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Science & technology
Bespoke website development & design
The Rosalind Franklin Institute (the Franklin) is a brand new Oxfordshire-based research facility dedicated to transforming life science through their research and technological development. They required an online presence that would attract and encourage scientists to work in their new facility.
https://www.rfi.ac.uk/
Laura Holland - Director of Communications
Rosalind Franklin Institute
The bespoke website reflects the new brand and provides a simple user journey.
Integration with a third-party system (Hireserve) provides a seamless user experience.
A customised content management system allows even non-technical staff at the Franklin to easily manage the website.
Customer challenges
As a new facility, the Franklin had no web presence or platform from which to tell people about the opportunities they had to offer. They had very few ways to engage their target audience and nowhere for scientists to find out more about who they were, what they could offer and how to apply to work with them.
Despite having no online presence, the Franklin did have a third-party system to manage the applications from scientists who wanted to use the facility. However, they had nowhere to promote it.
Finally, the Franklin also needed to further develop their new branding to appeal to their key stakeholders and create an identity for their new facility.
The brief
The Franklin wanted a website designed to showcase their new facility and appeal to their target audience. They needed a place where they could post their latest developments and promote the facility and its key objectives. They wanted somewhere to add news and have the ability to change content easily.
Finally, they needed to integrate the website with their existing third-party application system, which managed their online applications from scientists wanting to work at the facility.
The Franklin realised that this would take time, and were keen to have something in place in the meantime. They required an interim solution that could be developed quickly to promote their research facilities in the short-term. An interim website would allow potential scientists to find out more about the Franklin and what they can offer while their main site was being developed.
The solution
Interim site
Like with all clients, we started with a kick-off meeting at our Oxford office. This gave us the opportunity to map out and understand what the Franklin were trying to achieve. This included everything from what pages and functionality they needed, to what colour schemes would be used. Although they’d already had some branding work done, we designed colour schemes to help adapt it for online use. This was presented using mood boards for feedback, then adapted accordingly. They were then incorporated into our proposed designs.
The main objective was to get something up quickly, but that was still in keeping with their brand. Our ready-to-use custom website templates, built in WordPress, offered a dynamic framework that could be moulded to fit the Franklin’s requirements. It provided them with a branded website that could display all the information they needed. They could effectively post news and information, whilst maintaining simple navigation for visitors and providing a good user experience.
With the interim site in place, they could start promoting the facility and receiving enquiries from interested scientists while we started work on the main site.
Fully bespoke website
Branding & web design
A simple on-brand moving image at the top of the homepage engages new visitors, whilst a multi-tiered menu has improved navigation, allowing visitors to easily find what they are looking for.
Integration
The website includes a link through to their existing third-party web-based system (Hireserve) that manages their online application process. A simple user journey has been added from the main site through to the sign-on function of the third party application. These integrated pages have the same look and feel of the rest of the site, even though it is third-party software, providing a seamless user experience from start to finish.
Newsletter sign-up
Visitors can now sign up for the newsletter via the website. This helps them to stay up-to-date with news and events at the Franklin. Visitors enter their details, which are automatically transferred into the Franklin’s email subscription list. Automated confirmation emails are sent and checked against a suppression list in line with GDPR.
Hosting & support with Alberon
From the start of the project build, we hosted their website on our dedicated servers, along with their staging and development sites. Following the completion of the project, the support team took over responsibility for ensuring its longevity. Their focus was and continues to be, on keeping the website secure and maintaining its quality with regular updates.
By having an Alberon Hosting and Support package, when the Franklin team need support, they have a team of experts on hand to help. They also regularly monitor the website to make sure it continues to perform.
The benefits
The Franklin are delighted with both the websites we made for them. Like-minded people can now find news, social media and other information relating to the facility. Scientists can inquire about projects, find out about the facilities available at the Franklin, and even apply for roles with their research and technological work.
Our collaborative approach allowed the Franklin to clearly communicate their core objectives. We got a good understanding of who they are as an organisation and what they are trying to achieve. It also meant they remained updated throughout the project. We were in constant contact from the start of the process, regularly updating them throughout. This included using interactive designs of the website, regular contact with the project manager and kick-off meetings early in the process.
Tim Ault
Business Development Director
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