At a glance
Overview
NSW Companion Card’s challenge
NSW Companion needed to migrate its website to the consolidated platform. During the migration, Companion Card also wanted to validate its menu structure and uplift its content. It also needed an updated listing feature to display and search affiliated businesses.
NSW Companion Card’s transformation
Salsa worked with Companion Card on a content audit, content strategy and navigation/menu structure. We then worked on the content, ensuring it met website best practices including accessibility requirements. Finally, we delivered a content writing training session. The development work included creating a new Drupal content type and using React to create a list of affiliated businesses that could be searched and filtered.
The outcomes
New Companion Card website on the nsw.gov.au platform
Improved, user-focused navigation
Updated content that meets website best practices including accessibility requirements
Updated affiliated business listing with the ability to search and filter in multiple ways
“The website transition was a great experience, really well supported by the team and we are extremely happy with the results.”
Peter Taylor
Manager, Companion Card
Full case study
NSW Companion Card’s challenge — website migration with limited resources
NSW Companion Card needed to migrate its website to the consolidated nsw.gov.au platform. While the Companion Card team was very familiar with its audience and content, they were keen to have expert content services to support them with the content audit, content drafting and content loading. NSW Companion Card also wanted to validate its menu structure and uplift its content. During the migration project, the need for an updated business listing feature was also identified.
NSW Companion Card’s transformation — updated content and business listing feature
NSW Customer Service had contracted Salsa to help with its large-scale migration efforts to the consolidated nsw.gov.au. One site due for migration was the NSW Companion Card website. Salsa provided a range of content support services and development expertise during the migration project.
Content services
We started off working with Companion Card on its content audit, including making recommendations for existing content. From there, our content specialist ran a content strategy workshop. Using a Miro board for online collaboration, we identified:
- Different audience groups
- The questions each audience group was asking
- The audiences’ main concerns
- Key messages for each audience
Next, our content strategist ran a card-sorting exercise. Because this was a lightweight review of the content and navigation structure, the card-sorting activity was conducted with subject matter experts rather than the end users.
From this activity, we created a more user-focused menu structure, with the key top navigation of:
- Eligibility
- About the card
- Get the card
- Use the card
- For businesses
- Resources
- Contact us
With the menu structure finalised, Companion Card subject matter experts created a first draft. Our content strategist then rewrote the content, focusing on:
A better alignment with the navigation, including writing landing pages, etc.
Editing the content to meet web writing best practices, including accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA)
Meeting the guidelines and editorial style from the Australian Government Style
Once the content had been signed off by Companion Card, Salsa created the pages in the nsw.gov.au content management system (CMS). Salsa also helped mapping the redirects from the old URLs to the new URLs.
Finally, after the new website went live, Salsa’s content strategist ran a one-hour training session on web writing best practice.
Development services
During the migration project, the need for an updated business listing and search feature was identified. This required both backend and frontend development work. (The backend is what content authors see (the CMS), whereas the frontend is what the users see.)
Salsa developers created a new Drupal content type that content authors can use to enter individual affiliated businesses. We then worked on the corresponding frontend ticket, following designs from NSW’s design team.
Finally, we worked on a large React feature. The feature is designed to create a listing of all affiliated businesses (pulling the information from the new content type) with the ability to search by keyword or filter by category or region.
For all development tickets we also provided quality assurance (QA) resources to test the tickets across multiple browsers and devices.
The outcomes — new website on nsw.gov.au
An updated and validated navigation system
Content that meets website writing best practices
Content that meets accessibility standards, specifically WCAG 2.1 AA
Content that aligns with the Australian Government Style Manual
Content training to help subject matter experts maintain the website
A new content type for affiliated businesses
A new listing page for affiliated businesses with the ability to search by keyword and filter by category and/or location
About NSW Companion Card
The NSW Companion Card program is for people with significant and permanent disability who need a high level of care in the community. The Companion Card allows a cardholder's support person free entry into participating venues and events. NSW Companion Card is part of the Department of Communities and Justice.
