Review and Renew Content Design and User Testing Capability

Tender description

Summary of the work We require a partner to provide additional content design capability alongside the in-house team to review and re-write our website content and its structure, then user test key sections. Expected Contract Length Up to five months Latest start date Thursday 20 January 2022 Budget Range Up to £15,000 Why the Work is Being Done To improve customer satisfaction through offering a better standard of content to the council’s service users by: • Reviewing our website page content to ensure it is up to date and accurately reflects information about services and initiatives delivered by the council. • Reviewing the structure of our updated content to ensure there is an optimal customer journey through the site, and it can be found easily using external and our own search engines. • User testing updated content and site structures, and proposing any appropriate changes. • Proposing changes to our content design model to ensure it follows best practice, by taking a more proactive role to content design. Problem to Be Solved With over eight million page views in 2020, serving an average of over twenty thousand people a week, our online services and information are now the main and only channel some customers choose to interact with the council. The last major review of our website content and structure happened in 2015, and to ensure our online content meets the needs of our customers we are currently undertaking a full review. We are now looking for an external partner to work alongside the existing team in order to complete this work and to carry out user testing of key areas of the site. Who Are the Users The information contained on our website covers 100s of services so the needs of users are wide and varied. A broad user story would be: As a resident or business I need to understand more about a council function or service So that I have a better understanding of if and how to use it Work Already Done The in-house team have already started reviewing and re-writing our content, and one section is now complete: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/rubbishandrecycling Existing Team The existing team working on this project consists of a content designer and a digital designer, alongside subject matter experts from across the organisation. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Experience of user-centred content design and the ability to articulate complex policies and concepts in a clear and succinct way • Experience of working with in-house content designers and wider digital teams • Experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders and service delivery teams across a diverse organisation • Experience of working efficiently and effectively remotely • Experience of designing content to meet the public sector accessibility regulations the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 • Experience of user testing content and suggesting improvements based on the outcomes Nice to Haves • Has worked with local government organisations • Can pass skills and experience on to the in-house team • Can use Google Analytics and interpret relevant data Work Location Remotely, although on a small number of occasions there many be a requirement to work from our Market Street offices in Newbury, Berkshire. Working Arrangments The majority of this work can be completed remotely although on a small number of occasions there many be a requirement to work from our Market Street offices in Newbury, Berkshire. Any provision for expenses should be included in the overall fixed price for the work. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Describe the size and shape of the proposed team - roles and experience of the people delivering the work • Demonstrate how you will work remotely with a large and diverse range of subject experts and stakeholders • Describe how you will work with the in-house content and digital design resource • Describe how you will provide value for money • Demonstrate your approach to user testing and incorporating its findings into the work Cultural Fit Criteria • Can design content which takes account of different needs including disadvantaged groups • Is a local micro, small or medium enterprise Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method • Work history • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 55% Cultural fit 10% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers 1. Are you expecting, within the stated budget of £15k, for the supplier to recruit participants as well as conduct (include moderating) the user test sessions, or just to plan the session and help interpret the results? The council will be able to recruit participants. We would look to the supplier to conduct (include moderating) the user test sessions, to plan the session, and help interpret the results.Suppliers may wish to offer an option of recruiting a wider range of participants at an additional cost. 2. Is there capacity for the council to recruit participants for any user testing? The council will be able to recruit participants. Suppliers may wish to offer an option of recruiting a wider range of participants at an additional cost. 3. What project management methodology is the existing team using internally? The project management methodology used by the existing team is based on PRINCE2. 4. Is this contract for the supplier to be offering support on an adhoc basis or is there a backlog of user stories to be resolved in contract period? There is a backlog of user stories to be resolved in the contract period. 5. What CMS or website framework is the West Berkshire Council site built on, and are there any limiting design parameters expected? Our website is built on Goss Interactive's digital platform and uses the Cruise theme. You can see an overview of the standard components at https://frameworks.gossinteractive.com/cruise. 6. Assuming content redesign and proof of concept through testing are the main deliverables, would there be a need for design to developer engagement and briefing for content design that requires developer input? Content should use the templates available as part of the theme we are using for the website. You can see the standard components available as part of the theme here: https://frameworks.gossinteractive.com/cruise