THE CHALLENGE
Headquartered in North Carolina, FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. The Perigee Labs team has been fortunate in having worked on a number of projects with FHI 360, starting back in 2012 (at a previous agency) with a massive website redesign followed by the creation of a new employee intranet.
Launched in 1992, Bridge to Employment (BTE) is a Johnson & Johnson initiative that prepares youth for brighter futures. Since 2003, Johnson & Johnson has partnered with FHI 360’s National Institute for Work and Learning (NIWL) to manage the global BTE initiative.
FHI 360 wanted to improve the existing BTE site so that tools and resources were more easily available to program participants, making sure the user experience was modernized and facilitated accessibility.
THE SOLUTION
FHI 360’s BTE team had multiple goals for the new website, mainly centered on improving engagement through a modern and responsive interface. The BTE site offers a clearinghouse of resources that help with them with their mission, and the team wanted to use a variety modern techniques to get those resources in the hands of their program participants. Perigee Labs worked closely with FHI 360 to implement a solution that addressed these requirements while providing a platform for growth.
WordPress CMS
WordPress offered the right mix of intuitive content management, and a powerful back-end for the custom functionality necessary to make the new site a success. As the FHI 360 team had previous experience with the WordPress platform, it simply made sense as this project’s content management system.
Advanced Search
The heart of the new website is an advanced search mechanism that will allow for filtering derived from the data / categories contained in individual content types. This allows users to quickly refine content listings to a selection based on their relevant data set.
Having played a key role in the architecture and development of fhi360.org it was no problem for the team to incorporate a similar tags-based content aggregation approach for this site. Perigee Labs worked closely with FHI 360 to supply the taxonomy necessary to drive this advanced search functionality.
Responsive Web Design
To search engine optimizations, a responsive design is mandatory. Perigee Labs developed a custom site design that responded beautifully across desktop, mobile, and tablet. The design was encapsulated within an exhaustive specification document that addressed every page template’s look and function, eliminating surprises during the client’s Beta test.
Advanced Mapping
FHI 360 wished to showcase the BTE program locations through an engaging interactive map. Perigee Labs was able to tie a custom BTE program post-type to a Google map interface yielding a rich online experience that allows users to sort and filter to get their desired result.
THE RESULT
The new BTE site was well-praised by both the FHI 360 and Johnson & Johnson teams. The new resources section made it very easy for participants to quickly find the tool they were looking for. The new site structure greatly improved users’ ability to access the content they want, based on the comprehensive taxonomy developed by the team. After launch, FHI 360 elected to enter into a LifeCycle Support agreement with Perigee Labs, who continues to maintain and support the site today.