The best websites for service delivery

We’ll cut to the chase: when it comes to the best websites for charity service delivery, we aren’t the true experts. The experts are the service users of each charity. Only they can say what they need and want from a charity website – whether the website is really enabling them to make the most of your charity services.

 

But thankfully what we can do is explore good rules of thumb. When building a charity website for service delivery, making the most of a few key elements can go a very long way. So let’s get into it.

 

 

What makes the best websites for service delivery?

 

A website isn’t simply a series of interconnected pages: it’s an experience. The best charity websites offer the most positive experiences for their users for the specific situations they are in.

 

It all depends on the context in which users land upon your website. Will it be most beneficial to help them feel relaxed? Comforted? Excited? Empowered? Curious? There’s an endless list of experiences you can create through the design and content of your website.

 

Ask service users this simple question to guide every aspect going forward. You can also evaluate the following aspects with user testing.

 

 

Relevant content

 

With the right content, charity websites can be considered a service in themselves. They can address frequently asked questions, the questions that users might not know how to ask, and even the questions they didn’t know they had.

 

Websites can help users overcome challenges, give practical steps for change, and they can simply help people learn something new. Put it all on your website so that everyone can access your charity’s expertise when and how they need it.

 

 

Tone of voice

 

You don’t always need flashy graphics or stunning photographs to convey information effectively. You can achieve way more than you might think using just the humble word. It’s a tool that any charity, of any size, can employ.

 

Two charities that use the written word well are Mind and Childline. Both offer extensive information and support for their service users on their websites, yet it is all presented in an inclusive, approachable way.

 

Using clear and simple language makes their guidance easy to follow, creating a reassuring experience for users. Using short, declarative sentences creates a sense of clarity and trust. In any writing, it’s best to be as clear as possible, simply because that achieves the most important thing: making sure your message is received.

 

To show service users that they understand what they might be going through, the charities use colloquial phrases that service users themselves might use to talk about their experiences. For example, a page on Childline’s website reads, “Your Mental health first aid kit can help you deal with things when they’re getting hard to handle.”

 

Depending on your service users, your tone of voice should be different. For example, Shelter’s style guide outlines the tone of voice they use to talk about the housing emergency.

 

 

Service user blogs

 

When you’re seeking information, help, or advice, there’s nothing better than hearing from someone who’s been there before. It can help to know others have been through the same experiences and find out how things were able to change for the better.

 

Keeping a blog for service users to contribute to is beneficial for those you’re already serving. Being able to express for themselves what’s important to them as it relates to the charity’s work can be empowering for service users, helping communicate to the public about the cause you are all passionate about. Some examples are:

• Action for Conservation’s Youth Ambassadors blog
• Groundswell’s “Listen up!” blog
• Mind’s “Your stories” blog
• Movember’s “Real stories” blog

 

 

Practical tools

 

Charity websites can offer practical tools as part of their service offering. Providing these for free on their website enables service users to learn immediately from their mobile, tablet, or computer, and at times that suit them. It is helpful for charities who want to scale a service to more people than they can help directly with members of staff.

 

The digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation hosts a free online learning platform called Learn My Way, which helps people gain basic digital skills and build confidence in using the internet. Another example is the financial security charity Turn2Us, who offer a few practical tools on its website: a benefits calculator, grants search, and PIP helper.

 

Both charities offer these digital tools in conjunction with person-to-person support and advice, helping to tailor support to individual needs.

 

 

Design and multimedia

 

Making it simple to find what you need is key to service users getting the most out of your website. If the website isn’t usable, then they may not find what they want or need. Create a clear navigation bar and signpost throughout the website to relevant information. Explore what it means to create an accessible website.

 

Using photographs, illustrations, colours, sounds, and videos can help to make your website more engaging for service users and create the intended experience for them.

 

Some examples of charities using design and multimedia effectively are Breast Cancer Now, Childline, Ealing Anchor Foundation, RSPCA, and Sheila McKechnie Foundation.

 

Video, specifically, is a great way to get your message across to service users, as it engages both senses of sight and sound. Video can help you create an immersive experience, whether you’re showing how your services can help, giving advice, or exploring the different experiences of your community of service users.