Cabinet Office
Spotlight, government’s online automated due-diligence tool, complements existing pre- and post-award checks and highlights areas of risk to inform grant-making decisions. Spotlight speeds up initial pre-award checks by processing thousands of applications in minutes replacing manual analysis that, typically, can take at least two hours per application. The tool also provides post-award notifications, generated in real-time, if the applicant’s circumstances should change. Spotlight saves time, improves decision-making, and reduces the risk of fraud.
About the project
Creating effective counter-fraud measures presents a unique challenge: how do you gather the information needed for background checks without arousing suspicion or creating undue anxiety?
Working with the Cabinet Office, I designed interfaces that collected crucial verification data in ways that felt natural and unobtrusive. This delicate balance between security requirements and user experience meant that legitimate applicants could navigate the process smoothly while still allowing for effective fraud detection.
The project was praised by Downing Street as a 'star performer in the UK government's Covid-19 response' and won the Game-Changer Trophy in a high-profile hackathon.
