Department of Work and Pensions
Helping businesses, build inclusive businesses
Digital Strategy
Product Design
Data and User Insight Research
Beacon is the first initiative of its kind in the UK, created to empower businesses to confidently recruit and retain individuals with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Evident Group worked alongside the Department of Work and Pensions, CIOS LEP and Cornwall Council to pilot a scalable digital solution supporting SMEs to recruit and retain people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. Through discovery and user research, we shaped a clear roadmap for a practical, business-focused platform grounded in real user needs.
The Challenge
SMEs often lack the confidence, knowledge, and practical tools needed to recruit and retain people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, where over 15% of the working-age population is affected, this challenge is even more pressing.
Beacon needed a scalable, practical solution that addresses stigma, builds business confidence, and provides ongoing support.
83%
of people acquire their disability while in work, highlighting the importance of inclusive retention practices
1 in 6
people of working age have a diagnosable mental health condition.
30%
Disabled people are 30% less likely to be in employment than those without a disability
1 in 5
are off long-term sick due to mental health issues, impacting workforce stability
The Approach
We took a design-led, collaborative approach to ensure the Beacon solution was grounded in real business needs. Over a 12-month period, we worked closely with SMEs, stakeholders, and experts through workshops, in-depth interviews, and user research to fully understand the barriers businesses face when recruiting and retaining people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
By developing detailed user personas, mapping business journeys, and identifying key pain points, we co-created a clear roadmap for a scalable digital platform that is practical, accessible, and designed to deliver meaningful impact for businesses.
Discovery and reseach study
Understanding the problem and defining user needs.
Stakeholder and SME workshops
User research and interviews
Persona and journey mapping
Competitor and landscape analysis
Discovery report with key requirements
Product design & prototyping
Turning insights into practical, tested solutions.
Rapid prototyping and wireframes
Co-design sessions with SMEs
User testing and feedback loopsp
Accessibility and usability reviews
Product feature roadmap
Product development & beta launch
Building and launching a working solution for real users.
Technical scoping and architecture
Agile product development
Stakeholder review sessions
Accessibility and compliance testing
Alpha launch with live user testing
Post-alpha review & future planning
Refining the product and planning next steps
Alpha performance review and feedback analysis
Recommendations for nationwide scaling
Roadmap for future development
Ongoing stakeholder engagement and alignment
The Outcome
We delivered a validated product concept and Alpha platform, shaped by extensive user and stakeholder research, to help SMEs recruit and retain people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. Our work provided Beacon with a clear roadmap, detailed user personas, and a fully designed, user-tested Alpha product, ready for future development and national rollout.
