CollegesWales believes that every learner deserves world-class education provided in a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment, and that the educational sector should support the broader community, employers, and the economy. CollegesWales is an educational charity dedicated to enhancing the benefits of further education in Wales, and it was time for their website to reflect that.
Since the previous website redevelopment in 2017, CollegesWales (ColegauCymru) faced persistent issues with their bespoke CMS. The system, a complex blend of custom PHP and hardcoded elements, made daily content uploads both complicated and time-consuming. Simple site modifications required constant assistance from their previous agency, leading to escalating costs and delays.
Additionally, the existing website layout lacked compatibility across various devices, which led to a poor user experience for mobile and tablet users. The ticketing system was equally problematic, proving to be cumbersome and inefficient. These challenges collectively hindered CollegesWales’ ability to effectively manage and update the website, necessitating an innovative solution to streamline operations and enhance usability.
To address the challenges CollegesWales faced, we designed a bespoke website UI and UX that adhered to their branding guidelines, while also streamlining content management and cross-device usability. The selected content management system (CMS) replaced the complicated and restrictive CMS with an intuitive, user-friendly content management system, simplifying daily content uploads and updates. This eliminated the need for constant reliance on external agencies, reducing costs and delays.
We also created a multi-site architecture, which provided separate sub-domains for the International and Sports sections of the organisation. These sub-sites maintained a consistent layout for a cohesive user experience but utilised different colour schemes to help users easily identify their location within the website. Additionally, the website was designed to be fully responsive, ensuring compatibility across all devices. To comply with the Welsh Language Standards, the site was developed to be fully multilingual, providing seamless navigation in both English and Welsh. This bespoke approach ensured that CollegesWales could efficiently manage their online presence while delivering an inclusive and accessible experience for all users.
We continue to support CollegesWales via one of our website support plans as they continually develop the website based on user-feedback, trends, and data.
The website undergoes regular updates, introducing new features aimed at enhancing the website’s functionality and user experience. Stay tuned for these updates!
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Bob Amser
