Online content design case study

Situation

A large government organisation has a complex and information rich website. The main issues were that:

• there were too many sections on the home page
• processes relating to each other were separated
• links to online guides and forms were unclear
• content was unstructured and overwhelming, and
• users felt they needed to phone the organisation as they were unable to get all the information they needed from the website.

The aim of the project was to:

• improve the website users’ experience through clarity
• ensure all online features were easily accessible
• simplify processes by separating non-essential information, and
• make sure the website catered to all users’ needs.

TACTICS’ approach

TACTICS divided the project into four phases, which included two testing phases to ensure optimal usability. The phases were:

• analysis and design
• card sort testing
• content rewrite, and
• content testing.

The card sort testing focused on the website information architecture that TACTICS had developed in the analysis and design phase. Once this architecture had been finalised, the content rewrite began. The content testing included all facets of the new website and acted as the final edit for the project.

Successful result

The result of the project was that sections are now clear and easily usable.

The results from the content testing sessions showed that users could now navigate through the site easily, without getting bogged down with information that did not apply to them like they used to.