Case study 1 of 3
Children's Social Care - Social Worker Recording
Client: Department for Education
Services provided:
- Interaction Design
About the project
In 2021 I worked with the Department for Education to explore concepts and ideas for a new digital service that could help social workers record notes and assessments more efficiently.
The Alpha phase focused on understanding how social workers currently record information and identifying opportunities to improve their day-to-day workflow. This discovery work was part of a broader initiative to modernise social work practice through digital transformation.
What we did
We conducted in-depth research with social workers across different local authorities to understand their current recording practices, pain points, and needs. This included shadowing sessions, interviews, and workshops to gather insights into their daily challenges.
Using these insights, I designed and tested various concepts through low and high-fidelity prototypes. These explored different approaches to note-taking, assessment recording, and information sharing that could better support social workers in their role.
A page from a prototype concept showing a timeline of events added by social workers.
The basic, high-level process for a new social work case recording service.
The outcome
The Alpha phase successfully identified key opportunities for improving social workers' recording processes. Our research and prototypes demonstrated the potential for significant time savings and improved quality of record-keeping, leading to recommendations for future development phases.
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