South London and Maudsley website relaunched to offer more information and support
We are excited to announce the relaunch of our website next week with a completely new look, updated content, and improved functionality.
Our website is a vital source of information and support for our staff, anyone using our services, interested in learning more about our work or wanting to understand more about mental health.
Over the last few months, we have completely redeveloped our website to offer a modern, user-centred design, making our information more accessible with improved functionality.
Collaborative design process
At the beginning of the process, we held a series of workshops. This included people who use our services, our staff from a cross-section of teams at all levels, and our partners in research and the wider NHS health system. We also hosted a public survey on our existing website to get the views of our users.
We listened to what role they saw the website playing, how they use it and what they need it to do. The workshops generated a wealth of insights. The common theme was a desire for the website to represent the scale of our work and partnerships, from our local community-based teams to our world-renowned research.
Our partners at VerseOne Group who worked with us to redevelop the website took what we had learned from these workshops and produced first a basic design, and then a full design for the new site.
These designs were displayed on our existing website, and we asked all our visitors to send us their feedback. We also held an all-staff session where VerseOne presented the designs and sent out a survey to get people’s views.
All the feedback we received helped us further refine the final design we took through to the development stage. Over the last eight weeks, we have been working hard to turn those designs into reality with our launch today.
Improved and updated content
We have reviewed over 500 hundred pages, and thousands of individual pieces of content to ensure our website is up-to-date, and provides our visitors with information they are looking for.
Improved functionality
The new website features an improved service finder that brings together our local, national and specialist services in one place. It includes space to feature more information about each service.
The website has been designed from the ground up to work on mobile devices including and tablets and smart phone. It features new accessibility for people with visual impairments and translation options for people who want to view the website in another language.
We want to give a face to our organisation and inspire confidence in people who use our services that they will receive the very best care. That is why we have developed a completely new section for our experts that showcases their skills and experience.
Perhaps the biggest change though is on the homepage. We wanted to improve the homepage, to become a window to the full range of our work. Based on the feedback we received it now features much more information than before, providing quick links to the information people are looking for. Part of this has been the redesign of the menu navigation. Now accessible via a button in the top right-hand corner of every page, the expanding menu provides quick access to every page of the website, making pages even deep within the website, easy to find. In the coming weeks we will also be implementing a drop-down menu from the top navigation to give visitors even more ways to find their way around the website.
A platform for the future
But the hard work doesn’t stop here. As well as a new design, we have also completely changed the technological underpinnings of the website. It is now based on a modern and secure platform that we will be able to continue to develop and bring new functionality and new innovations are made.
Later this year we are going to be launching a new section of the site for people to discover research studies that they can take part in.
We are also working towards building much more information on recruitment for people who interested in joining our organisation.
Thank you
Finally, from all of us on the project team we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended one of our workshops, sent us feedback, completed a survey, sent us updates, helped us with data and technology, or got involved in the project in any way. All your input has been vital to making this a success.
If you have ideas for what you would like to see on the website in the future, or any comments or suggestions we would love to hear from you.
The website redevelopment project team
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