Project details
Somerset County Council and the four Somerset District Councils merged to become one Unitary Authority on 1 April 2023. As part of this, a whole new MVP website was built and we wanted to make sure this worked well for users. We undertook Usability Testing of core user journeys with Somerset residents to test components and patterns and ensure residents can find the information and services they need. These iterative improvements were implemented ahead of a phase 2 of the project.
Approach
We scheduled a series of usability testing, each round focusing on components or user journeys that we felt needed additional user validation. Sessions took place for testing both desktop and one round on mobile devices. Participants were predominantly made up of Digital volunteers and the Councils Customer Panel and included a broad demographic of users, with differing levels of digital confidence and some with accessibility requirements.
Phases
Alpha
Usability testing of prototypes with Somerset residents to test key user journeys, website navigation, and features such as the ‘Dynamic Content Journey’ for services not yet fully aligned within the new local authority.
Beta
Launch of Somerset Council website. Testing of public Beta phase, review and improvement.
