VLSB+C. A User-Centered Approach to Improved Findability
The Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner (VLSB+C) recognized the need to revamp its website to better serve its diverse audience, which includes legal practitioners and consumers. The project’s aim was clear: to create a more accessible, user-friendly platform where users could easily find the information they needed. By focusing on user-centered design and enhanced information architecture (IA), the redesigned website addressed long-standing issues with navigation and usability, ultimately transforming VLSB+C’s digital presence.
Identifying the Problem
The original website presented significant challenges for its users. Legal practitioners found it difficult to locate critical resources, such as the lawyer registry and disciplinary action details. For consumers, the site’s navigation was overly complex, leaving many unable to find the information they needed. Both groups voiced frustration with the lack of clear distinctions between content designed for legal professionals and that intended for the general public. These issues highlighted the need for a more intuitive and structured approach to organizing and presenting information.
“Practitioners typically accessed the website directly but struggled to locate the registry of lawyers and disciplinary actions—services of great importance to them”
Research and Insights
To address these problems, the redesign process began with comprehensive research. Interviews with internal stakeholders, legal practitioners, and consumers provided crucial insights into user needs, pain points, and behaviors. Practitioners wanted quicker access to professional tools, while consumers sought clarity in navigating the site’s resources. Both groups emphasized the need for clear content separation to avoid confusion.
“Consumers primarily found the website through Google Search, but navigating to content relevant to their needs required sifting through several pages”
The team complemented these interviews with a detailed review of similar websites in the legal and government sectors. This analysis revealed best practices in navigation, content organization, and user flow, helping to shape the foundation of the redesigned website. The research phase underscored the importance of making the site easy to navigate, with tailored pathways for different audiences.
A User-Centered Redesign
The redesigned website tackled these challenges head-on by introducing significant improvements to its structure and functionality. The navigation was overhauled to create distinct sections for lawyers, consumers, and funding seekers. This separation ensured that each audience could quickly find the resources most relevant to them.
“Many participants expressed a preference for a clear separation of content between ‘Lawyer’ and ‘Consumer’ focused information”
A global search function was also introduced, allowing users to search across the entire site with ease. The search tool included filters and suggested queries to refine results, addressing previous frustrations with information retrieval. Additionally, the navigation pathways were simplified. The first level of the site directed users to broad categories, while the second level offered more specific content, particularly helpful for users arriving from Google searches.
“Fact sheets tailored to common customer and practitioner needs were created, covering various legal service topics””
Dynamic content and storytelling became integral to the new design. News articles, case studies, and related content were thoughtfully categorized to improve transparency and provide users with context. Fact sheets addressing common questions were created to make key legal information more accessible. To further enhance usability, anchor links and contextual menus were added, enabling users to jump to specific sections within a page effortlessly.
“Documents and external links are prominently highlighted for user convenience.”
Navigation is facilitated through dropdown menus, enabling users to explore second-level pages under each first-level section, thus helping them discover content specific to their audience.
Validation and Testing
To ensure the new design met user needs, the team conducted extensive testing. Treejack testing was used to evaluate the proposed information architecture by measuring how successfully users could locate specific content. The results showed an overall success rate of 71%. Internal staff performed better, with a success rate of 77.6%, while legal professionals had a lower success rate of 54.8%, suggesting areas for further refinement.
“To assess the usability of the proposed information architecture, we conducted a Treejack test with five tasks related to content location”
In addition to Treejack testing, usability tests were conducted on high-level wireframes. These sessions validated the redesigned navigation and identified opportunities for iterative improvements. The testing phase was crucial in ensuring the final design addressed user pain points effectively.
Results and Impact
The redesigned VLSB+C website brought significant improvements in both functionality and user experience. Information became easier to find, thanks to a more intuitive navigation structure and enhanced search capabilities. Users reported higher levels of satisfaction, with legal practitioners appreciating the streamlined access to resources and consumers finding it simpler to navigate the site. The inclusion of tailored content and dynamic storytelling further strengthened the site’s ability to meet user needs.
The new website not only improved usability but also established a cohesive online presence for VLSB+C. By aligning the site’s structure with the organization’s mission, the redesign created a platform that serves as an effective communication tool and resource hub for the public.
