NHS Direct

‘We’ve been listening to users and with their feedback have undertaken a major redesign of the site. We worked with Cimex to make the site more accessible, user-friendly and interactive for a wide range of audiences including older and disabled people and non-English speakers. The website is already incredibly popular, with more than 1.5million visits each month, but we’re re-launching this newly designed version to remind people that the website is professional, trustworthy and a really useful source of health information and advice,’ Ed Lester, NHS Direct Chief Executive.

The government’s Central Office of Information commissioned Cimex to redesign the NHS Direct website to improve its look and feel, information architecture, usability and accessibility.

Brief

The objectives of the project were twofold – one, to create a universally appealing design for the NHS Direct Online website, and secondly, to provide an intuitive information architecture (IA) in order to improve the site’s usability. In combination the aim was to encourage return visits and meet the user expectations of the site.

To deliver an effective solution, it was necessary to undertake extensive user testing with representative users from all walks of life, including:

• Expert reviews on the existing site were conducted using recognised usability principles and identifying issues and areas for improvement
• Card sorting exercises with users sampled from the site’s target audience to inform the information architecture for the new site

Solution

Cimex developed the information architecture and design of the site to support real users requiring online health information. Features include:

• Direct access to finding a local health service (GP surgery, Dentist, Optician, Pharmacy from the homepage
• A pictorial self-help guide for easy reference
• A new mind and body magazine with the latest health news and information
• Inclusion of multi-language support to cater for diverse users

Visit the NHS Direct website