National Careers Service – User-Centred Design | Apprilis Careers Platform Transformation

Education & Careers

Building careers guidance services that work for every citizen

National Careers Service – User-Centred Design

The National Careers Service (NCS) provides careers advice and guidance to citizens across England. The existing digital offering was outdated, inaccessible, and under scrutiny, with uncertainty around whether the new service would be assessed against Government Digital Service (GDS) standards. NCS required a greenfield approach to discovery, ensuring that user needs, accessibility, and policy objectives were balanced in the design of the future service.

Challenge

NCS faced several strategic and delivery challenges:

Uncertainty around the requirement for GDS compliance.
A content-heavy service with 800+ job profiles and guidance material needing improved visibility, navigation, and accessibility.
A legacy service with accessibility complaints and usability issues.
Tight timeframes — Discovery (4 weeks) and Alpha (8 weeks) — requiring accelerated research and delivery.

Our Approach

Apprilis led a structured programme through Discovery and Alpha, working closely with NCS policy and delivery teams:

Discovery (4 weeks): Reviewed existing research and gathered new insights to hypothesise user needs and journeys. Developed six personas to frame design decisions.
Alpha (8 weeks): Conducted sprint-based research into four critical user journeys:
1. Checking suitability for careers
2. Exploring qualifications and courses
3. Finding and applying for jobs
4. Career progression pathways

Using these insights, the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) was defined around two high-priority personas identified by the policy team.

Techniques and Tools

Research: Pop-up research in public environments, complemented by structured interviews in lab settings.
Design: Two coded prototype approaches — one traditional, highly graphical design, and one fully GDS-compliant prototype. Elements were combined into a hybrid design that successfully passed Alpha assessment.
Content Strategy: Assessed and restructured 800+ job profiles, feeding findings into information architecture and improving search engine optimisation (SEO).
Accessibility: Addressed historic accessibility complaints by embedding inclusive design principles throughout the prototypes.
Technology: Delivered the service through Sitefinity CMS, ensuring robust content management and scalability.

Impact

Successfully passed GDS Alpha assessment, validating user-centred design and delivery approach.
Delivered six personas and prioritised user journeys that informed future phases.
Improved accessibility and content findability, directly addressing legacy complaints.
Developed a hybrid design approach that balanced policy expectations with GDS compliance.
Although the programme paused due to budgetary issues, Apprilis’ outputs provided a strong foundation for future phases.

Key Outcomes

Discovery completed in 4 weeks, Alpha in 8 weeks.
800+ job profiles reviewed and restructured for accessibility and SEO.
Service design approach validated through GDS Alpha assessment.
User research directly influenced MVP definition and policy direction.

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