A long-overdue website overhaul that makes it easy for the public to access vital information, integrates with external NHS services and is a dream for editors to maintain.
Delivered at a vital time during the pandemic, our team did everything they could to take the burden off staff and stakeholders, and delivered this exemplar website on-time and within budget.
In-depth discussions, legacy systems, immoveable deadlines, but with a clear vision for success
Originally built on a bespoke Coldfusion platform tightly coupled with a staff Intranet, the existing site was a challenge to migrate. We took a hybrid approach of database exports and front-end scraping to retrieve all content and assets required to bring into Umbraco.
Working with SevenFive Creative we led discovery sessions with all key user groups, audited the existing website content and used the results to build a site that would prioritise information and provide clear user journeys.
Handling a large content repository by building advanced search functions within the site helps users access deep information quickly.
In September 2020, it became a legal requirement that all public sector websites to be WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. Fortunately we were already experts.
The NHS Fife website was designed not only to meet but exceed these requirements, not only on a design or technical level, with additional support provided for writing clear content for the web.
Initially appointed in December 2019, Factory had to move fast to meet the end of March deadline we were set.
By running effective scoping and planning workshops in January, we were able to quickly gather all requirements and surface any potential blockers for further into the project.
We worked in parallel with the designers at SevenFive, building what we could while the look-and-feel was being developed. It was in the final month that design and build came together, and we delivered a fully-working CMS platform on deadline.
While our deadline was met, we were all aware content was going to take some time to complete before the site could be made live.
We knew there was a need to get clear information out to users quickly, and that the existing site was not fit for purpose. By offering to re-deploy some of what we had developed early in the project, we were able to launch a Coronavirus Microsite by late March which became the main outlet for health information in the region.
We made every effort to be proactive and to support our client while they were dealing with their responsibilities under the pandemic. By ensuring there were no issues in delivery we hope we helped their workload just a little.
The microsite, and the new website have been vital tools in the spread of reliable and up-to-date information relating to Covid-19 and has radically improved NHS communications within the community.
A key requirement was that the website should comply with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. More than just a box-ticking exercise, we always strive to deliver a site that in many areas exceeds these requirements.
The design ensured all key accessibility measures were included. Text size, colour contrast, button spacing and the behind-the-scenes technical implementation.
We also incorporated Userway’s accessibility technology which is the world’s most advanced AI-powered accessibility compliance solution. This provides additional options in contrast and colour combinations, that may not be supported by a client browser.
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We do a lot of great work within the public sector. Here is a selection of recent ones that we feel illustrate what we do.
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