Role: UX Designer
Organisation: Marmalade Trust
Team: UX, stakeholders and developers
Overview
My team and I were tasked with redesigning the Marmalade Trust Christmas map, a digital online service which allows older users to find opportunities for connection and companionship around Christmas time.
My focus was on creating an experience that was clear, accessible and appropriate for an older audience, while working closely with developers and key stakeholders to ensure the designs could be translated into a functional website.
The Challenge
The Christmas period can be particularly difficult for people experiencing loneliness. The Christmas Map provides a way for people to discover opportunities to connect with others, but the experience needed to work effectively for an older audience.
A key consideration throughout the project was accessibility. I needed to think carefully about how information was presented and how users would navigate and interact with the service.
My Approach
I worked closely with stakeholders to understand the requirements of the service and the needs of its intended audience.
Accessibility was a central part of my design approach. I used WCAG guidance to inform design decisions and considered how the experience could be made clearer and easier to use for older viewers.
I also worked directly with a small development team. This meant communicating design decisions, discussing implementation considerations and adapting designs in response to technical requirements and feedback.
Designing For Accessibility
Rather than treating accessibility as a final-stage check, I considered it throughout the design process.
Key considerations included:
Designing for an older audience
Applying WCAG accessibility guidance
Prioritising clarity and ease of use
Making information straightforward to understand and navigate
Communicating design decisions clearly to developers
Working with Developers
The project gave me valuable experience working across the boundary between design and development.
I collaborated with developers who coded the designs, discussing how the proposed experience could work in practice and responding to technical considerations during implementation.
This helped me develop a more practical approach to UX — considering not only what an experience should look like, but how it could effectively work as a digital product.
Outcome
The updated Christmas Map provided an improved digital experience for helping older people discover opportunities for companionship during Christmas.
The project strengthened my experience in accessibility-focused UX, stakeholder collaboration and working with developers to turn design concepts into practical digital experiences.
Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of designing with the needs and circumstances of the audience at the centre of the process. It also showed me how closely UX design, accessibility and technical implementation are connected.
Working on a service with a clear social purpose was particularly rewarding, and it strengthened my interest in designing inclusive digital services that make information and opportunities easier for people to access.