Review of new Coventry City Council website and content

Healthwatch Coventry undertook research on how easy it was for local people to access information about adult social care services through Coventry City Council’s newly redesigned website. The study revisited a previous mystery shopping exercise and involved 12 participants aged 45 and over, including four people whose first language was not English. Participants were asked to complete a range of realistic scenarios to test how easily they could find information and support online. 

Overall, participants found the website reasonably easy to use, with most rating its usability positively. Features such as the design, layout and readability were well received. However, people with less experience using the internet found it more difficult to locate information, and some became frustrated and abandoned tasks after several unsuccessful attempts, saying they would instead contact the council by telephone.

The research identified several barriers to finding information. Participants reported that the homepage gave greater prominence to payment functions than social care information, while the website search facility was not always easy to locate. Some terminology, particularly words such as “safeguarding” and various acronyms, was confusing, especially for people whose first language was not English. Participants also experienced difficulties locating emergency social care contact details and finding accessibility and translation options.

Healthwatch concluded that the website generally worked well but could be improved through clearer language, fewer acronyms and better organisation of information. Key recommendations included making the search function more prominent, creating a direct link to social care information from the homepage, improving the visibility of accessibility features, and ensuring emergency contact information is easier to find.