Client
Timeline
12 months
Content
The Ministry of Justice in the UK, through its partner organisation Cafcass, aimed to improve the process of helping families who struggle to agree on child care arrangements. The existing process for social workers to refer families to professional services was inefficient and labour-intensive, leading to delays and increased administrative overhead. The challenge was to create a zero-to-one referral management system that streamlined these processes, improving efficiency and reducing costs. The result was the Child & Family Arrangements Portal, a scalable, user-centric software solution that simplified referral processes, enhanced collaboration, and automated invoicing, ultimately reducing the time families spent waiting for services from 3 months to just 1 month.
Additional Context: The outdated back office system was not just a minor inconvenience; it was a significant blocker for our sales teams, preventing them from effectively demonstrating the full capabilities of our platform to potential clients. This led to lost sales opportunities and a growing concern among our existing customer base regarding our ability to innovate and stay competitive.
Key Results
Key Results
Administrative cost reduction: Saved £320,000 per year.
Waiting time reduction: Decreased from 3 months to 1 month.
Increased efficiency: Streamlined referral processes, document approvals, and invoicing.
User engagement: Improved collaboration between social workers, managers, and contractors.
My Role
My Role
Research: Conducted user research, including semi-structured interviews with social workers and managers, to refine personas and understand workflows.
Strategy: Led the development of a comprehensive referral management system by broadening the scope and integrating key workflows into the portal design.
Design: Created wireframes, developed high-fidelity designs, and mapped user flows to ensure a seamless user experience.
Additional Details: As the Lead Product Designer, my role extended beyond traditional design duties. I facilitated workshops, guided the team through a structured ideation process, and played a key role in translating customer feedback into actionable design improvements. I also worked closely with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on business goals and customer needs.
Broadened Scope to Understand User Ecosystem
Problem Problem Problem Problem The initial requirements documentation focused narrowly on digitising forms, without considering the broader context of the users' work environment. This limited perspective risked increasing the burden on already overstretched frontline staff.
Strategy & Approach Strategy & Approach Strategy & Approach Strategy & Approach Proposed and led an effort to broaden the scope, starting with a simple process map to identify key touchpoints and activities. Collaborated with Business Analysts to validate this map, which was then incorporated into the requirements documentation.
Execution Execution Execution Execution Conducted user research, including semi-structured interviews with social workers and managers, to refine the personas and understand the ecosystem better. Mapped out key workflows and touchpoints, focusing on efficiency gains.
Execution Execution Execution Execution Conducted user research, including semi-structured interviews with social workers and managers, to refine the personas and understand the ecosystem better. Mapped out key workflows and touchpoints, focusing on efficiency gains.
Addressing Manager Needs for Efficient Case Oversight
Problem Problem Problem Managers required a system that allowed them to oversee multiple cases efficiently, provide timely approvals, and access high-level summaries quickly.
Results Results Results The portal enables managers to handle more cases with less effort, improving their ability to provide timely approvals and reports.
Servicing 3 Personas' Needs
Problem Problem Problem The Child & Family Arrangements Portal needed to address the distinct challenges faced by three key user groups: social workers, managers, and contractors.
Execution Execution Execution Designed features for social workers, managers, and contractors to address their unique needs and workflows, ensuring the portal was functional and intuitive for each user group.
Results Results Results The user-centred approach ensured that the portal was not only functional but also intuitive for each user group. The insights gained from these personas directly informed key design decisions, resulting in a solution that streamlined the referral process, improved collaboration, and integrated seamlessly with existing tools.
Service Design Mapping
Strategy & Approach Strategy & Approach Undertook a service design mapping exercise to visualise all interactions between the various systems, tools, and touchpoints that staff would use in conjunction with the new portal.
Information Architecture
Outcomes
Outcome Summary
Improved Efficiency: The Child & Family Arrangements Portal significantly reduced the time required for referrals and case handling, saving substantial administrative costs.
Enhanced User Experience: The system's design improved the experience for social workers, managers, and contractors, fostering a more collaborative and user-centred culture.
Digital Transformation: Set a precedent for future digital transformation initiatives within the organisation by creating a scalable, user-centric software solution.
Lessons Learned: This project highlighted the importance of continuous user engagement and iterative design. By maintaining a close feedback loop with our customers, we were able to identify critical pain points early and adapt our strategy accordingly. This agile approach ensured that the final product was not only functional but also met the evolving needs of our diverse user base.
Key Results
Key Results
Administrative cost reduction: Saved £320,000 per year.
Waiting time reduction: Decreased from 3 months to 1 month.
Increased efficiency: Streamlined referral processes, document approvals, and invoicing.
User engagement: Improved collaboration between social workers, managers, and contractors.