Content design changes to a policy, scheme or process

Before you can decide what content to update or create, you need to find out from your policy teams what’s changing.

Your policy colleagues must give you this information as early as possible so you can identify the user needs and plan your content.

Identify the type of change        

When you have the information from your policy teams, you need to work out whether:

• it’s a change to an existing policy or scheme, which may mean users will have to do something differently (such as apply online instead of by post)
• a policy or scheme is ending, which means users will no longer be able to do something they can do now

Work out when users need to know about the change

When you know what’s changing, you also need to work out whether users need to know about the change before it comes into effect.

Users do not need guidance until they need to take action. In most cases, this is not until the change comes into effect.

Only publish guidance in advance if all the following apply:

• the change is certain or very likely to happen
• it affects a decision users must make now or very soon
• users must do something differently now (not just ‘be aware of’ something) - for example, a scheme is changing and users must apply earlier, later or for a different scheme

If users need guidance about a change in advance, you’ll need to identify exactly when they need to know so that you can plan your changes.

Review existing content

Do not create new content if some already exists that meets the user need. You should update the existing content instead.

Review existing content on the same subject as soon as you know roughly what’s changing. Do not wait until you have all the details.

This will help you avoid duplicating content when you tell users about the change.

Duplication (or multiple pages with similar content) can give users the impression that there’s no single version of the truth. This can mean they lose trust in what they read on GOV.WALES, so they miss critical information. It can also make it difficult for users to know where to look to find content they need.

Improve existing content

Improve existing content before you add information about the change. Doing this work beforehand will make it easier:

• to build in updates when you get the details from your policy colleagues
• for users to find the content and know what they must do to prepare

First, remove any duplicated content. Consider all content on the same subject and, if content is owned by other departments, work with them to remove duplication. 

If you have time, make general improvements too.

When to update the existing content in advance

If users need to know about the change in advance, publish some content before the change comes into effect so that they can prepare.

The content should succinctly tell users:

• what they must do to prepare for the change (for example register for a scheme or apply for a licence)
• when they need to take action to prepare
• the date the change will come into effect

This may be a brief addition to the content currently meeting the user need. For example, one or two sentences or a short paragraph with a subheading.

When the changes announced in advance come into effect

You’ll need to:

• update the content to reflect the new policy or scheme - this might include content linking to a new service
• publish the updated content

Short time scale for changes

Sometimes content is provided without sufficient time to follow the ideal process for preparing users for a change to a policy or scheme. In that case, you should still try to review the new content and make improvements. If there’s no time to review the content then it should still be added to existing content rather than creating something new. For example, add content about a change as a new section in existing guidance rather than a new guide. 

Regular changes to content

If the same content changes regularly, then it might be worth creating a change log which forms part of the content. If a range of related content is regularly updated, you could summarise all the changes separately, for example Land Transaction Tax: changes to technical guidance.

If a policy or scheme is ending, users will:

• no longer be able to do something on GOV.WALES which they can do now
• need to know the policy no longer applies

What to do in advance

Before you change anything, identify all content that refers to the policy or scheme. 

Users may need to know in advance that a policy or scheme is ending. You’ll need to update the existing content to tell users:

• that the policy or scheme is being removed
• the date it’s being removed

This could be in the form of a call out box or amended text at the start of the guide.

Work out what content needs to be kept. There may be on ongoing need for information about the scheme such as a procedure for complaints. 

What to do when the scheme or policy is removed

Amend the content to make it clear that the service, scheme or policy is no longer available. 

Link to any related content that meets a similar user need, including external third-party websites if relevant. 

Remove or amend references to the content in other content and check links work.

When there is no longer a user need for the content, in most cases delete the page and any associated files. Exceptions, where content must not be deleted are:

• consultations
• impact assessments
• legislation
• cabinet statements
• organisations (close them instead)
• press releases

GOV.WALES pages should not be used as a replacement for a news story or an announcement. The content should be kept succinct and factual.

There are other ways that policy teams can contact stakeholders such as newsletters, email, post or via a third party. They should consider using these channels to update users about the change, if they have not already. Ask your communications or policy teams what methods they use.

You should work with your communications teams to write the content or review it before it’s sent. The email or letter must:

• link to the content you have created or updated about the change
• use language consistent with the GOV.WALES content
• focus on what users need to do and when - evidence shows that people can feel overwhelmed if there’s too much explanatory information

If you’re contacting users by post, you might be able to request a short URL for your GOV.WALES content. Short URLs are easier for users to type into their browser. 

You can create a tracked version of a URL to find out how many users follow the link. Create a tracked URL using Google’s Campaign URL builder or email digital@gov.wales. Tracked URLs are long and should not be used anywhere which requires users to type them, for example do not use in a printed letter sent by post. 

You could also create or request a QR code. A QR code (Quick Response code) is a type of barcode that can store information including URLs. This includes storing a tracked URL which could be used in a printed letter. Users can scan QR codes with their smartphone to open websites or download apps.

Monitor your content regularly in the weeks and months after it’s published to check if it’s useful for users and they can find it. You can use tools like Google Analytics to review general performance data.