About
Overview
CABI is a not-for-profit science-based development and information organization. They provide information and scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture, veterinary medicine, human health and the environment. Their VetMed resource is an information database that allows practitioners to engage with peer reviewed literature ensuring that their practice is backed up by the latest methodologies and research.
Goal
To redevelop CABI’s VetMed Resource from a product aimed at universities into one that could be targeted to veterinary practitioners. In order to turn the VetMed resource into a product that professional individual vets and practices would purchase, the user experience needed to be vastly improved and a new optimised system was required.
Our Approach
Through a number of stakeholder engagement workshops we identified the need to focus on veterinary professionals as the key audience. User testing revealed categorising by discipline rather than content type greatly improved usability. We extensively wireframed the website, starting first with sketches to work out the rough layout and elements required, then progressing to wireframes and iterating progressively from low fi wireframes all the way to a completely interactive prototype. Differing opinions within the stakeholder group regarding the primary navigation led us to engage in a round of usability testing using to determine the correct solution. We carefully created a visual language to be used throughout the site. A few simple rules were developed for the use of colour and iconography which created a very clean look and feel, uncluttered, with a clear division between article based content and the navigational devices. The desktop version of the website was tailored for searching a large database of nearly 1.4 million documents. The nature of the faceted filtering mechanism meant that a responsive layout for mobile devices was not appropriate, so we instead designed a completely tailored mobile interface, basing the user experience on the likely contextual requirements of the key audiences.
Modular provided the following services:
Discovery and Planning
- Digital Consultancy
- Stakeholder Workshops
- Audience Research
- Audience Segmentation
- User Journey
- Task Modelling
- Competitor Analysis
- Information Architecture
Design
- User Experience Design
- Visual User Interface Design
- Mobile Interface
Implementation
- Interactive Prototype
- HTML Interface Build
- Pattern Library
Find out more about our methodology and how we approach different projects.
Outcome
There was a 60% increase in engagement post-launch. We produced a well considered and robust user interface which was later extended across CABI’s extensive portfolio of online products. Modular have built up a lasting relationship with CABI, continuing to design campaign websites and constructing a pattern library for the continued development of their digital portfolio.
Visit: www.cabi.org/vetmedresource/
What CABI say
We’ve worked with Modular for several years on multiple projects and they have provided us with a thoroughly professional and reliable advice and development that has stood the test of time.
Chris Parker – IT Development Manager, CABI
Modular provided a range of very insightful content and strategy workshops followed by the redesign of our website and a full cycle of usability assessments. Since then we have been repeat customers for several more successful large digital projects. We have always found Modular very personable as well as very willing to understand our problems, helping us to find the best possible solutions for our requirements.
Cristina Ashby – Head of Publishing Platforms, CABI
If you’re an entrepreneur, digital pioneer or start up business with a great idea, Modular can help you realise it.
We love to design cool digital things, let us design them for you!
Call us: 0117 3701478
Or email: studio@thisismodular.co.uk
