Finding an agency that can ‘just’ build a website may not be enough for an ambitious enterprise. Somerset Skills & Learning realised this as they started searching for the right partner. What they wanted was an agency that could analyse and make sense of their multiple customer personas, map their journeys and bundle it into a bespoke website brimful of technical expertise and robust integration. What SS&L needed was an agency they could trust implicitly.
SS&L have multiple customer personas (14 in fact) and it was vital that the new website catered for all their needs. Understanding how visitors used the existing SS&L website was our starting point. Studying Google Analytics and working closely with the SS&L team, we segmented the personas into four key user groups before mapping a unique journey for each one – a journey that would intuitively guide the user through the website.
Understanding the needs of the user allows you to plan their website journey and help them find what they need as quickly and painlessly as possible. We designed the optimum UX (user experience) for each Somerset Skills & Learning user group, focusing closely on the key steps and elements needed to get them to their individual end point. Good UX doesn’t just make the journey quick and smooth; done well it becomes an informative and trusted experience, which in turn builds credibility and brand confidence.
Our analytics revealed that, historically, three of the four user groups viewed the SS&L website on a mobile phone. So as we started to visualise the new website, we made the decision to design the mobile and desktop versions in parallel with each other. This detailed pre-planning meant we could develop the best UX for all users and simultaneously cater for their preferred platform.
SS&L course details are pulled in from a specialist third party system. We brought our technical skills to the fore, using the system API to seamlessly integrate with the new WordPress website. This ‘digital bridging’ is the lifeblood of SS&L; vital system & information updates instantly and automatically migrate to the website. This skilful integration delivers benefits beyond robust technical systems. Within a month of going live the new website reduced the amount of time staff were having to spend inputting data by 50%.
Hefty investment dictates positive returns and SS&L got them! A user friendly bespoke website, a confident evolution of their brand and a competitive re-positioning of their commercial intent were just the beginning: cue the positives… The stats opposite and below were within the first month of going live compared to the same period the year before.
Dave West, Head of Marketing & Employer Engagement, Somerset Skills & Learning
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