Blog post: Improving fish-eating bird licensing - how we built a better digital service in six months

In six months, we designed and launched a bilingual online form and web content to support a new approach to bird licensing. The requirement was to go live by July 2025 - and we did it.

This blog highlights how a small, focused team, a clear goal, and dedicated time helped us deliver on time, while staying user-centered.

The problem to be solved

We worked with policy and regulation experts to understand what users need:

fishery managers want to protect fish stocks from bird predation
conservation bodies need to understand how to safeguard Atlantic salmon and sea trout populations
our licensing team needs complete, evidence-based, accurate applications to make sound decisions

Up to this point, applicants had applied for a licence using Word forms and guidance downloaded from our website.

We knew from user and desk research that they often found it difficult to find Word forms on our site. Sometimes they didn't fully understand what information we needed so would contact the species team for help. They could also miss out important questions or give insufficient information.

Opportunities

As well as accommodating the new licensing approach, this was an opportunity to reduce administrative burden for applicants and staff by:

being clear about what information we need from users and when we need it
making it easy for people to access guidance to help them with their application
giving users every opportunity to provide the right information
being clear about what happens after they apply

The team

User-centred designers

Two user-centred designers worked three days a week on the project, giving us enough continuity to build momentum without affecting other priorities.

In the final stretch, we added a third content designer to help us finish and publish the form, several pages of content and a revised page structure for bird licensing. This extra capacity made a big difference in helping us test, refine, and publish on schedule.

Our product manager helped with internal communications including week notes and meetings with wider teams.

Collaborating with subject matter experts

We ran around 20 hours of workshops with two subject matter experts: one from policy and one from regulation. They helped shape the form and content, ensured legal and operational accuracy, and brought in feedback from other teams, including ornithologist expertise.

Workshops

We began by mapping the current process in MIRO. This helped us identify duplication, unclear language and unnecessary questions.

We then worked on iterations of the new user journey in MIRO, using it in workshops with both subject matter experts to identify improvements.

Workshops of around 1.5 to 2 hours happened twice a month. We reviewed prototypes and draft content, discussed clarity and structure, and agreed next steps. Between sessions, digital designers refined the form and content ready for the next round.

Designing the new service: using best practice

We followed Government Digital Standards guidance on designing content and forms, which helped us:

break down complex questions into small steps
use plain language
make the form accessible
reduce mental effort for users
ask only for information we need – and therefore making fields mandatory

We created a ‘check your answers’ page so that users had a final opportunity to change any details before they submit.

We created new content to guide users through the process using standard patterns:

start pages
a confirmation page
separate guidance pages answering distinct user needs, for example how to prepare a map or carry out a bird count
email confirmation to users and the team

To help users find what they need, we also changed the bird licensing landing page. Previously there was a long page of links to documents.

Instead, we created a clearer, shorter landing page with links to simpler pages created around a specific user task (‘change’ or ‘renew’ a licence, for example).

Testing the service

Before launch we tested the prototype internally and with one external user. Based on feedback, we simplified the language and made the form easier to use.

We added a feedback form to the end of the journey so users can tell us what works and what doesn’t. The policy lead continues to work with the wider user group to keep improving the service.

We’ve already made changes based on early feedback. Being able to update quickly is a big shift from the old “task and finish” way of working.

What’s changed

We now have:

a new accessible online form that guides users through the process
clearer, user-focused content
better integration with our website
bilingual support from the start
a feedback loop for ongoing improvement

We expect better applications and an easier experience for users. We can quickly fix things if users run into problems.

What’s next

We’ll keep monitoring how the form and content perform, using data and feedback to guide improvements. We’re also looking at how this approach could help other licensing services.

And we’ll keep working in the open - sharing what we learn, listening to users, and improving as we go.

Controlling fish-eating birds on a river to conserve Atlantic salmon or sea trout

Controlling fish-eating birds on a coarse or trout fishery

Bird licensing