Understanding the challenge
The Big Issue has spent decades highlighting the root causes of poverty and advocating for systemic change.
Through its Big Futures campaign, the organisation was seeking support for Lord Bird's Future Generations Bill, which aimed to encourage policymakers to consider the long-term consequences of their decisions and create a fairer future for generations to come.
The challenge was clear.
Supporters needed an easy way to demonstrate support for the bill and encourage their MPs to back it. At the same time, the tool had to be delivered before the bill was presented in the House of Lords, leaving only two weeks to define requirements, design the experience, and build the platform.
Every decision had to prioritise speed, simplicity, and impact.
Designing for action
Campaign tools succeed when they remove barriers between intention and action.
Working closely with The Big Issue team, we identified the simplest possible journey that would allow supporters to engage with the campaign and contact their elected representatives.
Rather than overwhelming users with information or multiple calls to action, we focused the experience around a single objective: helping people contact their MP.
The homepage immediately surfaced the campaign's key message and guided users into the action flow. By entering their postcode, users could identify their local MP and send a pre-written email drafted by The Big Issue.
For those who wanted a more personal approach, the email could also be customised before being sent.
The result was a straightforward user journey designed to maximise participation.Delivering at campaign speed
With only two weeks available, the project required a highly pragmatic delivery approach.
Rather than attempting to build a highly customised platform, we focused on creating a solution that was "good enough for now and safe enough to try", allowing us to move quickly while still delivering a high-quality user experience.
Using our internal starter framework, we rapidly established the WordPress infrastructure required for both content management and front-end delivery. This significantly reduced setup time and allowed the team to focus on user experience, branding, and campaign functionality.
Working iteratively with stakeholders throughout the project ensured decisions could be made quickly without compromising campaign objectives.
Technical implementation
The platform was built using WordPress and our internal starter framework, allowing us to accelerate development and meet an immovable deadline.
The user journey centred around postcode lookup functionality, enabling users to identify their local MP and take action in just a few steps.
The Big Futures campaign branding was applied throughout the experience to create a cohesive and recognisable campaign identity, while keeping the interface lightweight and accessible across devices.
The emphasis throughout was on reliability, speed, and ease of use.Outcome and impact
The platform provided The Big Issue with a focused digital campaigning tool capable of mobilising supporters at a critical moment in the legislative process.
By simplifying the process of contacting MPs and reducing friction wherever possible, the platform helped transform public support into direct political engagement.
Most importantly, the project demonstrated how effective digital tools do not need to be complex. When designed around a clear objective and delivered quickly, they can play a valuable role in helping organisations influence policy and drive meaningful social change.