Overview of the project
Within the NHS Digital Campaigns team I worked as their sole User Researcher on the discovery and release phases of the transition of the Change4Life brand to Better Health. This involved using a mixed methods approach to gather research and understand the user needs.
Discovery
The Change4Life website had been running since 2009 with almost no recent research on its users. Before any rebrand could begin, we needed to understand who was using the site, how, and why. I ran a HotJar survey (500+ responses), pulled analytics from the Data & Insight team, and conducted qual testing with 12 participants across new and existing user groups.
The key finding: Change4Life had a loyal, passionate following. Users returned daily for healthy eating advice and recipes, and valued it especially as a resource for helping their children understand nutrition.
Further research to understand gaps
Using the discovery insight, we identified gaps around two specific areas: how users navigated the Food Facts section, and whether the site's language still resonated.
I ran mixed-methods analysis on Food Facts alongside a card sort exercise. Both revealed that users wanted nutritional and exercise information surfaced contextually alongside recipes, rather than in isolated sections.
‘Healthier Families’ Further testing
As the development team began designing and building the new site, I ran three rounds of usability testing on the new designs ahead of launch. This included a brand name test.
Part of the work involved steering stakeholders away from launching under the existing 'Better Health' brand, which already had a separate presence.
Working with the multi disciplinary team on the MVP build
The team's goal was to ship an MVP within three months of discovery. I worked closely with product, design, content, and development to prioritise the research findings that mattered most for the first release, feeding directly into the information architecture and page build.
Final release of the website
Releasing this website under the new brand 'Healthier Families' meant the website was much more targeted to the audience it was intended for. My research allowed the team to:
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Release a website designed around the core user group
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Retain the essential elements (recipes, food facts) that were important to this user group
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Ensure the website and content was preserved and surfaced in a way that users needed
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Ensure the website continued but with refreshed and more up to date content and narrative
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Build on knowledge for future releases e.g cross linking of content and surfacing different areas of the site in relevant locations where the user was likely to discover more.
