Citizens Connection

Employer: Common Purpose

Launched in October 2001 after 18 months preparation Citizens Connection.net was a “portal” for active citizens in the UK, a £1.5m project funded by Camelot and the Millennium Commission.

Working for the charity Common Purpose a team of writers, designers and software engineers was briefed to create a way for UK citizens to learn contribute and share their experience in changing society. It was a combination of manual, inspirational literature and tool. It featured hundreds of advice and how-to articles, multimedia, forums and a web mail service.

My role was to lead the design team and I (amongst other things):

• Created the information architecture
• Designed interface for adult and youth portal
• art directed illustration and photography commissions
• Supervised multimedia designer and web builder
• Designed and implemented the brand online, in print and exhibitions
• Wrote white papers on new functionality
• Helped create specifications with technical team.
• Supervised usability testing program
• Worked closely with website editor on content structure and appearance.

This complex project required extensive planning and specifications. Communicating across content, technical and marketing teams and helped develop my information architecture skills. Citizens Connection also had to be usable and accessible.

After launching Citizens Connection we developed YouTurn.net, a youth version of the adult site. Extensively tested with the target market, it was much more graphic and featured simple games designed to explain the citizen's rights and responsibilities.

After leaving Common Purpose in March 2001 I continued to supply design and information architecture services. Citizens Connection has now been superseded by "Just Do Something" a place to find specific opportunities in volunteering for which I developed the initial branding.