We designed the most valuable content for community groups and the process to help them find it by iterating through a series of sprints.

What we did

  • Agile product development
  • Content strategy
  • Digital transformation through upskilling

Impact measured against UN Sustainable Development Goals

08 decent work and economic growth S 09 industry innovation and infra S 10 reduced inequalities S 11 sustainable cities and communities S 12 resposible consumption and production S 17 partnership for the goals S
View impact report

Locality’s My Community product has been a useful information hub for community groups over the last seven years. To take the resource to the next level, they have now created a collaborative group with 12 other partners from the sector.

A quick internet search for ‘funding’ shows there’s so much advice available to anyone looking to do something in their community that it’s confusing where to begin. My Community’s aim is to bring together the best tools, tips and advice from across the sector, becoming the go-to place for community groups, local volunteers and activists looking to achieve their goals.

From how to take on the running of a local park to the best ways to engage a council in neighbourhood planning, My Community and their group of partners curate the best knowledge and expertise to make these initiatives more successful.

mycommunity.org.uk

William Joseph are the first digital agency I’ve worked with that actually deliver what you need, give the right amount of challenge, and work in partnership with us as an extension of our team.

Tara Anderson, Director of Strategy, Business Development & Engagement, Locality

Design and development sprints allowed the team to explore the right solution 

When the project started, there was no clear direction on the best way to develop the new website so that it would have maximum impact. There was a broad view of the audiences that needed to be engaged, but little was known about their specific needs.

We spent time working together with Locality to prototype new ways to engage with community activists, so we could explore what worked for them. By developing an innovative ‘natural language’ filtering system, we have been able to get people to the information they want to find quicker.

A user-centred content strategy created a successful community resource

From here, we developed a wide ranging content strategy, helping to organise and design content from the 12 partners. Through continual iterative user testing we ensured that every piece of content on the site will meet a particular need and help people achieve what they want.

By initially launching a beta site we are continually learning how people use this content in real life, with more iterations planned to further improve the users’ experiences.

Upskilling through delivery means that change can happen across Locality

The whole team at Locality have developed their skills in user testing, user research, agile ways of working and content design through the MyCommunity project. We have coached them at every stage to a point where they are now running user testing sessions with their own users, without external support.

These skills have spread from the communications team, to the services teams, to the whole organisation, who are now running some of their other projects in sprints. By improving these digital capabilities Locality is better positioned than ever to create effective content at scale.  

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