RSPCA NextGen

Project Overview

NextGen is the new youth website from the RSPCA. As the Product Owner, I spearheaded the initiative from start to finish, leading the project by designing and conducting workshops, performing in-depth research and interviewing kids and parents. These efforts culminated in the development of a website tailored to a young audience, engaging and educating the next generation about animal welfare.

Research

We conducted a qualitative study to gather insights into the user experience of the new RSPCA Youth Site. The research involved online sessions with children aged 6 to 12 to understand their interaction with the site. Our research was comprised of three main parts:

• Pre-Session Questionnaire: Captured initial knowledge, preferences, and online behaviour.
• Scenario-Based Tasks: Guided through navigation and content exploration tasks, sharing thoughts aloud.
• Post-Task Interviews: Delved deeper into experiences, preferences and challenges encountered.

Users and User Stories

To ensure that the RSPCA NextGen website met the needs of all its users, I developed a detailed User Story Catalogue. This allowed me to identify key user requirements and structure the development process around the real needs of children, parents, content creators and administrators. Below is an overview of the primary users and some key user stories that guided our development.

Children (Aged 6-12)

As the main audience of the site, children need a platform that is engaging, easy to navigate and full of interactive content.

• User Story: "As a child, I want to be able to navigate to each page on the website without help so that I can find information on my own."
• Acceptance Criteria: When a child accesses the navigation bar, they should be able to easily find and access different pages such as Home, Games, Activities, Profile, Stories and Videos.

Parents

Parents oversee their children's activities and manage content and communication preferences on the platform, ensuring that the content is suitable for their child.

• User Story: "As a parent, I want to sign up my child with my email and their details so that my child can access the right content and save their progress."
• Acceptance Criteria: The parent should be able to sign up their child using their email and set up a profile for them that allows progress to be saved.

Content Creators

Content creators are responsible for generating, updating and tagging content that aligns with RSPCA’s mission and is appropriate for the target audience.

• User Story: "As a content creator, I want to access templates so that I can create content in the correct format."
• Acceptance Criteria: The content creator should have access to predefined templates in Liferay to create and format content before review and publication.

Super Admins

Super admins manage permissions, content visibility and ensure that the website remains up-to-date and secure.

• User Story: "As a super admin, I want the ability to put some content behind a login wall so that parents can limit their child to certain content."
• Acceptance Criteria: The super admin should be able to tag content to be behind a login wall, making it accessible only to users who are logged in.

Build and Development

The RSPCA NextGen site was built using Liferay CMS. The development process involved several key phases:

1. Collaboration and Planning

I worked closely with the content team, brand representatives and IT department to ensure the site aligned with RSPCA's mission and brand guidelines. This collaboration helped define the site’s objectives and ensure that all requirements were met.

2. Template Creation

To facilitate easy content management, I developed customisable templates within Liferay. These templates allow content creators to efficiently add and update content while maintaining consistency in design and functionality across the site.

3. Layout and Design

Leveraging Liferay’s design system, I created engaging and user-friendly layouts. The site features interactive elements tailored to the needs of its young audience, including jokes and stories. The design emphasises ease of navigation and visual appeal to ensure a positive user experience for both children and parents.

3. Implementation and Testing

After building the core functionalities and integrating the templates, I conducted thorough testing to ensure the site performed well across various devices and browsers. Feedback from initial testing phases helped and address any issues before the final launch.

The result is a vibrant, interactive website that supports RSPCA’s mission to educate and engage its audience. The site has been well-received by children and parents alike, as evidenced by the 76% engagement rate, reflecting the successful implementation of the project’s goals.