The Solution: We identified that objective decision-making criteria often precede subjective decision-making criteria when moving to a new, unfamiliar area. Where are the best schools, lowest crime rates, best transport links and commuter routes, most accessible healthcare provision etc?  We designed and built an intuitive relocation app which answered these key questions and helped HSBC’s employees discover the right property and areas for them. Focused on a 50-mile search radius around Birmingham city centre, users could search for all relevant sale and rental properties through an integration with the Zoopla API. The Government’s Index of Deprivation looks at crime and health across the area, among other factors. We integrated this data to help users filter out areas that do not meet their requirements. Integration of the Government’s Edubase database helped users to further filter areas by suitable criteria for their children’s education. Living standard data and details of specified commutes were also added to the property view. Having found suitable areas, users could access a wealth of softer information about what each area had to offer – food and drink, shopping, culture, sport and leisure, nightlife, music and more.

The Result: The site had huge uptake among HSBC employees who gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about how it had helped them with their move, and made a potentially stressful time feel easy and exciting. We were asked to create a mobile app version of the site to allow closed-wall access to employees of other businesses expanding into - or relocating to - Birmingham.