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Targeting different content to different audiences - how Volute make it easy to split content within the same site
Many NHS and health sector organisations are communicating with healthcare professionals and service users at the same time. West Midlands Cancer Alliance found themselves in this situation and came to Volute for a solution which would make their website clear and information easier to access for both professionals and patients.
What problem was the client facing?
The existing website of the West Midlands Cancer Alliance (WMCA) had a vast amount of content which, while useful for professionals and experienced users, didn’t provide appropriate information and resources for patients who visited the site.
In addition to content, the menu structure of the website was overly complicated and confusing, making any information that may have been relevant to patients difficult to find.
What did we consider in order to solve this problem?
The obvious solution might have been to create two websites; one focusing solely on information for professionals and a separate one just for patient information.
While this would provide a clear place for professionals and patients to access information separately, this wouldn’t have been the optimal solution as it would mean creating two new sites which would be time-consuming for Volute and an extra cost to the client.
In addition, having two sites would mean administrators would need to log in to each site separately to add all content which isn’t ideal. If there was any content that was relevant to both professionals and patients, it would need to be duplicated and added to each site separately.
What was the solution we provided?
We kept things simple by just creating one website with an updated menu structure which contained a Professionals area and a Patients area. This way, administrators could log in to just one website and add information for both professionals and patients in their respective areas. Not only did this make it easier for admins to add content, it also allowed site users to view the information in both the professionals and patients areas, if they were interested, rather than needing to navigate to another site.
Front-end styling made it clear to visitors whether they were viewing content in the professionals or patients area of the website. We also designed characters for the WMCA, showing different types of professionals and patients, which we used throughout the site to further make clear which area of the site was being viewed at any given time whilst also making the website feel more friendly and inviting.
We also created a self-help tool for patients experiencing side effects of cancer treatment. The interactive grid allows users to select a side effect and find quick information and advice that they can follow.
What were the benefits of this solution?
By continuing with a single website solution, we were able to keep the existing website and make changes to it rather than create a brand new website. This meant the existing menu structure, imagery, documents and content were able to be carried over, updated and reused on the new website.
Administrators were able to restructure their menu and content by moving existing items into the new split areas, deleting outdated content and creating anything that was needed. This saved a lot of time compared to creating a new menu from scratch.
To find out how we can make your website work better for your users contact us by emailing
