Tackling digital exclusion: Lessons from Advice NI’s digital journey with Deloitte Digital Connect
Advice NI, a leading charity in Northern Ireland, recently participated in Deloitte Digital Connect, a programme run by Deloitte in partnership with CAST, to enhance their digital capabilities and improve accessibility for their beneficiaries. The 2024 Charity Digital Skills Report has recently highlighted how charities need to prioritise inclusion and accessibility in digital services, with only 18% saying their services are informed by user research with diverse communities and 23% saying their services are accessible.
As the third edition of Deloitte Digital Connect concluded, we sat down with Alasdair Sim, Web Content Manager, and Patricia Donald, Head of Communications and Digital, to discuss digital inclusion challenges and some key takeaways from the programme. We also gained insights from Tafara Vakirayi, a Deloitte consultant who mentored Alasdair during the programme.
The challenge: Improving digital engagement for Universal Credit claimants
With the recent transition of thousands of people to Universal Credit in Northern Ireland, Advice NI recognised the need to make their website more user-friendly and accessible. Patricia explained, “We knew our helpline would be inundated, and we needed very clear information on the website to signpost people, particularly those seeking face-to-face advice through our membership organisations.”
For Patricia, the ultimate goal is clear: “It’s about people being able to go on our website and access trusted sources of information and support quickly and easily, especially for those who don’t speak English as their first language.”
The team at Advice NI is also passionate about broader digital inclusion efforts. They train digital champions in local communities and provide courses to help people build digital skills. Patricia emphasised, “More and more government services, banks and support services are moving online. We hear all the time that it’s not people who are hard to reach; it’s the services that are becoming increasingly hard to reach for some people.”
The value of understanding user needs
Through Deloitte Digital Connect, Alasdair gained valuable skills in user research and UX design. He conducted user interviews and focus groups with a group of diverse participants to gather feedback on the website’s usability. “We got some really good practical suggestions that we could implement to enhance access to local advice centres,” Alasdair shared. “Things like being able to filter our members by location and providing more information about each organisation.”
One of the programme’s highlights for Alasdair and Patricia was the mentorship support provided by Deloitte volunteers. On Deloitte Digital Connect, each participant is matched with a Deloitte mentor to help them make progress on their digital challenge. Alasdair worked closely with his mentor Tafara, who guided him through the user research process. “Having that practical advice on how to actually do this was massively helpful,” Alasdair remarked.
“I now have a much more thorough understanding of how to carry out user research and apply this to a specific challenge. The digital skills, learning and confidence I’ve gained throughout the last few months will help with other challenges and projects in the future. I also think it has reiterated how important it is to put the users at the heart of the problem, which should really be the basis for any digital solution going forward.”
Tafara emphasised the comprehensive nature of their sessions: “Our sessions were cross-cutting and empowered Alasdair with confidence, knowledge, influence, and connection.” He provided Alasdair with a different perspective, supporting resources and practical examples from his own industry experience.
“My goal was to support Alasdair with a wide range of resources and develop his confidence to independently lead digital projects within his organisation,” Tafara explained. “We are both happy with the outcome.”
The mentorship experience wasn’t just beneficial for Alasdair; Tafara also found value in the process. “I believe there is more to learn when we share knowledge with other people,” he reflected. “I learnt to apply myself to a different use case, which had its own unique requirements. This helped me to adapt and challenge my skillset in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for the charity.”
Mutual learning and keeping up momentum
As Advice NI continues to implement the insights gained from Deloitte Digital Connect, they’re keen to carry on putting some of the new learning to practice across their services. Alasdair concluded, “There’s now more focus on involving service users in the process when trying to solve problems, rather than jumping straight to a solution without consulting those who are impacted by the change”.
Tafara offers encouragement to any charity working on digital transformation:
“Transformation is a process, and not a one-day event. I encourage all charities to keep the momentum and confidently explore user-centred design approaches in their work, for the benefits and potential it carries for their respective organisations.”
And in line with Tafara’s advice, Alasdair and Patricia have been invited to join CAST’s Digital Leads Network to help them keep up the momentum and carry on evolving on their digital journey!
If you’d like to access some of the resources shared on Deloitte Digital Connect, take a look at this open resource hub.
Interested in more reflections from the Deloitte Digital Connection? Read The Brilliant’s Club’s experience and insights on how they’re attempting to embed digital across their organisation.
