It became imperative to the BBC that they needed a FAQ/Help system for their iPlayer, independent from the general Help page. We were asked to find an appropriate solution and the brief was very broad and specific - the solution had to be easily accessible for all BBC audience segments, work on all devices, TVs to smartphones, and fit within the iPlayer Style Guide. This was also the key problem!
That the primary purpose of the FAQ/Help system was how to create sense and order from the multiplicity of answers available so that users could fulfil their aim of finding the right information quickly. Thus, we developed two routes for users to find answers within the FAQ/Help system. Firstly, via the use of Visual Icons to funnel the user to the answer they sought and secondly, via a Search Box with contextual hints.
Post-launch the system has been monitored with online feedback forms and in-depth user interviews, that after fine-tuning have resulted in high levels of positive feedback.
