Site address: http://www.mndscotland.org.uk (opens in a new window)

CMS: QNECMS, a bespoke CMS made specifically for WCAG accessibility

Project Goals: Site revamp, accessibility for people with impaired motor abilities, move to a CMS, online donations, rebranding

A labour of love over a year in the making, the new web site for the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Assocation launched in 2008 on the QNECMS accessible content management system. It includes online registration and donations, e-commerce, news feeds, an improved contact facility, and meets recognised accessibility standards.  In January 2009 we re-skinned the site with the branding and style of their new name and visual identity, MND Scotland.

This was a personal project for me, and I am very proud of the fact that we accomplished much more than a facelift:

• We created the site as a best practice example from day one, combing both officially defined standards, practical usability concerns, and actual MND user feedback;
• We engaged one of the worldwide experts in web accessibility, Jim Byrne, who just happens to be local in Glasgow, to provide the unique CMS which helps to ensure adherence to accessibility standards (no vital funds were wasted on flying in experts from all over the place);
• We replaced a Dreamweaver site with the new site on a content management system which allows immediate updates to be made with the same ease of writing and formatting an email, thus lessening the personal dependence on the one staff member who knew Dreamweaver;
• We followed the rule of marketing for nonprofits and charities which decrees that the visual approach not be too slick and shiny – after all, you do not want funders thinking they are paying for gloss rather than mission;
• We modernised the site’s background design from table layout to CSS;
• We engaged and energised staff into taking personal ownership of their online presence, and every one of them embraced the process with such aplomb that they left me with very little to do before site launch;
• We reviewed, refreshed, and re-categorised the Association’s marketing messages;
• We created dedicated and clear sections for each of the Association’s main audiences, including patients, family members, carers, medical professionals, researchers, volunteers, funders, and press and media;
• In the spirit of accessibility being a journey and not a destination, we trained staff on basic and simple steps they can take every day to ensure the site meets accessibility best practice;
• We created the site with the “call to action” in mind and have encouraged personal interaction with the Association on every page; and finally and most importantly,
• We were able to put the four years I watched my mother suffer and ultimately die from MND/ALS to beneficial use, with me being able to understand what the Association needs technically as well as what people affected by MND need in terms of information and emotional support.