Un­lock­ing the Full Po­ten­tial of a Web­site Re­design Pro­ject

The Challenge

Optimising for the Digital Space to Increase Reach & Impact

ECNL was on the threshold of a major organisational transformation when they contacted us to revamp their website. They had just relocated their office to the Netherlands and they were about to expand their team and presence. They wanted their website to better reflect their organisation, and also to enhance the visibility of their work. 

They were clearly experts of their own domain: committed, enthusiastic and hard-working. Most importantly, they were also aware of their limitations, and were willing to revise their approach in order to improve how they communicate about their work and achievements.

Our team was very excited about the opportunity. We submitted our proposal to be their partner on this journey, and offered our expertise, commitment and transparency to bring their online presence to the next level. It all started in the spring of 2020, and - much to our pleasure -  we are still on this path together and we are happy to share what we accomplished and learnt so far.
 

The Solution

Enhancing the Benefits of Multidisciplinary Collaboration

We believe that the process is just as important as the outcome, and the best way to do something is to work together as one team towards one vision. ECNL’s team liked our approach, and involved us in shaping their overall online communication. They actively shared their objectives and priorities and were not only open to our ideas, but they were willing to reconsider their existing practices and shift their perspective when needed. 

Based on our shared curiosity to explore new paths, and on the mutual respect of each other's expertise, we established a long-term partnership in which both of us can strengthen our impact.

Content Outline

Creating the Website with the Target-Audience in Mind

ECNL had long been striving to publish more engaging content with publishing more engaging and comprehensible content. They were conscious, consistent and successful in making legal language more straightforward; nevertheless, they encountered difficulties when addressing a topic from the readers’ (the users’) perspective. 

We spent a lot of time on restructuring and reprioritising their content. It started with the creation of a clear and intuitive navigation, but we had many back-and-forth on how to outline and organise content within a page when everything seemed to be important.  

It was an inspiring experience trying to find the balance between being  informative and still not overcrowding the website. This process was also necessary to create a solid foundation for engaging user interfaces.

Rebranding & Website Design

Shaping Visual Experiences for Enhanced Perception  

What to do with profound legal materials to make them catchier and easier to understand? That was the major dilemma that we had to figure out together. As there was no imagery available, it was a day-to-day difficulty for website editors to find adequate photos to illustrate the website content. We decided to go with a careful selection of photos to illustrate focus areas, but predominantly, we still let the layout and the bold, vivid colours bring the content into life. 

Building on ECNL's refreshed branding, we managed to create a website design which reflects ECNL’s spirit and their broad spectrum of expertise, and at the same time, let their target audience easily navigate through a variety of useful resources. 

Website Development

Delivering a Sustainable, Cost-effective and Scalable Solution

When someone reaches out to us with a project idea, we first have to decide whether the scope and objectives can be realised with Drupal in a cost-efficient and sustainable way. ECNL’s website was certainly one that could make use of Drupal’s modularity, customisation potential, built-in SEO, and great integration capabilities. 

Providing the ECNL team with a straightforward, easy-to-use editorial interface was also a priority. They really wanted to improve their online presence but were concerned that the management of the website will remain an ongoing struggle. 

As ECNL remained an active participant during the development phase and shared all their positive feedbacks and concerns while they were familiarising themselves with the system, we could adapt the platform to their exact needs. 

Growth

Building an engaging, successful website is not a one-time thing

It was years ago when the new website went live. However, as ECNL’s online communication and knowledge sharing activities have been expanding, we have implemented many new features during the past few years. We introduced new content types tailored to profound online publications and altered some design elements in order to give space to the amazing illustrations ECNL's team has started to create themselves.  

Since then, we have restructured and redesigned the website of a collaborative international research project (CSO Meter) that assesses the civil society environment in the Eastern Partnership countries. Further to this, we have launched ECNL’s own learning platform that offers videos, explainers and readings on critical aspects that affect civic space. 

Having an engaging, successful website is not a one-time thing and requires continuous care both from editorial staff and developers. ECNL’s ongoing cooperation enables their website to grow and flourish continuously.

Summary

For us, design is the process of creating impactful solutions together

Throughout the design process, we seek to understand the whole package. This includes users' needs, goals, and frustrations as well as all the potential and constraints in the ways the organisation itself operates. But we don’t and cannot get this work done in a bubble. 

We have been in close collaboration with ECNL’s team and managed to deliver a platform that is engaging, easy to use and viable in the long run.

Our contribution