The British Society for Surgery of the Hand
|
The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) exists to promote and direct the development of Hand Surgery, to foster and co-ordinate education, study and research in Hand Surgery, and to disseminate knowledge of Hand Surgery among members of the medical and allied health professions.
THE BRIEF
Having seen our previous work with other medical associations, The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) invited LightMedia to tender for the project of redesigning and redeveloping their existing website.
"We were looking for a website that had a contemporary look and feel with improved mobile performance. While the old site had served its purpose for a number of years, it was now considered wordy, and no longer reflected the image of the Society.” explains Helen Roberts, Head of Secretariat at the BSSH, "While it provided surgeons with the information they required, we needed to consider the patient’s perspective too.
"Today, patients with hand conditions look on the internet for information. We wished to give patients an introduction to hand surgery and useful knowledge. It was a way of breaking down the barriers between a surgeon and their patient. We were therefore looking for a user friendly site for both patients and members.
HOW WE HELPED
Taking on our usual approach, we delivered the project in two phases. Phase 1 involved both organisations working closely to develop a specification including wireframes, site map and design concepts, while phase 2 involved developing the actual site including populating, testing and deployment.
It was essential that the new BSSH website was easy and intuitive to use, so we proposed the implementation of a mega menu along with a sub-menu on each page so the user can navigate their way through the site easily and know where they are on the site at all times.
As well as featuring an extensive patients’ area which provides information on procedures and online help with identifying symptoms, the site also contains a private area for BSSH members only. With a membership base of over 270, it was crucial that LightMedia enhanced this area by providing access to a range of new features. The member’s area is now integrated with BSSH’s internal membership system and, once logged in, members have access to news, events, forums, a membership directory, subscriptions, CPD tools and journals.
"Over the years, the BSSH have worked with a number of companies who had had difficulty in providing what we wanted. Partly because we had to integrate the membership database into the new website and that seemed to cause problems. This was very different. We work closely with one trusted supplier who writes our membership databases and conference packages etc. He’s a perfectionist and 100% efficient. Surgeons are also perfectionists. With LightMedia we’ve finally found a company that we can all work with.
"Nothing has been too much trouble for Tony and his team. They made the process extremely straightforward. They were flexible, had good ideas and were always available to ask questions. We set a timetable we could all adhere to and LightMedia delivered absolutely everything on time. It could not have been easier."
The Outcome
"We’re very pleased with the functionality as well as the look and feel of the website. We can change the basic ourselves with ease. LightMedia are the only company we’ve worked with who have said we don’t need a maintenance contract which is very unusual… and very welcome. Any odd thing that might need tweaking that we can’t manage, they are happy to do.
"I’ve been doing this job for quite some time and I’ve learnt that people are very quick to tell you when things don’t go well. I’m delighted to say we’ve had no criticism. All the feedback has been positive; the surgeons are delighted with the outcome, the viewing hits have increased per month and analytics have shown that the Patients’ Conditions area is hugely popular. We are so pleased and have enjoyed working with LightMedia throughout the whole process."
Our overall feedback on the project has been fantastic and we would like to thank BSSH for their valued support throughout the project.
Our build of BSSH's website won ‘Best in Class’ with The Interactive Media Awards (IMA) in the Medical category, beating hundreds of other entries to the post.
LINK
To see BSSH's website, click www.bssh.ac.uk.