Highly user-focused and accessible for Mencap’s diverse audience
Mencap wanted a site that would help them give an increased voice to people with a learning disability and reach out to parents, many of whom are desperately unsupported.
Through focus groups with Mencap’s different audiences, Public Life was able to develop a clear understanding of their differing needs. For example, our research with people with learning disabilities showed that the main media they consume is TV, and soap operas in particular. Research with parents and identified that many of them were in real need of support themselves as carers. These insights were incorporated into the design and structure of the site.
Caroline Lambie, Mencap
The new website conforms to the ‘AA’ standard of accessibility, but goes beyond that to challenge orhodoxies around accessibility.
The understanding gained from the research led Public Life to recommend that informative and appropriate video should be the primary content that people see on the home page and on other key pages throughout the site. This allows people with a learning disability to enjoy the site without having to navigate through large amounts of amounts of text. 70% of people with a learning disability have difficulty reading, so video is an ideal medium for providing accessible content.
The ‘My Life’ section allows users to access further video resources across simple topics and those with some reading ability can then explore the themes further by accessing tabbed content in the background.
Mencap wanted the new site to help broaden their appeal, particularly with younger parents. The ‘Families’ section provides the type of support that the research found a need for such as advice, real-life stories, and a forum.
Mencap is positioning itself as the “voice of learning disability”, reflecting the desire of people with learning disabilities to have a say in their lives and raising awareness with the public around what a learning disability is. The website, and the video content in particular, reflects the passionate way that this group discuss jobs, relationships, and their lives in general to a wider public.
