Carol Cooper had been in the day care industry for several years when she realised there was precious little support for those starting a nursery business. Form filling was a labyrinth experience and often took months of liaison and negotiation. Carol's response was to prepare a start-up pack that would fast track the whole procedure. The Internet was central to Carol's ambitions and a website was launched in June 2004. It was a workman-like effort and did the job of creating awareness. By 2011 though, it was looking dated — view old website

Addressing the core concerns of the user as quickly and succinctly as possible became my top priority. Subtle cues and signals weren't enough to support the user journey on this occasion; I didn't want the user to have to think at all. Customer support would begin from the moment they entered the site. And this is how we took it forward.

The new website offered a three-click solution. The first page told you exactly what was offered: all the conceivable paperwork required to run a day nursery. A checklist at the top of the page addressed all the key questions and core concerns, a pack shot helped users visualize the product and a Get Started button at the top of the page issued an immediate call to action. We needed to assume that this was the user's first port of call. We had to assume they knew nothing.

Next, I split Carol’s service into three unique service packs: a Starter-Pack, an Ultimate Pack and a pack for Existing Nurseries. We wanted clear and obvious signposts to assist the user journey through the website. The copy that accompanied the shots was designed to eliminate caution, allay fears and generally provide an encouraging & positive atmosphere. The user need to be reassured that Carol was going to be with them every step of the way; that she would be on hand to advise at every stage of development.