HFEA unveils new audience-centred website

May 2008

An estimated one in seven couples has difficulty conceiving, and in the UK around one baby in 80 is born as a result of IVF treatment. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) needed to shift the focus of its website to cater for this ever-increasing audience, as well as ensure 100% stability at times of peak traffic.

It chose usability consultancy from Bunnyfoot Universality, strategic thinking, digital communications and brand communications experts Precedent, and RedDot CMS and LiveServer from global enterprise content management solutions provider, RedDot.

HFEA is now benefiting from an engaging, accessible web site and a 30% increase in visitors.

About HFEA

Created in 1991, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is a statutory body that licenses and monitors UK clinics offering in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and donor insemination (DI) treatments. The organisation also oversees all UK-based research into human embryos and regulates the storage of eggs, sperm and embryos.

Keeping abreast of developments in the field of embryo research is therefore key to HFEA’s work as it is responsible for disseminating this information to patients, donors and clinics. As a result, the organisation’s web site is a vital channel for engaging with all interested parties.

Challenge

Due to the nature of its work, HFEA’s web site needs to contain a large amount of research/regulatory documentation and data — the site has more than 1,000 pages.

However, striking a balance between acting as a reference repository for clinics and an accessible information portal for the general public was proving difficult for the organisation.

It was also encountering problems with the stability of the website, particularly when it released the annual ‘HFEA Guide to Infertility’ for download. This launch generates an enormous amount of additional site traffic — thousands of visitors every hour — and the existing site was incapable of coping with the increased demand.

Aware that its website took more of an academic-focused approach, and was therefore failing to fully address the needs of its patients, HFEA appointed a usability company to conduct a detailed site review and propose a revised information architecture. HFEA staff also began searching for a new content management system to ensure a stable, scaleable site able to handle the peaks and troughs in site traffic.

Solution

The findings of the site assessment, supplemented by HFEA’s own extensive website redesign and technology needs, formed a comprehensive brief to begin a search for a project partner.

Digital and brand communications experts Precedent, was chosen and tasked with translating the requirements into an effective, audience-focused website. The chosen content management system would then integrate into this carefully structured design.

In the meantime, David Williams, Web Manager at HFEA had conducted extensive research and identified a shortlist of suitable technology solutions to support the redesign project. One of the chosen products was RedDot CMS from RedDot. By coincidence, Precedent was a RedDot business partner, enabling HFEA to capitalise on the company’s implementation expertise.

Results

With CMS in place, HFEA now benefits from a fully integrated content management suite which allows the organisation to manage all its valuable information and resources easily.

Using RedDot CMS, HFEA has the tools it needs to keep its website up-to-date and accurate — a crucial ability in the fast-moving field of reproductive technology. The solution allows staff within the company to easily and rapidly create and revise content and provides designated staff with content approval rights — something that was very difficult to do previously. Once published, the content can also be easily repurposed in other ways and on other areas of the site.

The ease of use of the solution has also enabled HFEA to redeploy its Web staff to more valuable areas of the business. Williams explains: “Prior to the CMS, we had two full-time members of staff managing and developing content for the site. It was incredibly time-consuming and labour-intensive. Since implementation, we have just one person providing content maintenance. It’s fantastic.”

Following the success of the project, improving engagement with HFEA’s internal audience is next on the list. With this in mind, HFEA has purchased RedDot LiveServer to extend CMS in preparation for future delivery of personalised content to its UK-wide clinics.

“We needed a way of extending the reach of our information and communicating with our nationwide clinics more effectively over the Web. LiveServer is perfect for this. It means that we will be able to deliver targeted information as and when needed via our extranet,” says Williams.

Flexibility is key for HFEA and RedDot’s technology fully supports that aim going forwards. Williams explains: “With CMS and LiveServer we have a future-proof content management system. Its flexibility means that we can add additional modules as and when we need them so that our capabilities grow as our needs grow and change. You aren’t obliged to buy them all upfront and then find that you never use — or need — them.”

Several months after ‘go live’, the relationship continued between HFEA and RedDot with a software update exercise to further configure navigation and workflow functionality. “We have improved the flexibility of the site for HFEA, tutored staff on scheduling for publishing, refined the search result set and implemented several secure areas. The site is now performing better than ever and we look forward to continuing to work with HFEA in the future,” comments David Ryan, Professional Services Manager, RedDot.

The HFEA website

Extended comment from David Williams, Web Manager, HFEA.
HFEA is equally complimentary about the new look-and-feel of the web site. Since launch, it is estimated that the site has received a 30% increase in visitors — testament to the approachability and accessibility of the design. “The site looks very appealing now. It’s very people-focused and clearly engages with our public audience — exactly what we needed to do. It’s proving very popular,” explains Williams.

RedDot CMS was up-and-running just one month later with the new, improved look-and-feel website. “CMS was incredibly quick to install and with SmartEdit, really easy to use. This meant that uploading thousands of site pages only took a couple of weeks and caused only minor issues,” says Williams.

He continued: “Information is really important for our stakeholders. Our website is the first place many patients come for information and advice and an important communications channel and knowledge base for our staff. With RedDot and Precedent's help, we now have a site that is designed around our wide range of users and can be expanded easily in the future.”

The HFEA website is at: www.hfea.gov.uk