Websites & patient experience · Planning worksheet

No-result searches: offer a useful next step

Illustrative situation

A website returns no results for a common abbreviation and leaves the visitor at a dead end.

The decision

Provide sensible recovery options without pretending to have found an answer. Use repeated failed searches to improve labels, synonyms or missing content.

Rehearse this before accepting the change

Search for an unsupported phrase; the page should explain alternatives clearly.

Use fictional examples and an authorised test environment. Record what happened, the evidence you inspected and any issue that still needs a responsible owner.

Choose a useful measure

Track recurring zero-result tasks that remain unresolved.

Agree the definition and baseline with the team doing the work. Review the result over a comparable period and note other changes that could affect it.

Healthcare website design showing connected desktop and mobile service and enquiry layouts.
Make the service and next step clear on every screen.
Healthcare website accessibility illustrated by a focus outline, keyboard key, contrast samples and form.
Review keyboard access, contrast and understandable form fields.
Healthcare website testing with desktop and mobile forms, a checklist and success and error states.
Check complete journeys and explain failures clearly.

Your planning worksheet

Use these checks to prepare a discussion with your team or supplier. Tick a check when you have recorded the decision or evidence, rather than when a feature has simply been promised.

Decisions to record

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Further reading

These primary sources provide additional context for the project decisions above.

Related decisions

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