Choose a question you can act on
You might want to know whether people can choose the right appointment, find your location or understand what happens after an enquiry. Keep the research focused enough that the findings can lead to a change.
Look at questions reception hears repeatedly and any available feedback about the website. These can suggest where to start, but staff knowledge should be checked with the people who use the service. A familiar process can feel very different to a first-time visitor.
Invite a useful range of people
Think about who the website needs to serve, including carers, people using phones and people with access needs. Explain the task and arrange participation appropriately. Avoid using real clinical details where a made-up situation will do.
For example, ask someone to find out how they would arrange a first appointment at a particular location. Let them explain what they expect to happen. Resist pointing to the right button as soon as they pause; the pause may reveal the problem you need to fix.
Look for the reason behind the difficulty
Record what someone tried, what they expected and where the page failed to help. A person overlooking a booking link may need clearer wording or better placement. Adding another button without understanding the difficulty could make the page more crowded.
Separate observations from assumptions. If one participant struggles with a phrase, that is a useful finding to investigate, not proof that every visitor will react the same way. Combine the sessions with other feedback and keep the limits visible.
Use the findings to choose a change
Group issues by the task they affect and the practical consequence. A blocked enquiry deserves attention before a minor preference about decoration. Ask the designer to explain how the proposed change addresses the observed difficulty.
Try the revised version with suitable participants before applying it widely. Keep a short record of what you changed and what still needs investigation. Research earns its place when it helps the practice make a clearer decision and produces a service people can actually use.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Research question; fictional task; observed obstacle; proposed change; what remains uncertain.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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