Challenge

When Covid-19 struck the UK, the health service was facing another hidden crisis. The chronically under-staffed social care service suddenly needed workers more than ever and could no longer recruit and train face to face. The Government Department of Health and Social Care called on Cera to provide a solution as rapidly as possible.

Approach

Cera have a strong track record of innovation in the care sector and having been involved with the creation of their carer app, I was called upon to assist with the challenge. The team rallied, quickly shaped a delivery plan, and concepted a solution by the end of the day.

I worked in parallel with the designers, tech team and stakeholders to lead the design MVP. The first phase enabled applicants to sign up to training, create an online profile and submit a video CV, while recruiters were able to view and filter the applicants.

With tightly managed reviews and check-ins, daily collaborative design sessions and an iterative approach to design, we were able to complete phase 1 of the design and build within 10 days.

Improvements and additional features were rapidly deployed in subsequent releases, including online training for applicants and advanced filtering for recruiters.

This project was all about remote collaboration and transparency of design, with a critical social purpose.