Case studies

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Going through fertility treatment can be a stressful and emotional time. The HFEA (Human Fertility and Embryology Authority) constantly consult with their key audience to ensure they provide clear, useful information that is crucial to making a decision about where to have treatment.

The HFEA wanted:

• Complex requirements translated into a simple intuitive wireframe model
• A site proven to be easy for patients to use
• Ongoing guidance throughout the design process
• Ultimately, more people visiting the site and being satisfied with the service

Bunnyfoot delivered:

• An ideation workshop with key stakeholders to review current designs and sketch new concepts based on the HFEA's own research
• A fully working prototype user tested by fertility patients and embryologists
• "Rent-a-guru" service to provide guidance and input throughout the design concept and development process to ensure designs remained usable and accessible
• A new structure that allows new and experienced patients to use the same information, leading to a reduction in the number of phone calls through to the switchboard
• A clear and easy to use website that has seen a 100% increase in visits and positive feedback from patients and patient support groups in the first year since launch

The Work

The HFEA site had been live for 3 years and focussed very much around league tables that could be misleading. The search was not intuitive and their helpdesk staff spent a lot of time on the phone explaining clinic success rates to patients.

For this reason, the HFEA conducted a public consultation to find out what worked best for patients and clinic staff. The research showed the site needed to present different levels of information to cater to new and experienced patients.

The HFEA chose Bunnyfoot based on the success of projects we had worked on them with in other areas. We had also gained valuable understanding of their sector and the sensitivities around their work, which was essential to grasping the complexity of the offering.

The ideation workshop helped to develop an intuitive search that allowed users to refine and filter easily by treatments and location. We also developed the idea of a dashboard for each clinic that contained headline information with a way to drill down.

To help people to understand the success rates of the different clinics we devised a system of looking at statistics in 3 levels -, basic on the dashboard, intermediate on the success rates page and a detailed 'take a closer look' page. This supported the different levels of knowledge patients have when they come into the site. When tested with representative users, this model was a success with patients.

We supported the HFEA through their design and development phase with on hand support from our 'Rent a guru' service. This flexible approach meant the team were not locked into particular days and could call for support whenever it was required.

In the first year since launch, the site had a 100% increase in visits, a reduction in the number of phone calls through to the switchboard and positive feedback from patients and patient support groups.