Working closely with The Combined Authority, we collaborated on redesigning their corporate website. From “do we like it?” product to something which works.
Our strategy focused on understanding any shortcomings within their current website that we could point out to them, with success measured by whether their clients liked or disapproved of it.
A Spotlight on the Combined Authority
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, commonly referred to as ‘The CPCA,’ is an authority created on March 3rd, 2017, that spans Cambridgeshire in East England as well as Peterborough within East of England—governed by one directly-elected Mayor representing both places simultaneously.
The Combined Authority was in search of a partner who could host, manage, and develop their primary corporate website, emphasizing user experience, searchability, and accessibility compliance.
Combined Authority has undertaken this initiative intending to showcase their work, operations, and the impactful projects they’ve undertaken in local and broader communities. Their site was revamped to offer users a web-based platform that was visually attractive and practical, meeting all stakeholders’ and future users’ requirements.
A Proven Track Record
Life 4 Leads has an established history of successfully completing digital projects for both public and private sector organizations.
Together with The Combined Authority, we redeveloped their corporate website from a “do you like this?” product into something which works.
This approach to business was founded upon identifying any weak points on their website that we could point out – as the ultimate measure of success is whether customers liked or disapproved of the site in question.
Together with our client, we demonstrated how decisions based on data such as analytics and audience could result in the most successful website while considering user needs instead of just being designed by humans.
At our firm, our ability to meet your performance requirements and implement data-driven development approaches are testaments of our excellence, and success in meeting goals is evident in everything we do.
Aligning To Client Requirements
At our initial stages in development, we thoroughly understood the Redevelopment of the Combined Authority’s Corporate Website requirements by holding multiple meeting sessions with them throughout.
These meetings were conducted internally at Life 4 Leads’ office and resulted in the creation of an outline for their production timeline, using Monday.com as a project management platform.
Utilizing data, we uncovered the preferences of most website users for the Combined Authority website. The findings were shared with committee members and then used as guidance in planning future communication, access, and engagement of services offered by the Combined Authority.
Through effective planning, execution and delivery we were able to successfully complete each phase of this project with confidence, creating something of lasting quality and lasting durability.
Adding Value Through Change
In our initial conversations and consultation with clients, two issues often surfaced during the consultation: A) search feature and B) access of users to the site.
Q/A testing to examine this issue revealed a high friction and challenging search process when looking for specific documents or information on the website.
At our core is a focus on user experience; therefore, developing the site with search-first thinking in mind was our approach for maximum efficiency and accessibility of information for visitors.
Attaining this goal required rebuilding the library of documents from scratch and redesigning the navigation bar to be smaller and more user-centric, using reverse engineering design principles for navigation bar development. We designed our paper and search system to offer users relevant content before gradually shifting to less pertinent subjects as they became less critical, improving how users could utilize the information available through the website.
Challenge
Recognizing accessibility issues according to WCAG 2.1 conformance standards
Experienced User Journey Designers to improve user journey design for an enhanced user journey experience
Needs
Redesign and revamp our corporate website.
Experience an effortless and refined user journey enhanced by search capabilities.
Results
Silktide gave this site a 91% WCAG 2.0 accessibility score and awarded it an Excellent rating.
Create an engaging new website that’s straightforward to navigate and search-friendly, making the experience of visiting more convenient.
About The Cambridgeshire &
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is a united administration created on March 3, 2017, which covers ceremonial counties within Cambridgeshire in Eastern England.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is led by directly elected Mayors who were democratically selected during May 2017 elections, led by Conservative James Palmer in Peterborough and Liberal Democrat Sarah Copeland in Cambridgeshire, respectively. We aimed to design and develop a modern website solution supporting communication with external stakeholders and disseminating and streamlining information about our combined authority.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority must make clear how its actions make an impact, as well as their benefits – for instance, increasing participation or drawing people towards its site. The website must show this clearly.
Additionally, it will continue hosting Board agendas and meeting calendars in an intuitive fashion that facilitates live streaming of meetings.
After the launch of COVID, it quickly became evident that we needed to speed up our digital marketing integration efforts and find a firm that knew exactly what we needed to be done. Life 4 Leads quickly translated our numerous projects into clean and efficient digital marketing systems for landing pages, website development Forms, and integration with CRM systems and digital processes – their designs were beautiful, and their responsiveness is unparalleled – I don’t think we could have managed our communications and services so efficiently without COVID; now in a position to engage stakeholders effectively moving forward.
Emily Martin is the Head of Communications.
Why Our Process Works
Our approach is heavily design-centric and ensures no time or money is spent designing and coding the websites we build. Furthermore, there’s no risk associated with publishing live websites since there won’t be a live website to publish too!
After our initial discovery phase, we presented the Combined Authority design mock-ups made using Adobe XD that represented our vision for their new corporate site. Next up was constructing and providing them with a staging environment reminiscent of their new corporate site design.
We engaged in more frank conversations about user accessibility and functionality, which led to more honest discussions, positive feedback, and the introduction of changes intended to strengthen these aspects.
Tracking a Positive Return
Accessibility was equally crucial for the Combined Authority website, scoring poorly on WCAG 2.1 standards of compliance.
Partner of Silktide, an industry leader in accessibility for digital devices and WCAG compliance, we were able to use an eye-x-ray and analyze its current state according to WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. Auditing enabled us to find solutions for components that contributed to an unsatisfactory WCAG conformance score on their website.
WCAG 2.1 was designed to enhance accessibility guidelines for three main groups of people: people who have cognitive or learning disabilities, low vision users, and users with disabilities on mobile devices.
Life 4 Leads’ newly designed Corporate website for the Combined Authority received an Accessibility Score of ‘Excellent’ with a 90/100 score – proof that we can uphold the highest standards in WCAG 2.1 accessibility for websites and other digital assets used by public users while adhering to all laws regarding public use assets.
Using Data to Create an Impact
Utilizing software (AHrefs.com, Google Analytics, and Screaming Frog), we were able to demonstrate an ongoing and significant effect on the development and direction of the website for the Combined Authority. Data collection allowed them to make important decisions regarding future content and digital initiatives.
Data-driven decision-making was instrumental in helping the organization make informed choices regarding future content production and digital marketing efforts.
Data analysis has helped us uncover what users of the Combined Authority need and want, giving us an edge to assist you with making data-driven choices for website content development and digital marketing efforts.
We’re as Good as Our Reputation
Customer service has long been recognized as the top priority by Combined Authority directors for communications. Customer satisfaction ranks higher than many other services and delivers top-quality assistance to its users.
We strive to deliver only the best services and care for their digital assets with reverence. When possible, this is our primary standard of service delivery.
Our Company is committed to upholding and promoting professional standards at their highest level. Each employee receives the training and recognition needed to maintain the skills at this high-level standard. The trust placed in us by clients, people we have helped, customers, and others keep pushing us further each time we are put into action.
We’d Love To Hear From You
We would be thrilled to learn about your project. Feel free to reach out! We look forward to speaking with you.
Are You Want to Discover our Services of Web Development, Lead Generation, Branding Design, CRM Platforms, Customer Retention Marketing Consulting, SEO, or Social Media Marketing? Feel free to reach out and contact us – We look forward to speaking with you.