Context
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) is the professional body for the management and development of people in the UK. It is responsible for the professional qualifications of the personnel profession, providing training and support. The CIPD website is an important information resource for over 124,000 CIPD members and other human resourcing professionals.
Challenge
The business objectives in redesigning the CIPD website were to serve its existing members and increase membership numbers – as well as generating revenue through events, courses, products and services.
Solution
We consulted on information architecture, user experience and change management issues to ensure that the relaunch met its objectives. Our redevelopment prioritised usability and accessibility in the construction of a framework for over 50,000 pages of content. Improved navigation and search, along with enhanced online community spaces, make the website more interactive. We implemented Microsoft .NET technologies Content Management Server and Commerce Server to boost content management and ecommerce functions – extending the functionality of Commerce Server to personalise the user experience.
Outcome
The redesigned CIPD website enables the institute to interpret and respond to its members’ requirements effectively; its search engine ranking has improved dramatically. Reports from third-party web analytics specialists show user sessions rising year-on-year; postings on the CIPD’s new online discussion boards exceed their projected targets. The site won Best Website at the MemCom Conference and Communication Awards 2004 and has just celebrated its 100,000th online member registration.