Validation Plan

Defines what should be tested before committing to a full working system or broader market push.

Validation Objective

The first validation goal is to determine whether service providers, practitioners, participants, and families experience a configurable digital support layer as useful, acceptable, and valuable enough to justify building a working pilot system.

The early validation should prove comfort, engagement, and service usefulness before attempting to prove long-term clinical or life outcome improvements.

Recommended Validation Sequence

Phase 1 - Concept and Workflow Validation

Validate the service model with provider organisations and practitioners before building the full system.

Questions to test:

• Do providers recognize travel cost and service continuity as urgent problems?
• Do practitioners believe a control system would help them manage participants between sessions?
• What information do practitioners actually need to see?
• Which participant workflows are most valuable?
• What would make practitioners reject the system?
• What privacy, compliance, and duty-of-care concerns appear immediately?

Outputs:

• Refined workflow maps
• Practitioner dashboard requirements
• Participant app requirements
• Support-circle access model
• Pilot acceptance criteria

Phase 2 - Prototype or Demonstration Validation

Create a high-fidelity clickable prototype or limited technical prototype to test comprehension and willingness to use.

Questions to test:

• Can practitioners understand the control system quickly?
• Do participants understand the app flow?
• Do families understand their role?
• Which features feel essential versus optional?
• Which screens or concepts create confusion?
• How much configuration is required for different support levels?

Outputs:

• Usability feedback
• Feature priority list
• Configuration model
• Pilot scope
• Privacy and consent requirements

Phase 3 - Working Pilot

Run a controlled pilot with one or more service providers while maintaining existing face-to-face support levels.

Questions to test:

• Do participants use the app regularly?
• Do practitioners use the dashboard regularly?
• Does the system improve visibility between sessions?
• Does online engagement improve continuity of care?
• Do families and local supporters find their access useful?
• Are there early signs that some future contact could shift online?

Outputs:

• Engagement data
• Practitioner feedback
• Participant and family feedback
• Operational lessons
• Cost and travel baseline comparisons
• Evidence pack for funders or government discussion

Pilot KPI Categories

Adoption

• Number of active participants
• Number of active practitioners
• Percentage of participants completing onboarding
• Percentage of practitioners using the dashboard weekly
• Family/supporter activation rates where relevant

Engagement

• Daily or scheduled check-in completion
• Routine and task completion
• Calendar and appointment visibility usage
• Notes or journal entries
• Notification response rates
• Video session attendance

Practitioner Usefulness

• Practitioner-reported usefulness
• Practitioner confidence in participant visibility
• Time spent reviewing participant summaries
• Number of interventions or follow-ups triggered by digital signals
• Practitioner suggestions for improvement

Participant and Family Experience

• Participant comfort rating
• Participant perceived support between sessions
• Family understanding of the system
• Family confidence in local support role
• Qualitative feedback on what is helpful or overwhelming

Service Delivery

• Missed appointment rate
• Response time to flagged concerns
• Face-to-face attendance stability
• Travel baseline captured for future comparison
• Early identification of contact types that may later move online

First Pilot Workflows

1. Structured Check-In Loop

The participant receives predictable prompts and completes simple check-ins. The practitioner sees a useful summary, missed check-ins, mood patterns, routine issues, and notes requiring follow-up.

2. Care Schedule Visibility

The participant, practitioner, and approved supporters can see what is happening and when, including face-to-face visits, online check-ins, video sessions, routines, and follow-ups.

3. Support Circle Coordination

Family members, carers, or local supporters receive access appropriate to the participant's needs. Access is configured by role and support intensity rather than assumed globally.

4. Online Consultation

Practitioners can run one-to-one or group video sessions connected to the broader support plan, rather than using a disconnected conferencing tool.

Evidence Needed Before Government Engagement

• Provider confirmation that the problem is urgent and budget-relevant
• Practitioner confirmation that the system improves service delivery
• Participant and family evidence that the experience is acceptable and useful
• Engagement data showing that the system is actually used
• Baseline data on travel cost, travel time, and face-to-face delivery burden
• Early evidence that digital contact can improve continuity between sessions
• Clear privacy, consent, and data governance model

Build Recommendation

There is a strong reason to consider building a working pilot system if early provider and practitioner validation confirms that:

• travel cost pressure is materially affecting service delivery
• practitioners want better between-session visibility
• providers are willing to pilot with real participants
• participants and families are open to digital engagement as an addition to current support
• the system can be scoped around a manageable set of core workflows

The strongest validation path is not to promise immediate cost reduction. It is to prove improved continuity and engagement first, then use the resulting evidence to support gradual reductions in avoidable travel over a two-to-three-year transition.