Runaway Helpline for Missing People
Keeping runaway children and young adults safe
The challenge
Talking to teenagers is difficult at the best of times; add to that the sensitivity and emotion a young adult is experiencing when they think of running away and you’ll start to understand the challenge.
The new Runaway Helpline website needed to provide a service that worked regardless of a user’s mental and emotional state; unbiased, anonymous and ultra-fast.
The approach
We based our discovery phase on a comprehensive research document containing a wealth of information gathered from young people by Missing People, and our own research into young audiences. This led to us creating a visually led system to deliver confidential, non-judgemental information, guiding users to relevant content quickly and easily. We used strong colours, iconography and imagery to take into consideration the various age-brackets, connection speeds and attention spans the site would be likely to face on a daily basis.
Both website and brand are derived from this research and the insights contained within them. By using this insight-led approach, we created a platform where young people feel safe to anonymously seek help if they are in a vulnerable situation.
75% increase in year on year site visitors
69% growth in mobile users
110% growth in organic traffic
The result
Since launch, we have continuously updated and improved the service and its search visibility. The introduction of an anonymous online chat has been a hugely positive addition to the range of ways available for young people to seek help and support and has resulted in more engagement with the website in general.
