NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR)
Website redevelopment and stakeholder engagement platform
SSCR Background
Following a referral and given our track record of delivering accessible, stakeholder-focused websites across the NIHR network, Readysalted was commissioned to reimagine the NIHR SSCR website. With an increasingly broad audience, from academics to policymakers and social care practitioners, the goal was to build a modern digital platform that balanced accessibility, usability, and bespoke functionality while meeting strict NIHR brand and content guidelines.
SSCR Challenges
The existing site was outdated, difficult to manage, and no longer fit for purpose. SSCR needed a website that could support a wide range of users and content types, including research projects, publications, people, and events. Accessibility was a critical requirement, as was improving how users could search, navigate, and interact with the site. With ambitious expectations, the team needed a partner who could translate complex needs into a simple, intuitive digital experience.
Project Overview
We began with a detailed UX discovery workshop hosted at the University of York, mapping out the needs of each user group and identifying how content would need to adapt. This shaped a design strategy that prioritised accessibility, clarity, and scalability.
The new website was designed and built from scratch using a custom WordPress framework, with fully responsive templates and tailored functionality to support the research centre’s long-term goals. Weekly check-ins and collaborative feedback loops ensured momentum and alignment throughout the project.
NIHR Key Objectives
The project’s KPIs centred on:
- Enhance accessibility in line with WCAG guidelines
- Improve user experience for a broad set of personas
- Enable easier content management for the internal team
- Support outreach, knowledge exchange, and impact
- Ensure NIHR brand compliance with a modern design approach
Project Phases
Discovery & Planning
- In-person UX workshop with full stakeholder group
- Defined user personas, user goals, and KPIs
- Reviewed current site analytics and structure
- Outlined data migration, sitemap, and redirect strategy
UX & UI Design
- Created wireframes and an interactive prototype in Figma
- Designed content types for research projects, people, and events
- Applied a clean, minimal layout optimised for mobile and accessibility
Development & Implementation
- Built a custom WordPress site with reusable templates
- Integrated responsive design features for optimal mobile performance.
- Conducted comprehensive testing, including accessibility audits.
Outcome
The new NIHR SSCR website provides a sleek, accessible, and functional platform that reflects the research partnership’s reputation and ambition. Stakeholders now have a flexible tool to support their communications and outreach, while users benefit from a much improved experience. Feedback from both the internal team and external partners has been overwhelmingly positive.
Client Testimonial
“I cannot recommend Simon and the team at Readysalted highly enough. Professional, pragmatic, friendly and great at thinking creatively to find solutions to make sure we got everything we were looking for in our new website. We are over the moon with our new site and are getting great feedback from our stakeholders. If you want an accessible, sleek website with superb functionality, look no further. These are your people.”
