A Complete Corporate Website Refresh

When Presbyterian Homes & Services approached >Greater Thought to reimagine their website, we sat down to understand a few really important points.

Who are the typical website users?
What are they coming to the website for?
How can we streamline their experience?

The now prior website was starting to show its age and on a platform that was being sunset. Information was deemed hard to find at times, and categorization was out of sync with content plans — a product of years of incremental growth and updates.

The Challenge

To begin our work, the teams reviewed site analytics to create user groups that identified what people were using the site for most. This formed the user groups and eventually the key categories. If we could simplify the categories, then we could eliminate confusion by getting the user to a category page and strip away information they are not needing at that time. Conversely, there was also an interest in getting news and stories out in front of site visitors to drive more readership.

The Project Goals

The goals for the project centered around usability and better informing the end user. These goals, framed through the use of seven different end user personas, included:

Discovery & Strategy around user needs
Persona Development
User Journeymapping
Data Analysis
Web Design & Development
A Robust Content Strategy
Streamlined Back-end Support Ability

Improved UI/UX
Content Migration
Search & Filter Function for housing
Graphic Design
SEO
Web Maintenance and Support
Better Visibility of Careers, News & Stories

Categories

The research helped to form 5 key areas of focus.

1.

Living Options

Living options devoted to housing are the most visited part of the website. Acknowledging that moving is a significant and complex step for people, the intent was to create tools that help guide visitors through the process.

A “Where to Start” experience brings all of those respective tools together that allows visitors to self-guide and to reach out for real-time support in their search for housing and support.

A search and filter tool, similar to other home finder websites was a high priority for PHS.

The 60+ communities that they operate needed to be easily browsable and comparable.

Getting better information on the individual communities’ pages was the final big piece of the puzzle. Because we are asking people to visualize themselves living somewhere different, it needed to be supportive of that, and offer photos, sample floor plans, and to be similar to the home-search process.

2.

Care Services

Giving a bonafide home to all of the care and support services on the website was another key need. Not everyone who works with PHS lives in one of their communities and in fact, it might be their first experience with the company. Things like Physical Therapy, Spiritual Care, and Meals now all have a place together and their own pathways for prospective clients.

3.

Careers

Treating workforce or careers not as an afterthought but instead as a primary destination was another goal of the new website. Because recruitment and retention are so critical for PHS’s mission, it deserved to be front and center, versus living in a sub-menu or a branch off of an about page or footer like so many other websites out there. This destination has helped more people find the information they need, and driven an increase in inquiries because a designated pathway helps to lead the viewer through their own discovery process.

4.

Support of PHS

As a non-profit, PHS relies in part on the generosity of others. Whether someone comes to the website to make a monetary gift, to volunteer or are planning for the future they now have an obvious place to do so. The goal with this part of the website was providing a clear and easy path for giving by removing confusion, and promoting purpose.

5.

General Information

For visitors coming to the website looking for general information about PHS, there are several options out in front that they can explore such as the “About” section for things like company information, leadership and annual reports. If they are looking for news and stories about PHS or authored by PHS, both of those have easy-to-find destinations with the ability to filter, subscribe, and share. In fact, much of this content is accessed by residents, families, employees, and other organizations because PHS is highly regarded in the community and has prioritized its thought leadership for so long.

Leadership
Annual Report
Media Kit
News
Stories
Company History

All-in-all, the new PHS website has blazed a path for the future and now sits atop a platform that is easier to use for visitors and employees alike.

Visit Presbyterian Homes & Services Website