Discovery

During the discovery phase, we carried out an in-depth analysis of the client’s objectives and requirements, developing a detailed requirements specification and fixed-price cost proposal which was accepted and signed off by the client before commencement of design and development.  

Design

The design phase focused on the development and implementation of a comprehensive content strategy that engaged users and provided valuable resources within the community. By curating relevant and compelling content, including articles and tutorials, we fostered a strong sense of community and collaboration.

To prioritise user experience, we implemented intuitive design elements across three device breakpoints, such as powerful search filters and a user-friendly multi-view calendar. The intuitive user interface design promoted engagement and enhanced the overall user experience.

We streamlined subscription and user account management systems, allowing for seamless membership management. Additionally, we implemented retention and growth strategies, including onboarding initiatives and targeted engagement campaigns, while gathering user feedback for continuous improvement.

Development

The website was built using the Wordpress CMS and the roots.io development framework. A number of third-party Wordpress plugins were used to implement the main functional building blocks of the site, which included membership and subscription management, a members directory, forums, private and group messaging, a video library, online training, and an events calendar for webinars, Q&A sessions and other virtual meetings.

Third party plugins were customised and integrated as required, and bespoke code was developed to fully implement the clients requirements, and the website visuals and UX created in the design phase.

An end-to-end DevOps infrastructure and process was set up for the project. This used the Atlassian product suite - Jira Software for workflow management, Bitbucket/Git for software version control - and custom-developed scripts for Git-based software deployment to the hosting provider (Kinsta)’s Staging and Production server environments.

Launch

The website went live in July 2023 with an initial user base of around 200 paid subscribers, and will be an important part of NDT’s strategy to expand their global client base and recurring revenue stream.