My Best Life

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User-led bug testing works!

Kathryn Dingle

The team has been hard at work developing our progressive web app and we are so pleased to say we now have the start of our app! As with all new pieces of tech there bugs (Not the creepy crawly kind, but small errors or mistakes in the software which mean it doesn’t do want we wanted it to do!)  Some are really obvious such a janky layout or a button not appearing on certain pages and some are harder to find, such as a specific option within a filter that doesn’t appear to work. So how do you find… Read more “User-led bug testing works!”

Data entry: The successes, the challenges, and why we’re doing My Best Life

Rose Anderson

We’ve started our Alpha sprint, and the app’s development is coming along nicely! Alongside this, we’re continuing with data entry, finding information about services for young people in Lambeth and recording it in a spreadsheet ready to be transferred into our app. This blog will share some of the challenges we’ve experienced. Categorising support and activities There are currently twelve categories that we use to describe the services on the app, with each service coming under one or two categories: Money School and college Sex and relationships Mental health Keeping safe Job stuff Where I’m living Friends Family Drink and… Read more “Data entry: The successes, the challenges, and why we’re doing My Best Life”

What is the role of gatekeepers in My Best Life?

Rose Anderson

We at NPC are thinking about ways to promote the My Best Life app, via the platforms on which charities are already listed (such as the Lambeth Council website), or through schools, or by investment in marketing or promotion. As our recent weeknotes have explained, we want to better understand how to introduce the app and how young people might get started with it. That’s included considering the role of ‘gatekeepers’ (such as youth workers) that young people might already know. How will young people learn about the app? Finding the app is crucial to young people having access to… Read more “What is the role of gatekeepers in My Best Life?”

Weeknote w/c 18th January 2021

Rose Anderson

What we did We continued the process of data entry, amending our spreadsheet with more categories to cover a wider range of services. We had a great check-in with Lambeth Council. They connected us to another database (mapping youth organisations in the borough) that might be able to help us. They also said they would talk to three local groups of young people to see if they’d be willing to help us with user testing. We ran a Young Person Steering Group and received great feedback on the look and feel of the app, such as the colours and fonts.… Read more “Weeknote w/c 18th January 2021”

Usability testing – onboarding for our app

Kathryn Dingle

In November 2020 we ran a series of usability tests with young people. We wanted to explore two different routes to onboarding of our app. We were interested in testing which of two different options young people preferred to get to know young people’s needs. Our aims: To understand how we can help young people find the support and opportunities that they need. To understand how we can present these to young people. The prototypes we have tested: Quiz style: an interactive quiz that gets to know young people’s needs and interests (like Pinterest or Headspace) Filtering: similar to exosting… Read more “Usability testing – onboarding for our app”

Data entry: How it’s going so far

Rose Anderson

As the New Year progresses, we’re pushing ahead and planning for the Alpha development of the My Best Life app, which means developing our data model. It’s an exciting time for us! The app is beginning to be brought to life, and now we can start to see if the theoretical benefits we’d anticipated play out in practice. Last week, we had a couple of online sessions with our digital partner Neon Tribe, where we explored data modelling and defined the fields for data entry. We discussed the information we thought young people would need, and then we prioritised the… Read more “Data entry: How it’s going so far”

Looking back on 2020 – and looking forward to 2021

Rose Anderson

2020 has certainly been an ‘interesting’ year. So much of our life has moved online. We’re seeing increased mental health concerns, a difficult jobs market, and recreational activities opening and closing as lockdowns come and go. In this ever-changing and sometimes anxiety-inducing landscape, having access to accurate information about the services and opportunities near you has never been more important. There is still a need for My Best Life, and we’ve been working hard on it this year. As 2020 draws to a close, we’ve got three key updates to share. We have a Comms schedule for next year, ready… Read more “Looking back on 2020 – and looking forward to 2021”

Torchbox event: How to perfect remote user research

Kathryn Dingle

I was lucky enough to attend a free virtual event on called How to perfect remote user testing, hosted by Torchbox. The hosts Olly Willans and Luiza Frederico ran a Q&A style event. Below is a video and some of the highlights, insights and resources from this event. The event covered: How user research fits into the design process How to carry out key activities remotely: user interviews, user testing, user co-creation How to manage and communicate insights effectively Product management: how to make the right decisions Why do user research?  Olly started highlighting the importance of user research. He… Read more “Torchbox event: How to perfect remote user research”

Meaningful co-design with young people: how to manage complexity in digital product development

Rose Anderson

From 14th to 15th October 2020, NPC hosted the biggest event in its calendar: NPC Ignites. This annual conference has always aimed to help the charity sector keep pace with the latest developments and anticipate new trends. This year has been all about helping charities to make sense of the changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and to think about what challenges they might face over the next few years. NPC Ignites 2020 was a mixture of live and pre-recorded sessions – and My Best Life had its chance to shine! We delivered our own pre-recorded ‘breakout’ called Meaningful co-design… Read more “Meaningful co-design with young people: how to manage complexity in digital product development”