Setting a new standard in accessible design

The Brief

People who live with disabilities face daily challenges, from access to services to finding trusted advice and information. As one of the leading disability charities, Scope have campaigned for over fifty years to change attitudes and opinions, to support those that need help and to bring ‘everyday equality’ for disabled people.

Working with Aqueduct since 2017, they have set a mission to become a truly digital organisation, creating and providing services that can make a difference to the lives of those who need them most. This transformation would need to touch all areas of the Scope operation and allow content and features to be targeted to different audience needs.

 

The strategy

Collaborating as a single team, Aqueduct have been a partner to Scope to design and develop a digital ecosystem that provided an easy to use, self-sustainable, technically advanced platform. Transferring our skills and knowledge to the Scope team enabled them to own and control their own channels, and to support and amplify the new brand direction and redesign.

Our approach was based upon our ‘Deeper Design’ methodology to set a new standard in accessible design. Achieved by extraordinary depth of user interviews, ethnographic observations, our collective methods are based on a comprehensive and empathetic understanding of our audience and their experiences. Continuously learning and improving through user testing we designed not just for tasks but with an appreciation of the emotions and physical influences that our audiences faced.

 

 

The solution

We delivered a solution that facilitated Scope’s digital ambition with an ecosystem that:

• Designed with inclusive design principles at its heart and going beyond the international accessibility standards WCAG2.1
• Enabled the Scope team to create and publish content to the ecosystem with a bespoke CMS and API development, with a single content repository at its heart
• Atomic in design, the final delivery was naturally reusable and modular to create a library of components for any need
• A single destination that will bring all Scope properties and functionality together for the first time
• Optimised the platform for fund-raising and sponsorship donations
• Consulted with the brand design team with digital expertise
• Integrated and connected with the active Scope community
• Provided a destination for those with disabilities and their families, guardians, supporters, donors and corporate sponsors
• Created a foundation for the future of the charity’s ambitions

 

The outcome(s)

Launched in early February 2019, the new Scope website is the first product launch from the ecosystem and is seen as a major step forward for the charity. Providing a foundation for their ambitions over the next few years, the design and approach have set a new standard for inclusive design and digital accessibility, validated by industry leading independent accessibility practitioners, Hassle Inclusion.

Aqueduct are continuing to work alongside Scope to expand their ecosystem and digital strategy, and on the next stage of their transformation.

‘One of the most important moments on a project like this is when you choose your main partner who is going to deliver the project. We chose Aqueduct because they’d delivered great accessibility on similar projects, and because they shared our ambition to go above and beyond the legal requirements.’

Ceri Balston, Scope Head of Digital

 

 

Further Reading

www.scope.org.uk

aqueduct.co.uk/scope

 

Let’s talk

Aqueduct have been designing strategic digital experiences for ambitious brands for over fifteen years. To find out more or how we can help your transformation please contact:

 

Robbie Blackburn

Client Partner

T: 07891 876 284

E: robbie@aqueduct.co.uk

 

Aqueduct

The Courtyard Building

11 Curtain Road

London

EC2A 3LT

aqueduct.co.uk