The Department for Education (DfE) has appointed Macclesfield firm Sigma as its user experience design partner in Manchester and the north of England.
Established in 2007, Sigma designs, develops and supports web sites, intranets, mobile solutions and applications for clients including AstraZeneca, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), Sport England and the BBC.
Sigma, which also has offices in Cambridge, runs northern digital UX event Camp Digital, which is now in its eighth year.
In a contract valued at up to £1.5m, the design and development agency will support DfE on the development of its services and products range as part of its digital transformation strategy.
The contract starts in Spring 2020 and will continue for two years, the agency said.
Shaun Gomm, commercial director at Sigma Ƶ, said: “This is a pivotal partnership for Sigma, and one that will see our expertise put to use as a leading Ƶ user experience and design agency.
“We are looking forward to further developing our relationship with the DfE and working closely together to improve the everyday lives of teachers, parents and pupils.”
Jack Collier, deputy director of digital at Department for Education, added: “We need to think beyond just building digital products and transactions.
“We want to consider the longer-term experience of our users over time and build stronger relationships with them.
“This will give us richer insight and a deeper understanding of their changing needs. That insight will enable us to get better and better at supporting them to achieve their goals.”
