SWYP NHS Foundation Trust Health and Wellbeing Websites
Development of health and wellbeing engagement websites for Barnsley, Calderdale and Kirklees and Wakefield Recovery Colleges
New Recovery College Websites
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust needed new websites for its recovery colleges in Calderdale, Kirklees, Wakefield and Barnsley.
Recovery colleges play a vital role in the community, supporting people with mental and physical health difficulties. They help people self-manage their conditions through personal development and learning. The courses themselves are co-designed by people with lived experiences of ill health in collaboration with skilled health professionals.
The Trust wanted the new websites to raise the profile and awareness of the colleges, increase ease of enrolment and improve access to support resources.
Health and Wellbeing Engagement
We knew we needed to effectively portray the friendly, supportive nature of the recovery colleges and we chose a bright and engaging colour palette to underpin the design.
To establish the approachable, welcoming look and feel, we suggested the approach should be simple and direct:
Target Audience
Align with the target audience: through use of actual client imagery and local context.
Adressing Needs
Address the main needs of the users by presenting their top needs on the homepage to jump to content of high importance to the client.
Consistent Presentation
Ensure easy consistent access to sister websites and social channels.
Localisation
Being mindful to convey the local nature of the recovery colleges in the design, we created montages of local landmarks for use in banner areas as well as custom illustrations of the distinctive college buildings that local communities can identify with.
A clear, uncluttered navigation was implemented on the new websites and all primary calls to action feature bespoke iconography which further enhances the look and feel, as well as aiding navigation for citizens of different backgrounds
Configuration
Underpinning the development is the WordPress Content Management System (CMS). We’re experts with WordPress and used our expertise to deploy and configure the platform to optimise ease of use and resilience.
The colleges are now able to promote an online prospectus with enrolment options, publish news and blog articles and advertise volunteering opportunities.
The Trust can also use the new websites to showcase testimonials and success stories to inspire and give hope to people trying to manage their own health challenges.
We host and maintain the new websites on behalf of the Trust using our reliable hosting infrastructure in a Tier 3 datacentre.
The Results
The new websites clearly communicate what the recovery colleagues are about and provide an attractive shop window into their work, what they have to offer and how to enrol.