The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas
- Linus Pauling
At our staff consultation last week, we gathered together a number of ideas. Some had been submitted through our CABmoney feedback form, and the rest came from the group during the meeting. As we discussed them, we were able to produce a longlist (definitely not a shortlist!) of improvements and ideas that could be explored through the Catalyst Project and beyond.
Below is a summary of the ideas, roughly grouped by category (although a few ideas could easily span into multiple categories). The scores for each idea are an average of the scores given by the group (a small group of seven people, so any further user research would be more valuable if scaled up). These scores were for level of impact that the idea would have on users, out of ten where 1 was "least impact" and ten was "most impact".
Navigation
General navigation of the website was a key issue for a lot of people, with poor support for mobile devices and overly complicated menus being specifically highlighted.
CABmoney App
Score: 9.86
Having CABmoney as an app would make it much more convenient for people to access. Similar, to just making the website more mobile friendly, an increasingly large number of people would benefit from being able to access CABmoney via their mobile phone or tablet. The advantages of an app also include getting push notifications when key dates are approaching or for other reminders.
Mobile Friendly Layout
Score: 9.71
The current website was not designed for mobile devices, so can be difficult to use. Our Google Analytics data shows that the percentage of mobile/tablet device users is increasing year on year.
Clearer, Simple Menus
Score: 9.14
Reducing the number of menu options would make navigating the website much easier.
Move the Budget Calculator to Front and Centre
Score: 9.14
It was widely agreed that the Budget Calculator (Financial Statement) should take “centre stage” on the website’s homepage as it was the section most people referred clients to and the most useful for a large portion of users. Currently, it is behind a few screens and takes a few clicks to access.
Traffic Light System
Score: 8.43
A traffic light system was suggested that would clearly show what sections had been completed or still needed working on. It could also be implemented to show how healthy somebody’s finances were in the Budget Calculator by highlighting any areas of concern. A more visual approach was thought to be better for people to follow and understand.
Search Bar
Score: 6.30
A search bar would make finding some of the information on the website easier and potentially improve navigation, but it was generally thought that the site is better used when people work through the sections in order. It may have more use as a tool for advisers looking up information, than for other people using the site for themselves.
Access and Support
This group of ideas mainly look at making the wording and processes easier for people to understand (alongside the navigation). By using plainer English, and offering more levels of support and explanation, it was thought that the user experience would be much smoother.
This was also coupled with ideas that sought to reassure a user before they started using the site, as it was thought that with a taboo and sometimes complicated subject, many users would be wary of using the site if it seemed too complicated.
Easy Read / More Visual Explanations
Score: 9.14
The text and information on CABmoney should be as easy to read as possible. The current wording can be too technical in places, and may put people off using the website fully.
Tutorial Videos
Score: 8.86
Explainer videos throughout the site showing how to complete each section. These would be screen captures of somebody filling in an example. For added human interaction, the person doing the example could be shown in a thumbnail within the video talking the user through the process.
Links Out to Citizens Advice Contact Details
Score: 8.29
As some people using CABmoney may be outside our usual catchment area, it would be better to link out to the national Citizens Advice website where they can find the contact details of their local office if they run into difficulties, or need the help of an adviser.
Separate Adviser Section with Additional Information
Score: 8.00
As some of the information on CABmoney is aimed more at advisers, than general users it was suggested to move this to an “adviser’s only” section (with login). This information could still be displayed in the current flow of the website, but only displayed if logged in as an adviser.
Case Studies of Other Users
Score: 7.86
In an attempt to reduce some of the stigma associated with managing debts, it was suggested that “case studies” (or success stories) from real users who had used CABmoney and were now “out the other end” would encourage people to use the system and see a light at the end of the tunnel before they began the process.
Introduction/Reassurement at the Beginning
Score: 7.43
Similar to the idea of including Case Studies (see above), a more general introduction that reassures people that there is a way out of debt was suggested to be included either on the home page, or early in the Debt Management Plan process.
Language/Translation Function
Score: 6.86
Not everybody using CABmoney will have English as a first language, so a translation option would help them read and navigate the site. These days however, third party tools such as Google Translate can translate an entire website independently of having a specific function on the website. Ensuring that the text was clearly written in English (see above) would aid any translation tool that was used though.
Debt Management Plan Improvements
These improvements were specifically for users of the Debt Management Plan (DMP) and/or the Budgeting Sheet sections of CABmoney. These are more involved processes but incredibly useful for the users (and form the main backbone of the site). Although some users will just access CABmoney for the information available, the interactive sections that allow them to manage their own money are key.
Ability to Email Creditors Directly
Score: 9.14
As not everybody has access to a printer, alongside the fact that postage costs are always rising, it was suggested that being able to email letters to creditors would be a quicker, cheaper and more convenient method. This would rely on creditor details being up-to-date and knowing if they were open to receiving correspondence by email.
Links to Access Credit Reports by Online Forms or Email
Score: 9.00
The forms required to request a credit report are now available online, this would also be a quicker and cheaper process than completing paper copies and sending/receiving in the post.
Expanding Budget Sheet Sections
Score: 8.86
Currently, some sections of the budget sheet actually consist of a number of values that need to be added together before entering (ie “Food/Housekeeping”). These entries could have an option to expand out, so that individual items can be entered separately. This would act as a prompt for the sort of things that could be included, and also mean that no manual addition was needed to enter the total value.
Self-Referral to Adviser
Score: 8.29
An option for people using the site who may run into difficulties to be able to self-refer to a Citizens Advice adviser. Although useful, this would need to ensure that people are referred to the correct local office (as a website can be used outside of our geographical catchment area).
Reminders/Warning to Keep Reviewing Income/Expenditure
Score: 8.00
Generally, people enter their income and expenditure into their budget sheet or Debt Management Plan once and never return to it. By reminding people (either by automated email, or notification if we were to develop an app) to keep these up-to-date, they will have a better understanding of their financial situation. This is especially important at the moment as there are a number of outside factors that can affect somebody’s income and expenditure in these uncertain times.
Up-to-date Creditor Lists
Score: 7.57
As part of our Debt Management Plan section, we provide a number of contact details for various creditors. Over the years, these have gotten out of date and need updating, though it would be a continuous process to keep up to date going forwards.
Disbursement of Payments
Score: 6.86
There was a suggestion that a system that allowed users to pay their creditors directly through CABmoney could be added. Although useful, this would require a large amount of technology and security to be implemented along with other checks that the money was going to the right place and being received and accounted for properly.
Everything Else
Not everything fits into neat categories. The ideas below looked at expanding CABmoney to incorporate other money management information (most of which we already have housed on a separate site), and also using it to help with our internal processes.
Not Just Debt
Score: 8.29
We currently have a separate site focussing on budgeting and income maximisation (http://moneysmart.nedcab.org.uk/). It was felt that this should be combined with CABmoney so that the information was all in one place, and also so that there was information to help people avoid getting into debt, alongside information for those trying to get out of debt.
Easier Internal Referrals to Our Debt Team
Score: N/A (Idea surfaced after the scoring, but the feedback was very positive)
We currently use a PDF form to record client information which then goes to our Debt Team if the client is to be referred for specialist advice. By replicating this form on CABmoney, the referrals could be made more seamlessly, and as a lot of the information is the same as on a budget sheet or Debt Management Plan, it could form the basis of completing one of those for the client.
