City of Helsinki Finding improvements to a website through usability testing

Research-driven improvements for families

This project focused on enhancing the usability of the City of Helsinki's Family Support website, which supports families and expectant parents. Through playground-based usability workshops, we tested the site under realistic conditions and gathered insights into user behavior and pain points.

The final report delivered prioritized recommendations addressing core issues such as search bar visibility, site structure, and accessibility refinements. The work deepened my understanding of user-centered design and strengthened my skills in usability testing and workshop facilitation.

Real users, real constraints

The City of Helsinki sought to improve the usability, information architecture, and overall user-friendliness of their Family Support website — a resource for families with children on everyday challenges, pregnancy, and childbirth preparation.

Key challenges included:

• Understanding real user experiences to identify pain points in website usability.
• Engaging end users (parents with young children) for authentic feedback within the constraints of a school project framework.

Analysis, benchmarks, and playground tests

The project began with a detailed analysis of the Family Support website to identify strengths and weaknesses from a professional perspective. The team also benchmarked similar healthcare websites to gather best practices.

To capture realistic feedback, usability workshops were held at playgrounds, where parents naturally multitask while caring for their children — recreating real-life noise and distraction.

Participants were asked to:

• Complete specific tasks on the website.
• Answer a follow-up survey about their experience.

During the workshops we used observation methods such as video recording, note-taking, and screen capture to collect qualitative and quantitative data. My role included facilitating sessions, introducing participants to the test process, and observing their interactions with the site.

Prioritized recommendations for the client

The final deliverable was a detailed report with prioritized recommendations for improving the Family Support website. Suggestions were grouped into three categories:

1. Core — Key issues requiring immediate attention, such as redesigning the search bar to improve visibility and functionality.
2. Extended — Improvements to information architecture, including reorganising confusing categories and fixing broken links.
3. Wishlist — Optional refinements such as accessible typography, better color contrast, and clearer iconography.

The project highlighted accessibility gaps and provided actionable insights. It also confirmed my interest in UX research — especially running usability tests and organising workshops — which I found deeply rewarding.