Page 30 - Linkline Spring 2017

CILT’s New Website has Launched!
The Institute’s new website went live at the end of March. The new streamlined design provides members, students and exam takers with greater functionality, more features, and an easy to use interface.
In 1996 Bill Gates wrote an essay entitled “Content is King” in which the Microsoft CEO predicted the impact the internet would have on every facet of human life. At that stage only
1% of the world was online and company websites were a rarity, yet Gates asserted, “If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business”.
In today’s world though we all understand how important it is for a company to not just have a website but a strong one at that. In 2017 the first interaction a customer or client has with an organisation is through their website so it’s vital that their first impression is a good one. Poor content, design and inability to access the information quickly, can all drive customers away. For many years CILT’s old website served the organisation well, however, as customers expected greater functionality online, its effectiveness dwindled. Last year the decision was made to build a new site which would better reflect CILT’s remit.
The Starting Point
To begin, a consultation process was carried out with all stakeholders to ascertain what the key functions of the new site should be. Then, from that, a comprehensive list of requirements was established. Two key points decided early on were that the website should be easy to access and should allow for the integration of all systems and databases in a secure environment. WordPress was chosen over DNN (Dot Net Nuke) as the content management system and variant levels of security would cater for the different types of users – members, administrators, students, course providers and the public. The site would be accessible from all locations and contain many in-built security features to ensure the safety of all personal data and compliance with all data protection requirements.
The future of CILT and how it will provide products to customers going forward played a significant role in this early decision
making process. CILT staff were keen for the new site to provide greater assistance to members, students and exam takers, whether that was being able to download an application for a replacement CPC certificate or pay their annual membership online. These requests factored heavily into the plans for the new site which provides a common administration approach for all CILT products and exams, engages new technologies by the use of a commercial, well developed database and has the facility to support e-commerce.
The initial consultation stage was a long and careful process and every effort was taken to ensure that finance was not the only factor when it came to selecting the best solutions for the new site. Following discussions with a number of web design companies, Inventise, was selected to create CILT’s new website. The Bray based company has a history of working with not-for-profits and education bodies and has built sites for the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) and the National College of Ireland. It was felt this experience would be a distinct advantage in helping the Institute achieve its vision.
Design and Usability
The design for the new website focused on clarity and user friendliness. Taking the CILT logo as a starting point, a simple palette of purple, white and gold has been used throughout. These three colours bring a sense of cohesion and elegance without overshadowing the content. Extensive use of white space also enables visitors to scan the site easily.
Of course, it is usability, not visual design that determines the success or failure of a website. The visitor is the one who clicks the mouse and decides everything; if they can’t travel around a site easily they aren’t likely to stay long. Fortunately, the new CILT website is very user focused, utilising simple, intuitive, and functional navigation. On the landing page the main navigation tabs – "About Us", "Join CILT" and "Education and Exams" – appear on the top right hand side, while
30 The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport
NEW WEBSITE