Web strategy and design for a renowned snowsports education body
What originally started as a research project for just one of the divisions within this association, grew to a full web strategy and design project for the whole organisation. Our client; The New Zealand Snowsport Instructors Alliance.
The NZSIA was established in 1971 to train, examine and certify snowsport instructors and coaches at an internationally recognised standard. As an Incorporated Society the NZSIA is a completely non-profit organisation.
Increasing course numbers and member retention
As a member-based organisation, the NZSIA have a duty to meet its members’ needs and demands. With our help, the NZSIA now offers a heightened online experience for its members, whilst promoting its services more effectively to new and potential customers.
NZSIA members and other users now enjoy an up-to-date visual theme matching the organisation’s most recent branding alterations, a more intuitive navigation and site structure, compelling copywriting, plus informative diagrams and in-depth career guidance.
Our approach
We deduced from our initial research project, that the NZSIA were in need of a new visual theme and site structure to accompany their most recent organisational changes. This new theme had to differentiate visually from division to division, whilst maintaining a standardised layout and structure throughout the whole site. This gave each division a stronger identity without losing the intuitive site-wide user-experience and navigation.
NZSIA’s previous site offered very minimal information about the renowned qualifications they offer. We gathered, collated and re-worked the information around these qualificiations to provide the audience with the guidance they required.
Finally, we designed optimal user-journeys from various prompts through the booking and registration systems, helping streamline the overall processes.
Our approach involved the following methods:
- Utilising the research gathered to create a site structure suiting the organisation’s needs and goals.
- Designing a new all-encompassing visual theme.
- Applying and adapting multiple branding.
- Gathering, collating and re-working the information around the qualifications and the organisation itself.
- Producing new visual diagrams as career guidance resources.
- Collecting and editing both text and photographic content.
- Designing optimal user-journeys and call-to-actions.
- Implementing social media tools and new news posting strategies.
- Providing strategical guidance for the launching and promotion of the new site.
Throughout this project we worked in conjunction with NZSIA’s current database developer and hosting company Treshna Enterprises.
“From the beginning of the project Tactic Group utilised their online forum tool (Basecamp project management system), to communicate between the many different people involved. As we (the NZSIA) are a committee-based organisation and this project involved our current Web technology company, we required input from many different people along the way - which could have gone all over the place. Instead, Tactic Group guided the process exceptionally well and achieved a real 'buy-in' approach with all those involved.
Overall, the Web site redesign was achieved on time and budget, which is no small feat these days. I was especially impressed with the Web site strategy they provided us; we now see our Web marketing as a dynamic process and are more committed to keeping the site current.”
- Marilyn Armstrong, Executive Officer, NZSIA.