Finding missing family at the Red Cross

What is 'International Family Tracing'?

Family tracing is a long-standing service within the Red Cross movement, reconnecting families separated by conflict, disaster, or migration. With growing demand and long waiting lists, the service needed to find a way to build efficiency without losing compassion and care. This project also served as the flagship initiative for the new digital transformation team, piloting a fresh approach within the British Red Cross's refugee services.

Problem: Huge waiting lists caused by a high-volume of low quality referrals

The three-week discovery phase aimed to identify inefficiencies in the family tracing service through desk research, expert interviews, and casework shadowing. Key issues included long waiting lists, users attending interviews without clear understanding, and unnecessary recounting of traumatic events. In 2019, 895 out of 2,713 interviews were found to be unnecessary or could have been shorter.

"Clients are coming to interviews and they don't know why they are there, aren't eligible for our service, or don't need a full-length service." - caseworker

Ideation

I ran ideation sessions with caseworkers and senior stakeholders, where we determined that the most significant impact could be made by changing the referral process. By identifying early on who we couldn’t help, we reduced time spent on unsuitable cases and avoided raising false expectations for vulnerable people. This streamlined the process, allowing us to focus on those we could truly support.

Prototyping from low, to high fidelity

I prototyped a new online referral pathway, starting with sketches, moving to Figma prototypes, and eventually developing a coded version. At each stage, I tested the design—first with caseworkers, then with referrers like social workers, and finally with service users who might refer themselves. I spent a week with the Sheffield team testing and iterating the service to refine the experience and ensure it met users' needs.