Enhancing Grŵp Cynefin’s Tenant Engagement

ProMo Cymru supported Grŵp Cynefin in revamping their tenant app, ApCynefin, to better meet the needs of their users and enhance tenant engagement.

What was the problem?

Grŵp Cynefin provides a wide range of housing and community-focused services across North Wales and North Powys. They offer diverse housing options, including homes for rent, sheltered housing, extra care facilities, and supported and affordable housing.

Beyond housing, they actively engage in community support through initiatives like community centres, homelessness prevention programs, and community grants. They offer advice on housing, employment, and debt management.

Grŵp Cynefin launched ApCynefin in 2019, aiming to provide tenants with a convenient, one-stop platform for managing their tenancies. While approximately 800 tenants had downloaded the app, regular usage remained low. The app had become outdated, failing to keep pace with technological advancements and lacking appeal. Grŵp Cynefin wanted to transform ApCynefin into a primary communication tool and a user-friendly resource for tenants.

Grŵp Cynefin joined ProMo Cymru’s Digital Service Design Programme, aiming to address these challenges.

Our approach

ProMo Cymru delivers the Digital Service Design Programme to third sector organisations in Wales. Through this programme, organisations receive training, mentoring and guidance to design and develop a new digital service or rethink existing services using the service design methodology. Participants follow the Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver process to find user-focused solutions that make a real difference.

The aim of the course is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to design user-centred digital, accessible services that lead to delivering better outcomes for communities in Wales.

Researching user needs

User research revealed a mix of positive feedback and suggestions for improvement. Key learnings from the research included:

• Login issues and password reset difficulties were significant barriers to accessing and using the app.
• The app was perceived as dated and limited in functionality.
• Tenants appreciated rent balance checks and payment options but found the need to repeatedly enter their address frustrating.
• Maintenance logging was valued, but progress updates and tracking were needed.
• The app received an average rating of 3.63/5.

Making changes in line with feedback

Initially, Grŵp Cynefin thought that any changes to the app would be costly. However, they were pleasantly surprised when they discovered that they could make many changes internally.

They received training from the app provider and implemented changes in the test site, including updating the app’s look to align with the new Grŵp Cynefin brand. They simplified the registration process to make it easier for people to sign up.

To improve the content on the app, they added a News tab which linked back to news section of the Grŵp Cynefin website. They also redesigned the homepage to include more information including tenancy details and summaries of their rent accounts, repairs and contact information.

Grŵp Cynefin plans to implement these changes and gather tenant feedback in 2025.

Outcomes and learning

After testing, the impact of the changes will be assessed. However, the project has already sparked internal discussions and paved the way for larger, long-term improvements.

A key learning from the programme for Grŵp Cynefin is the importance of dedicating time to focus on app improvement. In particular, the staff team learned the value of user-centred design, including asking open questions and considering the tenant’s perspective. A huge plus was the discovery that many changes can be made internally at no additional cost.

A staff member from Grŵp Cynefin stated they learned:

“To not presume that we know what tenants want, to ask open questions and think from user point of view”.

Grŵp Cynefin faced challenges related to timescales and reliance on other departments. They also discovered the complexities of implementing certain features to the app, such as a repairs diagnostics element which would make it easier for tenants to report repairs. They noticed that there is a lot of work that needs to be done first by the maintenance department to sort things out before they can implement this change.

In terms of challenges, they shared that:

“Changes can’t just happen overnight, we must look at things from a business perspective.”

Grŵp Cynefin will launch a new version of the portal in a few month’s time. To avoid duplication of work and to ensure the best use of resources, they have decided to wait for the new version of the portal to implement bigger changes to the app. They hope that this gives them more time to work closer with the tenants to get the app right for them. 

Interested in the power of service design for your organisation?

At ProMo Cymru, we help organisations to design better services with people using a service design methodology. Our approach combines our experience in youth work, community organising, co-design, and cultural engagement.

Grŵp Cynefin was one of six third-sector organisations that attended the 2024 cohort of the Digital Service Design Programme. Thanks to funding through the National Lottery Community Fund for the Third Sector Digital Support project, ProMo Cymru were able to offer each participating organisation £4,800 remuneration to contribute towards staff time and resources for the 7-month course.