We decided to build and test a prototype, which we called 'journey 2', in which the search for family hubs and services or groups is integrated into one single search and set of results. The search starts on the homepage.
This is in contrast to the first journey we tested, in which users are offered 2 separate search routes and sets of results, one for family hubs and another for services or groups. The search pages followed on from the homepage.
We simplified the user journey down from 7 screens to 4.
The reasoning behind journey 2 is that users do not need to differentiate between family hubs and services as separate journeys, and separating them causes confusion. Users simply want support.
Redesigning the homepage
User research from testing journey 1 found that users were not clear about what a family hub is and why they would search for one as opposed to a specific service. Users did not choose to search for a family hub, and usually chose to search for a service. So we tried to explain more clearly what family hubs offer as well as services or groups. For example, we have explained family hubs as a way for people to:
'drop in, meet other families and find out what’s available in your area'.
We are not sure if differentiating between family hubs and services here may still confuse users. Depending on user research findings, we can address this in future iterations.
We moved the search box higher up the page. We did this by moving other information below the search box, including:
- information about who is eligible for the service
- examples of what you can find through the service
We created a new name and heading level 2 for the service: ‘Find local family support’. It seemed better not to mention family hubs before the user knows what they are. Our assumption is that ‘Find local family support’ better explains what the service actually offers.
We put caveats at the bottom of the homepage about 'what you can look for' and 'who can use this service'. We blended wording to cover both family hubs and services or groups.
Changing the categories architecture
We added a new category option: ‘See everything available in my area’. This was so that a user who does not have a particular service or group in mind can still search and see a wide range of results.
This category option, if selected, leads directly to the results page because the user has no need for a sub category option.
Redesigning the results page
The results combine family hubs and services or groups. The nearest family hub to the user’s postcode is displayed at the top in a blue box, and the nearest services or groups are listed below, organised by distance.
We added some text at the top of the results page to:
- remind users what a family hub is and what services or groups are
- explain that users will see their nearest family hub at the top, followed by services or groups
On this page you will see your nearest family hub at the top. At your family hub you can drop in, meet others and find out what services and activities are available in your area.
Listings also show the nearest services, support or groups you have searched for. These may take place at different locations like family hubs, children's centres or community centres.
We are not sure if users will need or read this, or if it is right to display this information here.
We added a link to the blue family hub box for users to click on if they want to see more family hubs in their area. This leads to a list of their nearest family hubs, closest first.
Users have the option to choose (via radio buttons) if they want to see family hubs only, services and groups only, or both. But because we have added the option to see family hubs via the blue box, we think we can remove the radio button option to see family hubs only in the next iteration. We can probably also remove the option to see services or groups only, because we are only displaying one family hub at the top of the page. A results page without that would not be very different.
Adding a 'bad journey' page
We added a bad journey page to show what would happen if users did not see any family hubs or services in their area.
Creating new journeys
We created several new journeys to test with users, so we now have listings pages for results on:
- toilet training
- teenage health and wellbeing
- see everything in my area
- infant feeding
We will test these journeys in future rounds of user research.