Single Online Home. Scaling User-Centred Content Across UK Police Forces
Image credit: Met Police
The Challenge
The project involved the rollout of the Single Online Home (SOH) across 43 UK police forces, following the successful development of the core platform. The objective was to ensure each police force's local site was integrated into the SOH, and that updates to the core platform, including changes in laws and new services, remained consistent, user-friendly and aligned with the overarching vision. The challenge was not only technical but also involved managing diverse user needs and ensuring the content was easily accessible, relevant, and clear for a wide range of citizens.
The Obstacles
Seamless Core Platform Updates: The core platform needed to be updated regularly with new laws and services, and each update had to be seamlessly integrated across all 43 police forces' domains. Balancing these local requirements with the national consistency of the SOH was a significant challenge.
Continuous Improvement: The project required ongoing refinement of content and user journeys as more forces were brought onto the platform. We had to ensure each local site could be adapted and improved over time while maintaining a consistent, high-quality user experience.
User Accessibility: Ensuring that the platform met accessibility standards was a top priority, given the need to cater to citizens with varying accessibility needs, including those with visual or cognitive impairments.
Stakeholder Collaboration: We worked with diverse teams across the 43 police forces, each with its own internal structure and requirements. Coordinating with these teams to ensure all forces stayed aligned with the core platform's updates and strategy was crucial to the project’s success.
The Approach
Collaborative Content Strategy: I led my team in developing a robust content strategy that focused on seamlessly incorporating updates to laws and services into the core platform. This required close collaboration with users and client teams to understand the impact of new regulations, services, and legal changes, and to integrate these into the content in a user-friendly, accessible manner.
Tailored User Journeys: I led the UX designers and researchers to define clear, task-based user journeys for the national platform. Each journey was designed with users centremost, ensuring that tasks such as reporting crimes, seeking help, or accessing services could be completed quickly and intuitively. For example, we adapted navigation and content presentation to reflect local issues while keeping the broader structure of the SOH consistent.
Rolling Out Local Sites: The rollout of each police force site required careful planning and coordination. My team and I ensured that each site was populated with accurate, user-friendly content tailored to its local audience. We used templates and guidelines to maintain consistency but allowed enough flexibility for each site to cater to local needs. Each site had to be thoroughly tested for usability and accessibility before launch.
Continuous Improvement and Feedback Loops: Given that SOH would be used by millions of citizens, continuous improvement was essential. We established ongoing feedback loops with each police force to gather insights into how their specific site was performing. This included user testing, surveys, and monitoring of site analytics. We used this data to make iterative improvements, refining content, updating user journeys, and ensuring the platform remained relevant.
Accessibility and Inclusion: Accessibility was integrated into every stage of the process. The accessibility consultant in my team ensured that every journey met WCAG 2.2 standards through a process of manual and automated testing and collaboration with the development team. Features like text resizing, color contrast adjustments, and clear focus styles were consistently applied across all sites to ensure inclusivity.
The People Behind the Success
This project was only possible because of the incredibly talented and dedicated team I had the privilege to lead and work alongside. Every member brought energy, expertise, and a user-first mindset that made a complex transformation feel possible.
Content Designers: Our content designers worked closely with me to turn user insights into clear, accessible, and intuitive content. Their ability to adapt complex legal and procedural information into language that was both understandable and user-friendly was invaluable.
User Researchers: I led a brilliant team of user researchers who helped shape the direction of the site. Their work in gathering, analysing, and presenting insights meant we always had a strong evidence base for decision-making, ensuring our approach was rooted in real user needs.
Accessibility Expert: Our in-house accessibility consultant was essential in embedding best practices into every phase. Their close collaboration with the design and development teams ensured our work met WCAG 2.2 standards and beyond, making sure that every citizen, regardless of ability, could access vital services.
UX Designers: Our UX designers crafted seamless user journeys, adapting the platform to meet the diverse needs of citizens across 43 police forces. Their ability to balance user experience with statutory requirements was crucial in ensuring the platform worked for everyone.
Developers: The development team were fantastic collaborators, always open to insight-led changes and focused on performance and responsiveness. Their execution ensured our accessible designs were brought to life, while also maintaining the technical integrity of the platform.
Client Team: My team members were embedded directly into the client’s content team, creating a seamless working relationship. The collaboration was exceptional, allowing us to stay aligned with client objectives while ensuring the platform met user needs and accessibility standards across the board.
The Outcome
Seamless Delivery of Platform-Wide Updates: We successfully delivered critical updates to the core platform, including changes to laws, services, and user journeys. These updates were rolled out across all 43 police force domains in a coordinated and consistent way, ensuring citizens had timely access to accurate information and essential digital services.
Enhanced User Engagement: Each police force's site saw increased user engagement due to tailored content and streamlined user journeys. Citizens could easily access information relevant to their local police force, improving satisfaction and trust in the digital service.
Improved Service Delivery: The continuous improvement approach allowed the platform to evolve. By regularly updating content and refining user journeys based on feedback, the platform continued to meet the needs of citizens and police officers alike. The content on each site became more aligned with user needs, improving the efficiency of public interactions with police services.
Increased Efficiency for Police Forces: The rollout of SOH allowed police forces to reduce administrative burdens and streamline their digital services. Citizens could quickly access the information they needed, freeing up police resources for more critical tasks.
Sustained Excellence in Accessibility: Every police force site met or exceeded accessibility requirements, ensuring that all citizens, including those with disabilities, could easily access services. This was a key achievement, as it made the platform more inclusive for a broad demographic.
Conclusion
Through strong leadership, embedded collaboration, and a user-centred mindset, my team successfully led the content design and evolution of the Single Online Home platform. We ensured that every update to the core experience whether a change to a service, a new legal requirement, or an enhancement to usability, was seamlessly reflected across all 43 police force domains.
Hugely significant impact, over 70% of citizens (42 million people) in England and Wales now have access to SOH. It’s also being used by the Government as an exemplar of how a successful digital project should be run.
By combining accessibility expertise, service design thinking, and continuous iteration, we created a digital platform that meets the real needs of the public while helping police forces deliver more efficient, joined-up services. This was a true team effort—insight-led, inclusive, and built to scale.
