Helping users prepare for change
How to plan and create guidance about a change to a policy, scheme or process so that users know what they must do and when.
Before you can decide what content to update or create, you need to find out from your policy teams what’s changing.
Your policy colleagues must give you this information as early as possible so you can identify the user needs and plan your content.
Identify the type of change
When you have the information from your policy teams, you need to work out whether:
- it’s a change to an existing policy or scheme, which means users will have to do something differently (such as apply online instead of by post)
- a new set of users will have to do an existing thing for the first time
- it’s a new policy or scheme, which means users will have to do something for the first time
- a policy or scheme is being removed or phased out, which means users will no longer be able to do something they can do now
Work out when users need to know about the change
When you know what’s changing, you also need to work out whether users need to know about the change before it comes into effect.
Users do not need guidance until they need to take action. In most cases, this is not until the change comes into effect.
Only publish guidance in advance if all the following apply:
- the change is certain or very likely to happen
- it affects a decision users must make now or very soon
- users must do something differently now (not just ‘be aware of’ something) - for example, a scheme is changing and users must apply earlier, later or for a different scheme
If users need guidance about a change in advance, you’ll need to identify exactly when they need to know so that you can plan your changes.
In exceptional cases, users might need reassurance in advance that something will not change or will not have a big impact on them. You must have evidence that users genuinely need this on GOV.UK (such as on-page feedback, call centre data and analytics). However, usually reassurance messaging should be channelled through communications activity outside GOV.UK.
If you’re unsure, ask the GOV.UK content team at the Government Digital Service (GDS).
Do a basic review of existing guidance content as soon as you know roughly what’s changing. Do not wait until you have all the details.
This will help you avoid duplicating content when you have to tell users about the change.
Duplication (or multiple pages with similar content) can give users the impression that there’s no single version of the truth. This can mean they lose trust in what they read on GOV.UK, so they miss critical information. It can also make it difficult for users to know where to look to find content they need.
Steps to review guidance
Step 1. Compile a list of GOV.UK content closely related to the policy or scheme
As well as your organisation’s content, you’ll need to include mainstream content and content owned by other organisations in your review. This is because users search for information related to what they need, not by the organisation that published it.
You do not need to include all content types, but you should identify related guidance content, services, policy papers and collection pages.
Do not link time-sensitive content, such as news stories and speeches, from guidance because this can give it the false impression of being current.
To find related content:
- search on GOV.UK and Google using related keywords (for example try ‘travelling abroad’, ‘going on holiday’ and ‘get a passport’ to find content related to passports)
- search in Whitehall Publisher and export the results to a CSV file
You can also use the topic taxonomy list in Whitehall Publisher to find related topics and look for related content in these.
Step 2. Review the guidance
Pick out the guidance content from your list, including the mainstream pages and content that’s owned by other organisations.
Review the guidance content to identify:
- existing guidance about the policy or scheme (which you could update to include the changes)
- duplication (especially multiple pieces of guidance with similar titles and content)
- missing information that users will need in order to do a task resulting from the change
You’ll usually need to include basic Google Analytics metrics and qualitative data in your review.
Step 3. Make improvements to existing guidance
Make improvements to existing guidance before you add information about the change, if you can. Doing this work beforehand will make it easier:
- to build in updates when you get the details from your policy colleagues
- for users to find the content and know what they must do to prepare
Focus on removing any duplicated content first. If you identify duplication across guidance owned by other departments as well as your own, you’ll need to work with them to consolidate this.
If you have time, make general improvements too.
Check if the guidance should be mainstream or specialist (Whitehall). If you’re still unsure ask the GOV.UK content team at GDS.
If it’s mainstream
Send a request to GDS to change the content. Only raise your request when you have all the required information.
Your request will be prioritised. Larger requests can take several weeks to months to complete depending on their size and complexity, and on the fact check process.
If your content needs to be published urgently and it’s not a quick fix, work with GDS to decide on an approach.
Content might be both mainstream and specialist where there’s a common scenario that affects most users and a separate process for ‘edge cases’. For example, there are different National Insurance rates for share fishermen.
If it’s specialist
Use the guidance relevant to the type of change:
A change to an existing policy or scheme means users will have to do something they do now in a different way, such as apply online instead of by post.
Update existing guidance
Because it’s an existing policy or scheme, there should already be guidance about it on GOV.UK which you can update. Check your content review to see where this sits.
Do not create new guidance if some already exists that meets the user need. You should update the existing guidance instead.
When to update the existing guidance in advance
If the change meets the criteria for when to tell users in advance, you’ll need to publish some content before the change comes into effect so that users can prepare.
The content should succinctly tell users:
- what they must do to prepare for the change (for example register for a scheme or apply for a licence)
- when they need to take action to prepare
- the date the change will come into effect
This will usually be a call out with one or two sentences or a short paragraph with a subheading.
When the changes announced in advance come into effect
You’ll need to:
- update the guidance to reflect the new policy or scheme - this might include content linking to a new service
- publish the updated guidance
If it’s mainstream you’ll need to work with the GDS GOV.UK content team, leaving enough time for them to make the changes and get them fact checked. This can take several weeks.
Example
In 2016, a new process for filing for bankruptcy came into effect which was easier and cheaper for users. They needed to know about the new process before it came into effect because it could have changed their decision on when to file for bankruptcy.
A call out was added a few weeks before the change happened:
From 6 April, you’ll have to apply online to the Insolvency Service to become bankrupt. This will be cheaper than applying to the court. If you have an existing application you must send it to the court before 6 April.
Before the new policy came into effect, GDS worked with the Insolvency Service to:
- rewrite the guide on bankruptcy to reflect the new policy
- remove the call out informing users in advance
The rewritten content was published on the day the new policy came into effect.
This is where a policy or process changes so that it applies to a wider group of people. This means new users will need to do an existing thing for the first time.
For example, rules for doing things internationally outside the EU may start to apply to people or businesses currently doing those things inside the EU in a different way.
Before you make any changes, check whether they should be published as specialist or mainstream. If you’re still unsure ask the GOV.UK content team at GDS.
Update existing guidance
There should be existing guidance about the task or service that the new users need to complete. Check your content review to see where this sits.
You’ll need to restructure or rewrite parts of the guidance to meet the needs of the new users as well as existing users.
Prioritise the needs of the new users because the processes, tasks and services involved are likely to be completely new to them.
If there’s a big increase in the number of users affected, you might need to work with the GOV.UK content team at GDS to move content from Whitehall to mainstream.
If a new policy or scheme is being introduced users will have to do something for the first time, such as apply for a new visa or use a new service.
Before you make any changes, check whether they should be published as specialist or mainstream. If you’re still unsure ask the GOV.UK content team at GDS.
Update or create guidance
Check your content review to see if there’s existing guidance that meets the user need.
You’ll need to either:
- update the existing guidance with the new information
- create new guidance if there’s no existing content with the same user need
When to publish guidance in advance
If the change meets the criteria for when to tell users in advance, you’ll need to publish some content before the change comes into effect so that users can prepare.
The content you publish in advance should tell users:
- what they must do to prepare for the change (for example, register for a scheme)
- when they need to take action to prepare
- the date the change will come into effect
Ensure there’s a consistent user journey
As this is a new policy or scheme that did not exist before, your communications team will need to raise awareness of it. They should usually do this through the campaign platform and channels outside GOV.UK.
You’ll need to ensure there’s a consistent user journey.
When changes announced in advance come into effect
You’ll need to:
- update the guidance to reflect the new policy or scheme - this might include content linking to a new service
- publish the updated guidance when the change comes into effect
If it’s mainstream, you’ll need to work with the GDS GOV.UK content team, leaving enough time for them to make the changes and get them fact checked. This can take several weeks.
Example
In 2018 the government announced that EU citizens would need to apply for a new scheme called ‘settled status’ to continue living in the UK after 2020.
Even though users did not need to do anything immediately, they needed to know what their options were well in advance as it would have a major impact on life decisions.
New settled status guidance was published on GOV.UK in 2018 explaining who would be affected and what the process would involve.
If a policy or scheme is being removed or phased out, users will no longer be able to do something on GOV.UK which they can do now.
What to do in advance
Before you change anything, you’ll need to identify all content that refers to the policy or scheme. Your content review should tell you this.
Users normally need to know in advance that a policy or scheme is being removed. You’ll need to update the existing content to tell users:
- that the policy or scheme is being removed
- the date it’s being removed
If it’s mainstream, you’ll need to work with the GDS GOV.UK content team, leaving enough time for them to make the changes and get them fact checked. This can take several weeks.
What to do when the scheme or policy is removed
Replace existing guidance with temporary ‘placeholder’ content explaining that the service, scheme or policy is no longer available. Publish this when the change comes into effect.
Link to any related content that meets a similar user need, including external third-party websites if relevant. For example:
The government has stopped funding the Green Deal Finance Company, which was set up to lend money to Green Deal providers. Contact the Energy Saving Advice Service (ESAS) for other advice on improvements you can make to your home.
Example
When HMRC introduced the ‘tax-free childcare’ scheme the existing scheme (childcare vouchers) had to be phased out.
However, parents could still apply for childcare vouchers for a period while both schemes were running. In some cases they were even better off to do this.
This meant GOV.UK needed to publish content in advance to announce the closure so that parents knew how much longer they had to apply for childcare vouchers.
A callout was added to the content several months before the change came into effect.
From 4 October 2018, childcare voucher schemes will close to new applicants. You may be able to get Tax-Free Childcare instead. You can keep getting vouchers if you’ve joined a scheme and you get your first voucher before the scheme closes.
Once childcare vouchers were withdrawn, this content was replaced by a line explaining that they’re no longer available to new applicants.
Make sure the guidance is optimised for search and well written for the web.
There are also other things you can do to help users find it.
Link to the guidance from related content on GOV.UK
You might need to add links to the guidance from existing content that’s closely related to it. It‘s particularly important to do this if users need to read the guidance to complete a related task.
To create a link:
- Find the content related to the change - this might include services and other content on GOV.UK
- Identify the guidance where users really need signposting (limit this to about 5 pages)
- Add the link to the guidance at the point where it’s most useful for users
Keep monitoring the links after they’re published to check they’re still helping people find the guidance they need. Change any links that are not effective. Remove links when they’re no longer relevant.
Types of links you can use include:
- links built into a sentence
- related links in the right-hand column in mainstream guidance
- links within a callout in mainstream guidance
- calls to action in specialist (Whitehall) guidance
Callouts and calls to action break the flow of content. Only use them if you’re sure the information is critical for users. They should include one or two lines summarising who and what is affected, and a link to the new guidance.
Tag content to topics
Tag the content to the topic or topics that closely match the subject matter.
If you change the content significantly, check existing tags to make sure they still reflect the content.
Step by step navigation
If the task users need to do is part of a much broader process with multiple steps, like learning to drive, it might need step by step navigation.
Contact the GDS GOV.UK content team if you think there might be a need to either:
- update existing step by step navigation
- create new step by step navigation
Creating a new step by step navigation is complex and time consuming. If there’s not much time you should explore other options for the content.
Your communications team might need to run a campaign, for example to raise awareness of a new scheme or to bring about behaviour change.
They should do this through channels outside GOV.UK, such as the campaign platform, social media, paid advertising and third parties.
As a content designer, you should work with your communications team to make sure there’s a clear and consistent user journey across GOV.UK and campaign channels.
You should make sure:
- the user need is met in one place only on GOV.UK - do not publish additional guidance that acts as a separate landing page for communications activity
- campaign platform sites do not include any task-focused guidance - campaign sites should focus on attitude, perception or behaviour change, not on what users must do
In the case of major national emergencies such as coronavirus (COVID-19), there might also be limited campaign activity directly on GOV.UK. This must not, however, compete with or duplicate existing guidance content.
Ask your communications or policy teams if they have a direct way to contact users, for example by email, post or a third party like a trade organisation.
They should consider using this channel to update users about the change, if they have not already.
As a content designer, you should work with your communications teams to write the email or letter, or review it before it’s sent. The email or letter must:
- link to the guidance content you have created or updated about the change, and not to another page on GOV.UK
- use language consistent with the GOV.UK guidance
- focus on what users need to do and when - evidence shows that people can feel overwhelmed if there’s too much explanatory information
If you’re contacting users by post, you might be able to get a short URL for your GOV.UK guidance.
Short URLs are easier for users to type into their browser and can be tracked in Google Analytics so you can see how many people are using them.
Monitor your content regularly in the weeks and months after it’s published to check if it’s useful for users and they can find it.
You can use the Content Data tool in Publisher and Google Analytics to review:
- performance data
- links you’ve added to related content, especially callouts - consider removing links when the number of click-throughs drops significantly
You can also use on-page feedback.
If you do not have a Google Analytics account or are not sure how to review the metrics, ask your organisation’s GOV.UK lead or data analyst. If you need more help, you can make a request through the GDS support form.