5 things charity & public sector digital services do better than commercial companies
It’s often thought that charities and public sector bodies are way behind commercial organisations in terms of their digital products and services. However the last couple of years of the pandemic have shown what a crucial, and successful role they play in all our lives.
Here’s a celebration of some of the best things they do that commercial organisations can learn from.
They are more accessible
According to Scope, there are 14.6 million disabled people in the UK. The total spending power of families with at least 1 disabled person is estimated at £274 billion a year.
The Click Away Pound Survey shows that in 2019, businesses lost over £17b of revenue because their websites didn’t meet the needs of people with disabilities. With the enormous rise in eCommerce due to the pandemic, this figure can only have increased.
Naturally, many of the people using charity and public sector websites are people with additional needs that aren’t met by companies’ products and services. This has led to an increased focus on making their products as accessible as possible for people.
Charity and public sector sites also tend to be better at plain English — inclusive and jargon-free language. Particularly in the B2B industry, there’s a misconception that you need to ‘write at a professional level’ to connect with your audience and show your credibility.
They truly buy into the idea that a more accessible website will benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities.
Co design is the default method of creating products
Nobody wants to create poor products or services. By far the best way to ensure that we don’t is to involve the people who will use them in their design.
As most charities have been set up from day one by a group of people who want to tackle a certain issue, they tend to have closer ties to those that will use their services.
This is then used to design services, products and content to be in line with what they need, rather than what people think they need. More needs to be done to create processes that allow this to happen at the pace which digital content can be created, but the starting point is still heavily dependent on the input of users.
Removing distractions from purchase processes
We all know what it’s like on an eCommerce website — you get to checkout and there’s always ‘one more thing’. It’s exactly the same approach that supermarkets take by putting sweets by the tills — trying to get you to spend more money for things you don’t need.
Charities seem to have learned that in their most important transactions — the taking of donations — they need to get out of the way as much as possible.
It’s rare that you’ll see a cross sell banner asking you to sign up for a fun run, whilst you sign up for a £10 / month direct debit. This allows people to complete the task they have in hand, creates a more positive relationship with the organisation and generates more good will moving forward.
Charities do need to get better at taking the information they collect, and then effectively showing the other ways that people can help, which are relevant to them. This doesn’t all need to be done at the point of checkout though — you’ve got plenty of other opportunities and channels to do that in.
High quality information is a service that’s invested in
The NHS website is one of the most important information services in the history of humanity. It is constantly co-designed, tested and iterated to better meet peoples’ health needs.
There are thousands of charity websites which provide highly targeted information for people — often those in a state of extreme difficulty or stress.
The best organisations invest in this content constantly. It is regularly put in front of users to see where gaps or opportunities have appeared. Since so many organisations are made up of people who need the information or are in constant contact with those that do, it is naturally more user-focussed.
By giving people help when they need it, charities know they can then ask for support when they need it, often in the form of a donation.
Telling better stories
The stories that sit behind charities and public sector organisations are some of the most important, inspiring and at times depressing that you can find. They are the storylines which fill our screens throughout the day.
Humans are built to resonate with stories. The ability to imagine and believe stories is what has separated us from other species and enables us to coordinate incredible numbers of people. Examples of such stories include countries, companies and money — none of these exist anywhere except in our minds, but are powerful enough to drive almost everything we do.
By creating examples of how people have been affected by their work, or the people who have made it happen, charities are using this powerful technique to inspire others to join their cause.
As ever, there’s lots that people can learn from each other, no matter what sector you’re working in or with. Our advice is to stay curious, speak to people about their work and always always always test things with real people as soon as possible.
