of person need at this point in the decision process, delivered through which channel?”

The evidence draws on examples of people’s experiences of education and health. It will be of particular interest to those working in or with those service areas. Examples focus on:

• choosing schools
• choosing educational options
• consultation with health professionals and admission to hospital
• experience of pregnancy and childbirth.

Information Needs When Making Complex Decisions – summary' – (PDF, 56 pages, 468KB)

Information Needs When Making Complex Decisions – (PDF, 222 pages, 1.5MB large file)

Page published February 2009