Project
Empowering the people of Alabama by connecting them to the information that builds thriving communities across the state.
Technologies Used
Accessibility, Content Inventory, Customer Surveys, Information Architecture, Personas, Stakeholder Interviews, User Journey, Wireframes, Wordpress, Wordpress Custom Plugin
The
Background
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) requested a complete overhaul of their content development and delivery, to ensure that all people have access to the information that improves their quality of life and economic well-being. ACES wanted to partner with a digital group to create a new way to connect and inspire continued advancement in every community throughout the state of Alabama. Through extensive user research, Alloy’s expert team produced an advanced Accessible-friendly solution that transitioned ACES's content from offline to 100% online, providing search-friendly content curation for users.
The
Challenge
Provide an immersive and engaging, mobile-first website and online experience that supports the commitment of ACES to serve all people through the use of intuitive site navigation and keyword concepts appropriate for a new information delivery environment that includes a digital publication warehouse and video service. The site’s requirements were extensive, including, but not limited to:
- Wordpress platform - a must
- Social Media Integration
- Responsive Design
- Accessible for ALL users
- Must pass through WCAG 2.0 and Section 508 Standards
- Ongoing Accessibility testing and remediation if required
- Contemporary design
- Incorporation of modern marketing tools such as Salesforce, blogs, Adwords, etc.
- incorporation of state-of-the-art multimedia and technology, such as video, Google Translate, etc.
- Efficient content maintenance and oversight via permission delegation, workflow approvals, and content tool integrations
ALLOY’s strategy division kicked off the project with a deep-dive into user behaviors and personas across Alabama that engage with the information provided by ACES, and from there developed a robust digital strategy for a state-of-the-art experience that is immersive and accessible, serving the Alabama community today and into the future.
The Result
Search-first and responsive functionality have put the power of information into the user’s hands in a more effective way than the former print-only content delivery system. The quality of information is improved by user-generated content and user-specific delivery. As a result, the end users have a direct, unimpeded, all-access pass to the information they need, when they need it - any hour of the day, without having to travel to their local county Extension office, bringing Alabama Cooperative Extension System to their goal of being a world-class educational organization providing real-life solutions to improve the lives of all Alabamians.