As a pre-approved supplier to the UK government and local authorities we are able to react faster to their needs. without complex procurement processes. This is also great news for our clients outside of the public sector, who will benefit from the same level of professionalism and expertise.
Background
Cambridge County Council needed to update their dated and slow websites and upgrade to a more stable and reliable hosting solution.
Most significantly, they needed a website that was optimised for the user, with a simpler user experience and easier access to core information and transactions.
They were aware of our work with Peterborough City Council and concluded that we were best placed to undertake an end to end, citizen-facing digital transformation.
The goal was to create a secure platform that was so easy to use and navigate that the council saw a decrease in calls to their help centre and to simplify and streamline their internal communications.
We needed to create a digital front door to Cambridge County Council.
View site
Simple and Intuitive Dynamic Forms
We built innovative forms that reduced the internal time spent processing queries, saving the council time and money while increasing efficiency.
A Powerful Search Function
Whilst simplifying the user experience of the site,
The mass of the information architecture hosted on the website highlighted the importance of a sophisticated search capability. We replaced their current search which was powered by Google as it was inaccurate and results were not manageable or controlled by the Council.
We built a search function that utilises a vast linguistic database to identify misspellings, synonyms and abbreviations. It also caters for Cambridgeshires diverse population by translating queries entered in foreign languages.
some key features
- Handcrafted
Icons - Abreviation
Search - Promoted Results
Order - External Links in
Results
A User-Friendly, Level Based Navigation
When you navigate the Cambridge County Council website you are never more than one click away from the top level to restart your journey.
The site uses big data to reorder the results based on how users are interacting with the site. As a result, the most popular pages in any set time period appear higher up on the navigation structure.
These changes transformed the site from a platform upon which information was difficult to locate, to an intuitive solution that is able to predict the next step of a user's journey through big data and machine learning.
Creating and Migrating Subdomains
When we took on the project with Cambridge County Council, there were a number of microsites supporting the council sites - sites belonging to government organisations such as Adult Learning and Road Management. We were tasked to find a solution that would move these from independently hosted and managed sites to a solution that would be easier to manage and control.
We built a number of microsites that are manageable from the same content management setup which use the same tools and share secure hosting and site infrastructure. The central management system simplified the internal processes for updating these sites, and management accounts allow the council to set different users varying levels of access.
sub domains that we've worked on
A Centralised Intranet Platform
Our bespoke intranet platform has simplified their internal communications. The platform is only accessible from within the council’s network or via a VPN.
A Dedicated Mobile Website
The sheer volume of information and the importance of a seamless mobile experience
meant that a responsive site design was not an option for Cambridge County Council – instead, we created a dedicated mobile website.
The search results and navigation are optimised for mobile users, and all the content from the desktop site is accessible. Although structured differently.
The result is a mobile website that allows the user to complete a transaction or form without the need for a desktop computer. The dedicated environment ensures that the mobile site is fast and easy to use.
