  There is a significant overlap between people who are supported by
income-related social welfare benefits, often in precarious situations, and
those who experience greater digital exclusion. We report on a study of
claimants using the UK's Universal Credit online welfare benefit system
designed as, and still, "digital by default". Through data collection involving
remote interviews (n=11) and online surveys (n=66), we expose claimants' own
lived experiences interacting with this system. The claimants explain how
digital channels can contribute to an imbalance of power and agency, at a time
when their own circumstances mean they have reduced abilities, resources and
capacities, and where design choices can adversely affect people's utility to
leverage help from their own wider socio-technical ecosystems. We contribute
eight recommendations from these accounts to inform the future design and
development of digital welfare benefit systems for this population, to reduce
digital barriers and harms.
