Blackdog Outdoors is a mental health focused charity that provide outdoor recreational events to help people improve their mental health and wellbeing. It is a platform for re-connecting people with the great outdoors. Managed by a small team of volunteers that all share the same passion for climbing, walking, paddle sports, biking, and the outdoors in general, Blackdog Outdoors are extremely passionate about reconnecting with nature and the role sport, outdoor exercise and recreation plays in improving mental health.
The effects of outdoor activities can include stress reduction, improved mood, improved self-esteem and improved health and general wellbeing. However, there are known challenges that act as constraints to participation such as a lack of confidence, lack of awareness, anxiety, and cost. Blackdog Outdoors’ aim is to remove these barriers, and to support people in spending quality time outdoors, for improved wellbeing. There is no cost to the events and all events are managed by professionally qualified outdoor professionals and supported by mental health first aiders.
Blackdog wanted to work with web designers that had experience working with charities and expressed that they weren’t satisfied with the look and feel of their existing website. They felt that their branding was inconsistent and needed help strengthening their brand identity online.
Blackdog’s main objective was to reach more people who are struggling with their mental health and to raise awareness of the outdoor activities they deliver to support people with their difficulties and wellbeing. They believed that their website was slightly outdated, wasn’t accessible and wasn’t reaching the audience they were actively trying to help. The site was not appropriately optimised for mobile or other smaller screen sizes and this was becoming a problem for users who were feeling frustrated when booking onto events from their smartphones. The poor navigation was also creating friction for users. It was difficult to find information and there were too many pages that could have been removed or merged.
Blackdog have accumulated an extensive collection of photographs from their events over the years. They were not being used throughout the site. The website had little to no images and some pages featured walls of text that were uninspiring and overwhelming to read. The team wanted to implement their photographs throughout the pages to show what their events look like and to draw attention to the beautiful locations.
We worked closely with Blackdog’s business development officer to put together a plan of how we can achieve their goals and create a more streamlined website with better user experiences and stronger brand elements to help the team reach more people, enhance their image and get their message across to a wider audience.
We began the project by analysing the existing website content, navigation system and layout to gain a better understanding of what was needed to achieve Blackdog’s goals. We developed a new navigation plan and sitemap to create a more cohesive flow. We merged pages and content to help create a more user friendly experience and we sketched out wireframes with a range of design ideas.
After the initial wireframes and project plans were agreed, we set on building the site. At this stage, we added creative flair through the use of images, graphics, infographics, icons and unique and more interesting layouts. We designed the website to be responsive on all devices and screen sizes to address the issue of users having difficulty booking events or finding out information on their mobiles. We trailed through Blackdog’s extensive gallery of images to select their most impactful photographs that show the incredible events and locations that they offer and we placed them to enhance sections of the site and break up larger areas of text.
To summarise, we redesigned the website so that users can now more easily find information, browse the site and book on to events seamlessly. We ensured the website was accessibly designed so that the site was inclusive and accessible for users with disabilities. The website is now much better aligned with Blackdog’s brand and is more reflective of who they are as an organisation.
At every stage of the design and development process, we were committed to honouring the great service that Blackdog provides. We were motivated to always keep looking for unique ways to transform the site and make it more attractive for users and more engaging to people who may feel nervous about attending any of their events. With the implemented brand enhancements, Blackdog Outdoors are now able to build on this updated brand identity across their digital and physical platforms.
“We worked with Grinning Graphics to design and develop a new website for the Trust. They carefully followed our design brief, implemented our brand really well throughout the site, and delivered a fantastic website that includes all requested features and functionalities. We’re really pleased with the results. Professional and easy to work with. Excellent communication throughout the project. Grinning Graphics have created a site that is accessible, responsive, and easy to navigate, and that aligns for our brand characteristics. We’re happy that the new website will help us support our core audiences and deliver better user experiences for our users.
We continue to work with Grinning Graphics as they are providing ongoing web maintenance support.”
Copyright 2024 © Grinning Graphics All rights Reserved. Gold Rabbit Ltd T/A Grinning Graphics
