Posts
Deciding to build a childcare entitlement checker
What we are building and testing in private beta to help users understand their government childcare entitlements.
Accessing childcare support
1 March 2026
Designing how users add children to the entitlement checker
Ensuring users can add details of multiple children so entitlement results are accurate and can be clearly applied to their own circumstances.
Accessing childcare support
26 March 2026
Designing the work and income questions
Ensuring the entitlement checker can collect work and income information accurately without increasing anxiety, confusion or drop‑off.
Accessing childcare support
6 April 2026
Validating the number and order of questions in the checker
Exploring how the number and order of questions affected users’ experience of completing the full checker journey, including perceived length, effort and cognitive load.
Accessing childcare support
4 May 2026
Initial design and testing of the results page
How we approached the initial design and testing of the results page, including how results are structured, presented and understood by users.
Accessing childcare support
15 May 2026
Choosing a name for the childcare eligibility service
Choosing the right name is important for helping users understand a service before they start using it. We tested naming options and learned which language best reflected user expectations.
Accessing childcare support
1 May 2026
Helping parents understand childcare support on the results page
As we moved towards a private beta MVP, we wanted to understand whether more realistic and personalised results would help users better understand their eligibility and entitlement.
Accessing childcare support
29 June 2026
Explaining when users are not eligible and what to do next
Users who are not eligible for childcare support still need help understanding their options. We explored how to explain ineligibility and learned what information users need to feel confident about what to do next.
Accessing childcare support
24 June 2026
Determining eligibility for parents on leave
Determining eligibility for parents on leave involves complex rules and uncertain future circumstances. We explored how to provide useful results within the limits of the first service release.
Accessing childcare support
26 June 2026