Challenge

Suffolk County Council is to transform its online presence. It wants to make its website and online services work much more effectively for the people who use them.

In order to ensure that the new website will be as citizen-focused as possible, SCC commissioned Cultural Intelligence to conduct research with a wide range of local people including people from seven marginalised or 'hard to reach' communities.

Approach

We recommended research in two phases, Phase 1 was an Exploratory Phase in which we explored in depth what works well and less well for people using Council and other service and information based sites. Phase 2 will be a programme of User Trials to ensure that the website in development meets the needs of its users.

Cultural Intelligence recruited a panel of 40 Suffolk people who attended workshops completing a packed two hours of intensive exercises, games and discussion including working live on the web to explore different aspects of their web experience. Their web browsing was recorded and analysed to produce a uniquely revealing set of insights about what makes a user journey difficult and what can make it easier.  

Outcome

The study produced a written report packed with insight and recommendations which have been used to brief designers who are working on producing a ground-breaking new local authority site.

In Phase 2, the panel will participate in User Trials at three different stages in the web design process. As far as we know this is the first time that such a diverse group of citizens has come together for such an intensive programme of user engagement to add user focus to a new local authority site.