Immigration New Zealand Visa Application Website

Experience design driven simplicity unlocks efficiency in visa application process.

With over 32,000 unique visitors daily, Immigration New Zealand was looking for a way to simplify their online visa application system to provide better customer experience and reduce operational costs.

Challenge.

To meet increasing inbound migration volume – and support national and regional talent attraction initiatives – Immigration New Zealand needed to simplify the Visa selection and application process. The intent was to streamline the application process, drive self-service to improve customer experience, improve completion rates and reduce contact centre costs.

To meet increasing inbound migration volume – and support national and regional talent attraction initiatives – Immigration New Zealand needed to simplify the Visa selection and application process. The intent was to streamline the application process, drive self-service to improve customer experience, improve completion rates and reduce contact centre costs.

Solution.

With hundreds of Visa variations available, the outcome of this project was a simple to complete 3-step experience driven by a natural language interaction model and data-driven content – which shifts the complexity away from the user onto the system that supports the experience. Users can now explore and compare different visas based on their specific situation and motivations.

With hundreds of Visa variations available, the outcome of this project was a simple to complete 3-step experience driven by a natural language interaction model and data-driven content – which shifts the complexity away from the user onto the system that supports the experience. Users can now explore and compare different visas based on their specific situation and motivations.

Impact.

The solution has resulted in a successful migration to 'digital first' in all visa applications and millions of dollars in annual operational cost savings for Immigration. The interaction model, content design and resulting user experience set a new global high watermark.

The solution has resulted in a successful migration to 'digital first' in all visa applications and millions of dollars in annual operational cost savings for Immigration. The interaction model, content design and resulting user experience set a new global high watermark.

Desktop

Overview.

The project began with a research stage to understand the Immigration New Zealand visa application experience, motivations for migrants choosing New Zealand and their needs and goals throughout the application process.

With visitors to the website hailing from all over the world, the design was centred around a set of common shared needs. The result is a new experience allowing migrants to explore their options, compare visas and find a visa to apply for that best fits their situation and motivations.

Following the implementation of the new design, there was a substantial increase in visa applications online over paper-based visa applications, as well as a significant drop in eligibility-related calls to the call centre.

  • 9 to 45% increase in online applications

  • 75% reduction in call centre training and induction cost

  • 79.8% satisfaction with the experience of applying for a visa

Experience Design.

Extensive research was undertaken to understand attitudes, goals, behaviours and experiences with immigration to New Zealand. The design team completing:

  • 51 interviews nationwide (with recent immigrants)

  • 17 profiles

  • 6 personas, journey maps and experience blueprints

With the research as a foundation to guide decisions and identify opportunities, we were able to define and design a radical new approach for the digital experience.

Visa Explore

A natural language interface enabled applicants to find the most appropriate visa's to consider – improving the quality of applications and reducing the risk of applicants choosing the wrong visa.

Forms

A vital benefit of the project was the ability to shift application documentation from downloaded PDF forms to a digital-only workflow. Saving considerable processing time and improving the quality of applications with more targetted help resources.

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Project Summary

Client: Immigration New Zealand

Project: Visa Application Website

Awards: Best Awards 2016 / Large Scale Website Bronze; Best Awards 2017 / Empowering Purple and Gold; Best Awards 2017 / Value of Design Award Silver; IxDA Finalist; Webby Finalist

Deliverables: User research, Journey Mapping, Service Blueprint, Technical Solution, Content Model, Interaction Design, Visual Design