The Health Foundation – Online community focused on improving quality in the health sector

2016 – 2024

WebsitesStrategy

The Health Foundation is an independent charity committed to bringing about better health and health care for people in the UK.

We were asked by The Health Foundation to develop a website that would provide a set of online tools to complement the knowledge sharing and collaboration within their ‘Q Community’. It also enabled groups to develop joint proposals to be voted on and funded.

Rapid co-design of an early version

Q emerged out of a principle of co-design, in which the members were been fundamental in shaping its direction. They wanted this approach to extend into the design and development of their website. 

With a tight deadline for the initial phase of work, careful decisions were made in collaboration with the client around scope. Having rapidly produced wireframes, designs and a working prototype, we ran a workshop session at a learning event.

We gathered feedback on designs and encouraged members to explore the website and try out some typical tasks, such as updating their profile or messaging another member. We used the feedback to optimise functionality and set priorities for subsequent rounds of development.

Members at the centre

At the core of the site was a directory of community members, searchable by location and areas of interest, which made it easy for people to connect with others near them or with a similar professional focus.

Members wer able to update their details and add their own news stories and events, ensuring that content creation is devolved across the community. The website administrators retain control of the core content and are able to provide publishing support and moderation where needed.

Collaborative platform for securing funding

A major innovation of the website relates to the ‘Q Exchange’ programme. Once a year, users can band together as groups and submit a quality improvement idea that the whole community can comment on and like.

This informs a shortlisting process in which the best ideas are voted on by the whole community, with winners receiving up to £30k to implement their project, with support from Q.