NHS Web Design Best Practice Guidelines

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Published:
9th September, 2022
Author:
Phil Shackleton
Category:
NHS

Because of our experience in working across the public sector, and having managed web design and build projects for NHS Connecting for Health, NHS Leadership Academy, NHS Clinical Leaders Network and a number of Trusts we decided to publish a guide for NHS managers to help them specify and develop effective websites that comply with rigorous design standards.

Our team have developed a robust process that ensures the web development process delivers a relevant end product and here is how we do it…

1. Understand your users

Great design comes from a clear understanding of the end user. It is important to create a clear, prioritised list of user groups. Put yourself in their users’ shoes first and think through the various journeys of people visiting the site and the types of task they will perform on the website. Every decision made when designing and developing the website should use this list as a touchstone.

2. Listen to the research

Designing a website is not the same as producing a piece of art. There is considerable science and psychology behind the discipline, as well as many years of research and experience. Try to avoid working from hunches or personal preference. Undertake a series of in-depth telephone interviews and informal testing at the start of the project. Focus on user’s experiences of the existing site, effectiveness in finding information or completing tasks.

Gain insight into how your visitors engage with your current website using tools like Google Analytics and Crazyegg for heat maps, which provide an easy way to understand how people use a site.

3. Test your assumptions

Share the initial creative concepts with a wider group of users, possibly Trust members if appropriate, to validate the approach you have taken. The goal of design research is to determine if the correct content hierarchy has been created for users of the website. You can use online test tools such as Usabilla for this purpose.

4. Content audit

Start the content process as early as possible. In our experience it is the one part of the project that so often causes delays. Even when you think you understand how much content there is and how much work is involved, we find that the size of the task is underestimated. A content audit should analyse every page of your existing site. It will give each page; a score, an action, a priority, a department and a content manager. It is a laborious task, but it will help you take complete ownership of the content and make assessments about quality and recognise any gaps that needed filling.

5. Iterate. Then iterate again.

Create hand-drawn sketches, start small and iterate them repeatedly. Try to generate as many ideas as possible and by working openly as a team where everyone can share their perspective and thoughts. This process will help to identify misunderstandings that can be rectified.

6. Responsive web design

The end-user should have a great experience when visiting your site, irrespective of the device they are using to view it. One-Web is a philosophy that recognises how the modern web is accessed from multiple devices. Responsive web design (RWD) will create a flexible website that works on every type of device.

7. Web accessibility and web standards

Mixd has built a reputation for building fully accessible sites that fulfil current and emerging accessibility guidelines. The team at Mixd have been involved with web standards since it began and have extensive knowledge of current UK and global standards. Key standards to be considered include the RNIB “See It Right” pre-audit and W3C’s (Web Accessibility Initiative) standards forcreating accessible websites. You should work hard to ensure your website is as accessible as possible across the board.

8. Choose open source

Choose an open source platform for content management such as WordPress. WordPress powers almost 20% of the web. It powers everything from simple websites to blogs, portals and enterprise websites. The key benefits of choosing a platform such as WordPress are:

9. NHS Brand Guidelines

All NHS websites must conform to the NHS identity. This is not just about making sure the logo is present and in the right place. All NHS communications must embody the NHS values and communications principles. When designing your site, you should ensure that the information structure, content and navigation supports these values and principles. There is plenty of scope to enable the website to reflect the local area and population. Locality can be reflected in the images and even the tone of the copy.

Careful planning will create a website that users love and also make significant savings on the development costs. It is far more cost effective to make changes in the planning stage than when the build is underway. A flexible, user friendly website will future-proof the organisation against incurring significant costs as technology advances and new demands are placed on digital channels.