Designing a 'Use my location' feature for GOV.UK flood information
The intended benefit is especially relevant on mobile, where typing a postcode or searching for an unfamiliar place can be awkward. Offering a location-based route can remove that extra step and help people get to relevant flood information more directly.
When people are concerned about flooding, finding relevant local information quickly matters. A postcode or place-name search is useful when you know where you are, but it can be harder when you're travelling, outdoors or unfamiliar with the area.
While working with the GOV.UK Check for flooding team, I designed a 'Use my location' option to give people another way to find local flood information, including flood alerts and warnings. This work connects to my wider experience designing flood information services for Defra and GOV.UK.
Why add a 'Use my location' option?
The existing search asked people to enter a town or postcode. That works well when someone knows the name of a nearby place, but adds effort for people who are out walking, travelling or unsure which location to search for. A location-based alternative gives them a more direct route to the relevant flood information.
Designing the location feature
I designed the option as a secondary action alongside the existing search, rather than replacing or competing with it. A familiar location icon helped communicate the action, and a secondary button built with the GOV.UK Prototype Kit made it easy to find within the established search experience.
Keeping both options available matters: people can choose the route that suits their situation, whether that is searching by place name or using their current location.
Testing the design
I used the GOV.UK Prototype Kit to build the interaction in the context of the service and test it through user research. This helped us understand whether people recognised what the location option did and whether it was easy to find without disrupting the familiar town and postcode search.
Related flood information projects
This location feature is one part of making flood information easier to find and understand. See more of my work on the GOV.UK flooding service and river-level information and Defra flood forecasting data.