Transforming Elmbridge Borough Council
Customer success case study
Empowering Elmbridge Borough Council through digital transformation with LocalGov Drupal
Elmbridge Borough Council (EBC) required a modern, accessible and robust website, to accelerate their digital transformation, and provide easy access to information, optimising user experience.
We supported EBC to design, build and develop a new website on the LocalGov Drupal (LGD) platform, making use of the templates and modules available, and building additional functionality and tailoring as required. Training sessions were provided to the existing team to edit the website, whilst providing maintenance, support and hosting for the duration of the project.
The redevelopment was based on the feedback and data gathered throughout the different stages of the project.
Project challenges
- Due to some inaccessible content, design issues and functionality issues, EBC’s original website wasn’t offering the best experience for residents.
- The website’s performance on mobile devices didn’t provide an optimal user experience.
- Some of the terminology and language used throughout the website required modernisation to enable residents to easily locate information.
- EBC felt that the website didn’t reflect and represent their brand effectively.
- Search functionality was not producing accurate results, meaning users were left frustrated.
- Some mobile device users found that the site wasn’t responsive when trying to access the services.
- The original website was unreliable, with frequent downtime, poor performance and loading time.
Project scope and processes
The project was split into 3 phases to make sure the new website delivered and optimised user experience, whilst meeting GDS and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Discovery and strategy
This phase ensured that the EBC team understood what their users wanted from the platform and their priorities and how they wished to engage with the Council. The designs and new Information Architecture for the site were based on qualitative and quantitative data rather than assumptions.
- The Invuse team examined the original site and conducted a thorough audit and analytical assessment.
- Hosting 7+ end user interviews allowed the team to pinpoint the challenges and frustrations.
- We engaged with 25+ different stakeholders and groups of end users to identify key challenges and requirements for the new LGD site.
- Gathering feedback from 35+ users through surveys, helped establish the necessary improvements.
- The data and feedback that was captured formulated a list of key requirements and recommendations.
- The Information Architecture of the current site was analysed, and a GAP analysis report created and used to define the criteria for success.
Alpha
Additionally, this also offered a chance to evaluate the accessibility and test best practices across the content and the overall configuration of the newly created LGD environment, allowing usto customise content/design workshops for the next phase.
- Invuse conducted a review of the existing EBC content and gathered feedback on the user experience
to inform practical recommendations to improve current and future content creation. - We worked with EBC to design and iterate the look and feel of their new website, ensuring that their brand identity shone through.
- Utilising the LGD platform, we customised templates and features in order to meet end user needs and
develop a website that reflect the needs of the residents of Elmbridge. - Our experts delivered in-depth, personalised Content Accessibility training to upskill EBC’s teams, ensuring consistent, optimised and accessible creation at launch and in the future.
Beta
The purpose of the Beta phase was to complete comprehensive user testing, involving a wide variety of stakeholders and end users. This phase allowed us to collect feedback on areas that needed improvement before the official launch of the website.
- A thorough accessibility review was carried out to check the newly developed platform meets the WCAG 2.1 AA standards and compliance.
- The Invuse team supported the rewriting of 2 sections – ‘Council Tax’ and ‘Environment and Planning’. This was for EBC to use as examples for the rest of their content migration to the new LGD site.
The results achieved for Elmbridge
- In just 6 months, we were able to provide an accessible and user centric website which represented the identity of EBC.
- The task success rate on the site increased by 25% and the time spent on completing the task was reduced by 1 minute 15 seconds.
- We audited EBC’s website and content to ensure it was up to Government Digital Service (GDS) standards for accessibility, facilitating WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.
- The new LGD website now operates with optimal performance, loading content more swiftly and providing a fully responsive user experience regardless of the device being used.
- There was a 45% increase of users directly using search to find relevant information.
- Our user research and stakeholder engagement centred approach ensured that EBC’s new website prioritises a practical, adaptable, and user-centric experience.
- EBC are benefiting from our Continuous Improvement Plan, ensuring that the council continues to build on the success of the launch, by measuring defined KPIs, website insights and accessibility each quarter.
- We also provided EBC with a 30-day support period post launch and ongoing Account Management that offers assistance for the customers needs.
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Project summary and feedback
Working as one team across EBC and Invuse, we collaborated closely to identify and address the challenges EBC were looking to overcome throughout the course of the project. Our dedicated focus on user research-driven design and development coupled with our extensive knowledge and experience working with councils meant our understanding of their processes and challenges, were key factors that led to our selection as the preferred supplier during the procurement process.
Emma and the Elmbridge team understood the importance of best practices and meeting their users’ needs so user research was the driving force for their new website. It was a pleasure collaborating with Elmbridge, everyone was invested, striving to meet their end goal.
