Climate change doesn’t care what you think
Helping people find information to take action

But the actions you take in response to climate change do matter

That was the business need facing what is now the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water (DCCEEW).

The Net Zero Plan is the foundation of action on climate change for NSW. To reach the target of net zero by 2050, the government needed a very effective digital presence.

The Net Zero digital ecosystem needed to play a pivotal role in empowering the people, communities and businesses of NSW to take collective action to reduce carbon emissions.

The problem was – if you were a consumer, business or corporate user trying to take action – you were faced with a choice of these three websites all covering only one element of the big picture.

Where to go? What to do?

We all know that too many choices can prevent us from taking action. These legacy government websites had all arisen for good reasons in their time. Still, now their very existence was hampering the government’s goal of clarifying our current situation and the urgent need to take action on climate change.

A need for clarity and unity

When the DCCEEW approached us for help, we said yes straight away. It was an easy decision because we work across three impact areas, which are all affected by climate change:

• Health & Wellbeing
• Empowering People
• Sustainable Futures.

We applied our research and strategy skills to uncover powerful insights from a wide range of internal and external audience groups in NSW. Looking closely at the three existing websites, we analysed what was valuable and worth retaining in one unified site.

We consulted with communities of interest and found ways to harmonise their needs for quality information relevant to them.

From a strong position of understanding, we were able to offer a clear user experience (UX) based on the new website’s information architecture (IA).

We validated our concept with audience groups before translating this into the visual design. We used existing patterns and elements from the NSW Digital Design System for efficiency in the design and build of the site.

The end result of our human-centred design research and skills in branding and communications was exactly what DCCEEW needed:

• a new website
• a new URL (energy.nsw.gov.au)
• a new name (NSW Climate and Energy Action)
• and a new unified net zero message:

Working together to reduce emissions

A community acting together makes all the difference

The new website allows anyone in NSW to find information about climate and energy. It is a customer-centric view to meet the diverse needs of the people of NSW. It structures the information flow around households, business and industry, and government and local organisations.

The value of the fresh approach is to prioritise action.

Now our community can easily find both information and ways to do something positive about reducing carbon emissions, with clear signposts like these:

• Ways to get started
• Stories of success
• Guides
• Programs, grants and schemes.

Anyone can find and access the initiatives and resources available from the NSW Government under the Net Zero Plan.

There’s no excuse for inaction.

We will continue to support efforts to create a sustainable future by empowering people.

Remember, climate change doesn’t care about your opinions, but your actions can and do have an impact.

Explore the NSW Climate and Energy Action website here.