An aerial photograph of Scar House reservoir in North Yorkshire

Helping customers understand their water bills

Client: Yorkshire Water

  • Utilities
  • User research
  • Content design
  • Prototyping

Overview

Yorkshire Water needed a digital solution to reduce bill-related enquiries and help customers understand their water bills independently. The goal was to create a simple, convenient experience that improved regulator scoring while reducing contact centre demand.

What I did

  • Conducted desk research, customer interviews, and call-listening
  • Facilitated a stakeholder ideation workshop using the 'crazy 8' and dot voting format
  • Created Axure prototypes for both initial and revised concepts
  • Designed user journeys and simplified bill explanation content
  • Worked closely with copywriters, billing teams, and developers
  • Ran moderated and remote usability testing
3 pieces of paper with some scribbled drawings and ideas written down
Examples of stakeholder's sketches and ideas from the ideation workshop.

The problem

Water bills are complex and full of industry jargon. Customers had little visibility into how they were charged and why charges changed. This lead to significant numbers of customers contacting Yorkshire Water for basic questions.

The approach

I designed an online, step-by-step walkthrough using the customer's actual billing information. The content was rewritten in plain English, and a new API powered personalised explanations for payment changes. Iterative user research and multiple prototypes ensured the walkthrough was simple, intuitive, and jargon-free.

3 wireframe pages showing an explanation of a user's water bill
Examples of wireframes to test whether users understood the UI and content.

Outcomes

Customers better understood their bills, could self-serve for common queries, and preferred the digital walkthrough over the paper bill.

Results

  • Significant reduction in confusion during usability sessions
  • All participants preferred the online walkthrough to the paper bill
  • Majority of basic queries resolved without needing human support