Pollen prides itself on taking a user centred design approach and it’s something we really advocate for with our clients. As this approach becomes more widely known, clients can sometimes come to us with the user's needs front and centre.

We were thrilled when Deaf Children Australia approached us with this idea as the foundation of their brief. Their eventual goal is to build a highly valuable online resource for parents of deaf or hard of hearing children. However, with so many different needs within this community, they wanted to get this audience’s input first and foremost. The project was to be in three stages: an initial ‘survey’ site where people could answer questions and talk about their experiences, time to synthesise this information, and further interrogate through focus groups, which would then inform the content and functionality of the final site.

Like any audience group, there’s nuance within. When designing the site for phase one, given the subject matter, we wanted to ensure we were speaking to and representing those in the community. We consulted with Deaf Children Australia and their Parent Mentors - who help parents of deaf and hard of hearing kids find their footing during times of uncertainty - to understand and be cognisant of the background, context and language. The questions and user experience design of the site were developed in an engaging way that helps us receive the information we need, but was also sympathetic to people's experience and time.

When designing the phase one site, we wanted to ensure economies were made moving into phase two, so time was spent setting up the design system which could be applied to phase two. It was also an opportunity to introduce the Flying Colours brand which will ultimately lead the main phase two site.

The launch of the site, housing the survey, was promoted by DCA and right away we experienced a flow of traffic from parents, carers, and clinicians wanting to make the most of the opportunity to share their knowledge and support to help parents of deaf and hard of hearing children who might be about to embark on a similar journey. The findings are both compelling and informative.

Over the next six months, the site will remain open. All learnings will inform the content and functionality of the main Flying Colours website that’s to come in phase two.