Wandsworth Family Information Service

We started the project with an extensive discovery phase. Collaborating with the Wandsworth Council team, key stakeholders and real Wandsworth families, we revealed where their existing website was falling short, and where our work could make a difference. Content categorisation was an essential focus, previous categories were overflowing, confusing and based on the structures of internal teams. We uncovered three overarching content types: Services, Activities and Advice. From here we developed a user-persona based information architecture. Whether by theme, age range, area or content type,  residents can easily and intuitively explore the services, support and opportunities for them.

It was important that the Family Information Service felt part of the Wandsworth Council family, and so our creative team worked to create a design that speaks the same, recognisable visual language. A visual language we crafted when working on the council’s rebrand. Colour is used through the design to separate the key areas, which is then unified through the repeated use of curved shapes. The modern look and feel is combined with an editorial style on landing pages, using hierarchy to elevate topical information and dynamic relationships between content to feature related articles, services and events.

Leveraging natural browsing patterns, we introduced dynamic search and filtering technology to aid in navigation. Whether it’s a young family struggling to get their baby to sleep, a teenager looking for a new tennis club or a parent looking for SEND education services, they can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. Furthermore, the Digital Family Hub allows them to tailor the experience to their family, with content relevant to them highlighted and the ability to save services, advice and events to their account for easy access. 

Inspired by technology we created for Welcome to Wandsworth, intelligent forms are used to put service owners in control. Businesses, organisations and community groups can create their own pages through an intuitive upload form. Wandsworth families can access the information they need, and the service/event can get the increased attention and findability it deserves. It doesn’t end at page creation, the forms also simplify upkeep, allowing service owners and event organisers to keep their pages up-to-date and accurate. This reduces administration time for the Family Information Service team, they now simply review and approve service and event pages, with no need to create the pages themselves. This leaves them time to leverage our powerful content management system, YouCreate, to expand their library of editorial content and to engage with the local community. 

Throughout this project we worked with a clear vision, to create a trusted and accessible platform that connects parents, carers and young people with the services, support and opportunities that help them thrive. Our work and collaboration with the Wandsworth Council team and real Wandsworth families has helped us create a website that delivers on this vision. We cannot wait to see where this collaboration takes us next. Explore the website: fis.wandsworth.gov.uk