AKQA is an ideas and innovation company. They exist to create the future for their clients.
AKQA is an ideas and innovation company. They exist to create the future for their clients.
Agency
In a recent collaboration, AKQA partnered with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to revolutionize the digital experience for users navigating the complex world of child care arrangements. Leveraging Optimal's best in class user research and insights platform, AKQA embarked on a journey to transform the MoJ's Care of Children section from a process-driven labyrinth into a user-centric, task-oriented digital ecosystem.
This case study delves into how AKQA harnessed the power of the Optimal platform to gain deep insights into user behavior, identify pain points, and iteratively refine the information architecture (IA).
The result? A dramatic improvement in user success rates, from 56% to 72%, and a significant reduction in user confusion and backtracking and the delivery of an exceptional digital experience for families across New Zealand.
The MoJ's Care of Children section faced a critical challenge: providing clear, accessible information to families navigating the emotionally charged and legally complex world of child care arrangements. The existing digital infrastructure, while comprehensive, was hindered by:
These issues resulted in frustrated users, increased calls to support centers, and potential delays in families accessing crucial services and information. The MoJ recognized the need for a user-centric overhaul to better serve the diverse needs of New Zealand families.
AKQA, known for its expertise in creating world-class digital experiences, partnered with the Ministry of Justice to tackle this challenge. To ensure a data-driven approach, AKQA turned to the Optimal platform to evaluate information architecture and content findability.
Kyoko Locussol, AKQA’s Senior UX Researcher leading this project started with tree testing for this project, focussing on:
AKQA conducted two rounds of testing:
Both tests used the same set of 10 carefully crafted tasks, designed to simulate real-world scenarios users might face when seeking information about child care arrangements.
The navigation testing revealed several critical insights that guided AKQA's redesign of the MoJ information architecture:
Baseline finding: Users struggled with the process-based navigation, particularly in the "Resolving parenting disagreements" section. Success rates for tasks in this area ranged from a mere 7% to 50%.
Transformative action: AKQA reimagined the IA with a task-oriented approach, focusing on what users want to achieve rather than the legal process they need to follow.
Impact: The draft IA saw significant improvements in success rates for these tasks, with some jumping from 7% to over 80%.
Baseline finding: Sections with similar labels like "Parenting through a break up" and "Parenting and guardianship" acted as magnets, pulling users away from their intended destinations.
Transformative action: AKQA created more distinct, mutually exclusive category labels, increasing the information scent of each section.
Impact: User directness improved from 68% to 78%, indicating less backtracking and more confident navigation.
Baseline finding: Internal jargon like "Parenting through Separation course" confused first-time users, leading to lengthy, meandering paths through the site.
Transformative action: AKQA replaced jargon with plain English terms familiar to parents, whānau, and children.
Impact: The median time to complete all tasks dropped from 9 minutes 49 seconds to 7 minutes 54 seconds, a 20% improvement in efficiency.
Baseline finding: Deeply nested content was difficult for users to find, even when it was directly relevant to their needs.
Transformative action: AKQA created a shallower IA, surfacing more categories and key tasks at the top level of navigation.
Impact: Success rates for previously buried content improved dramatically, with some tasks seeing a 30% increase in findability.
The iterative navigation testing process, powered by Optimal's insights platform, enabled AKQA to create a dramatically improved information architecture for the MoJ’s Care of Children section. The results speak volumes:
These quantitative improvements translate to real-world benefits for New Zealand families:
While the numbers tell a compelling story, the true impact of this project extends far beyond improved metrics. By creating a more intuitive, user-friendly digital experience, AKQA and the MoJ have taken a significant step towards empowering New Zealand families during challenging times.
The revamped Care of Children section now serves as a digital ally for parents, guardians, and family members seeking guidance and support. It transforms a potentially overwhelming process into a series of manageable, clearly defined tasks. This shift not only improves access to information but also has the potential to reduce stress and anxiety for users navigating complex family situations.
Moreover, the project sets a new standard for government digital services in New Zealand. It demonstrates how user-centric design, backed by robust data and insights, can dramatically improve the delivery of critical information and services to citizens.
The success of this project offers valuable lessons for organizations undertaking similar digital transformation initiatives:
Optimal's platform provided quantifiable insights that guided every step of the redesign process. This data-centric approach eliminated guesswork and ensured that changes were rooted in user behavior and needs.
The shift from a process-based to a task-oriented IA dramatically improved user success rates. This underscores the importance of aligning digital experiences with user goals rather than internal organizational structures.
The two-phase testing approach allowed AKQA to benchmark the current state, make informed changes, and quantify improvements. This iterative process is crucial for continuous improvement in digital experiences.
The removal of jargon and the creation of a shallower, more intuitive IA led to significant improvements in user efficiency. This highlights the importance of speaking the user's language and making information easily accessible.
While visual design is important, the success of this project demonstrates the critical role that underlying information architecture plays in creating effective digital experiences.
This case study is a testament to the power of strategic partnerships in driving digital innovation. AKQA's expertise in digital experience design, combined with Optimal's best in class user research platform, provided the MoJ with a powerful toolkit for transformation.
The Ministry's willingness to embrace a user-centric approach and invest in data-driven design showcases a commitment to serving the citizens of New Zealand with excellence. This collaboration sets a benchmark for how government agencies can leverage technology and design thinking to improve public services.
The success of the Ministry’s Care of Children project opens up exciting possibilities for the future of digital government services in New Zealand and beyond. As citizens increasingly expect seamless, user-friendly digital experiences in all aspects of their lives, government agencies must rise to meet these expectations.
The methodologies and insights gained from this project can serve as a blueprint for other departments and agencies looking to enhance their digital offerings. By putting user needs at the forefront and leveraging an end to end UX research and insights platform like Optimal, government services can become more accessible, efficient, and empowering for all citizens.
The transformation of the Ministry of Justice's Care of Children section is more than just a website redesign—it's a powerful example of how thoughtful, data-driven digital experiences can make a real difference in people's lives. By simplifying access to critical information and services, this project has the potential to reduce stress, save time, and ultimately lead to better outcomes for families navigating challenging situations.
AKQA's partnership with the Ministry of Justice, powered by Optimal's user research platform, has set a new standard for digital government services. It demonstrates that with the right approach, technology can be a force for empowerment, turning complex processes into intuitive, user-friendly experiences.
As we look to the future, this project stands as an inspiring example of what's possible when design expertise, cutting-edge technology, and a commitment to public service come together. It's a reminder that in the digital age, thoughtful, user-centric design isn't just a nice-to-have—it's an essential component of effective governance and public service.
