Bringing dozens of sites into one: the Royal College of Nursing’s new digital platform
The RCN’s members were meeting it across multiple microsites, each branded differently, while the main site had become cluttered with over 30,000 pages and documents. Box UK led discovery, research, design and build of a single Sitecore platform, testing it with members from beta at the RCN’s annual Congress through to full launch.
30k
pages and documents brought into one platform
440k
RCN members served
15
microsites consolidated
In short
- The RCN supports and represents around 440,000 nurses in the UK and worldwide.
- Its online presence was spread across many microsites with different branding.
- The main site held over 30,000 pages and documents and had become hard to navigate.
- Box UK ran discovery and user research to find the most important tasks and journeys.
- We built a single Sitecore platform, with a new content strategy and customised admin tools.
- Members tested it from a beta at Congress through soft launch to full launch.
Customer Background
The Royal College of Nursing is the professional body and trade union for nursing in the UK, with around 440,000 members in the UK and worldwide. Nurses use its website for support, advice, representation, learning and news, often on their phones between shifts.
The Challenge
Over time, the RCN’s members had come to meet it across numerous microsites, each with its own branding, content editors and workflows. The main site had become cluttered, holding more than 30,000 pages and documents that were hard to find.
Mobile traffic was growing, and the RCN wanted its site to become an active network for nurses, not just a place to look things up.
Our Approach
We started with discovery across the RCN, gathering feedback and analysing the existing sites’ usability, functionality and architecture. That identified four priorities: consolidating the ecosystem, making 30,000+ items findable, setting a mobile strategy, and aligning the experience with member needs.
User research, including end-user workshops, surveys and analytics reviews, showed who the users were, what they needed in which contexts, and which pages and tasks mattered most. Those high-priority journeys got the closest attention from our UX consultants.
We then built the platform using agile scrum, so the RCN could see progress throughout and priorities could change as stakeholder needs did.
What we Built
- One platform replacing the microsites, with one consistent brand.
- Findable content. Content was analysed and prioritised so the most-needed information is easiest to reach.
- A content strategy covering how much content is kept and how it’s written, for consistency and accessibility.
- Better tools for editors. A customised Sitecore admin area with templates and content types built around visitor needs.
- A mobile-friendly design for members on phones and tablets.
We also demonstrated personalisation for role, location and interests on Sitecore.
“Amazing how you’ve taken a huge content site, and structured it in a well laid out way”
RCN usability test participant
“Great! Straight to the point. Beautiful on phone and iPad. Well Done.”
RCN usability test participant
Delivery
A beta version launched at the RCN’s annual Congress, giving members an early look and giving us direct access to real users. Usability testing continued through soft launch to full launch, with findings feeding straight back into development.
The Outcome
- A single, coherent RCN online presence in place of scattered microsites.
- Easier navigation through 30,000+ pages and documents, confirmed in usability testing. [Writer to add scores.]
- A cleaner, modern interface that participants described as less cluttered and easier to use.
- Editors better equipped to publish consistent, accessible content.
Frequently asked questions
Map every site, audience and editor first, then design one structure and content strategy that covers them. The RCN’s microsites were brought into a single Sitecore platform with one brand.
Analyse what people use, prioritise it, and design navigation and search around the most common tasks. The RCN’s 30,000+ pages and documents were reorganised this way.
Early. The RCN showed a beta at its annual Congress and kept testing with members through to full launch.
It stops the new site becoming cluttered again, by setting rules for what content is kept and how it’s written.
What this means
for your organisation
If you’re a membership body or professional association whose online presence has grown into a collection of microsites and cluttered pages, your members are paying the price in time and patience.
Consolidation is as much about content and editors as it is about technology. If you’re weighing it up, send us a few lines about your sites. We’ll tell you where we’d start.
Talk to one of our digital experts
Tom Houdmont
Chief Technology Officer
Do you have an idea or a project you need support with?
Tom is CTO at Box UK, with 12 years’ experience helping clients deliver ambitious digital products. His background spans Solution Architecture, Front End Development and AI adoption, with particular expertise in high-traffic websites that perform reliably at scale and in embedding AI into delivery practice.
Or call us on 020 7439 1900
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