A glimpse into the service journey at Wellington Rape Crisis

Understanding the survivor journey when accessing services

Service design | Visual communication | Artefact creation

I led this discovery piece, designing and conducting an ethical and safe research approach with vulnerable communities on a sensitive topic and co-authoring a report that reflected the findings. I also designed the report to visually communicate the findings clearly, and created journey maps to highlight the different experiences of survivors entering and using WRC services. As a result, the client now has the tools and information needed to make meaningful service improvements.

The challenge

Wellington Rape Crisis (WRC) is an organisation that provides support to survivors of sexual harm and violence. They have a bold vision – to see a world free of rape and sexual abuse and the damage it causes – and so always strive to continuously improve. As a result of this desire, WRC commissioned my colleague and I to undertake the discovery phase of the service design project to understand:

How well things are working (or not working)

If certain aspects of the services are still fit for purpose

Whether WRC is meeting the needs of survivors

The service journeys of clients

My contribution

Designed research approach

A key challenge in this work was understanding why people may not approach WRC directly. I co-developed an approach that enabled us to explore this through the use of proxies. Participant safety was central to the research design, and I created a research kit that included an information sheet, question guide, and consent form to support fully informed consent. I also ensured appropriate support systems were in place for participants, should they need additional help during or after the research. The conversation guide was designed with safety in mind and reviewed to ensure it was not retraumatising or triggering.

Conducting interviews

I was heavily involved in recruitment, including cold-calling proxies and determining the research sample required. I served as the lead interviewer, conducting more than 35 interviews with clients, staff, and proxies. Given the sensitive nature of the topic, I ensured participants felt comfortable, understood the boundaries of the interviews, and were aware of the support systems in place to keep them safe. I adapted my interview style to suit each participant, using a more structured Q&A approach where appropriate, or allowing participants to share their stories in their own way, with clarifying questions asked as needed.

Communicating findings

After synthesising the interview responses, the next step was to reflect back what we heard. As the client wanted a faithful reflection of participant voices rather than a condensed summary, the report was lengthy, making visual design critical to readability and clarity. I co-authored the report and led its design, using my visual communication skills to support understanding and accessibility throughout.

I also created and designed service journey maps based on research findings. These maps were developed to increase empathy for service users and to help enhance the service experience at WRC. They highlighted different experiences of entering and using WRC services, including pain points and service strengths.

The key themes were presented to the staff and the board in a walk-through allowing them to engage with the findings in a non-report format, starting discussions and increasing their buy-in.

Website review

In addition to carrying out research, I also conducted a website review. The aim of this was to identify quick wins for WRC that would help remove barriers for potential clients and improve the user experience. I reviewed each page and assessed the overall feel, colour, layout, content, navigation, accessibility, and clarity of messaging. I then compiled a pack of recommendations and explanations to support improvements and make the website more user-friendly.

The impact

This piece of work is foundational because it highlights the strengths and the key areas for improvement in WRC’s service offering. By identifying barriers in the service journey the findings show where clients may experience friction and what parts of the service are working well.

WRC now has a clear understanding of how clients experience their services and practical tools to support improvements. This means they can confidently make changes that strengthen the journey, improve accessibility, and better meet the needs of survivors.