A unique and vibrant web content management platform.

Here's what makes Innovation Digital think the new site is so great!

• Strong imagery - Bright, bold photography captures the vibrancy of the waterway, challening common perceptions people have about Scotland's canals.
• Look and feel - The site has a modern look and feel, using a strong colour palette to create a fresh and exciting theme that reflects new corporate branding.
• User centred - The website was built from the 'outside in', ensuring the needs of the core audiences were met. Information on the five canals and things to do on the canals is very easy to find.
• Members area - Members can manage their own profile, receive real-time page updates, review licence applications, create multipage PDF's and submit events. User feedback is encouraged, with an opportunity to place comment throughout.
• Mapping features - Map functionality allows BWS staff to draw routes onto maps and plot key places of interest - all of which are searchable within the main site search.

About British Waterways Scotland:
British Waterways Scotland (BWS) is responsible for the 137-mile canal network which includes the Caledonian, Crinan, Forth & Clyde, Union and Monkland canals. With a strong relationship with the Scottish Government, BWS has an established and proven track record of delivering on the following strategic objectives:

• Wealthier & Fairer, Safer & Stronger, Smarter, Healthier and Greener Scotland

The canals form part of the Scottish public sector landscape, and so have a major part to play in working to the above. Possibly uniquely within Scotland, the canals are in a position to contribute to all 5 of the Scottish Government's Strategic Objectives. In recent years, BWS has also worked closely with local authorities, voluntary groups, private companies and other government agencies to transform Scotland's canals into an important national asset.

Aim:
BWS sought a unique and vibrant web platform that would challenge common perceptions of Scotland's canals. The website was to provide a valuable online promotional resource, highlighting the multiple benefits that canals bring to Scotland's urban and rural communities. BWS wanted to create a unique brand identity with a contemporary theme that would encourage people to visit the canals and attractions, as well as depicting the waterways as places to live, work, play and invest.

Innovation Digital's challenge was to manage, motivate and meet the needs of all the target audiences, capturing the collective energies of all stakeholders whilst retaining a consistent and coherent web presence that represented this exciting and changing face of Scotland's canals.

The Solution:
A detailed user centred design process was carried out with core audiences and in-depth user analysis. To achieve maximum impact and results, a full service was provided which spanned: user research and Google Analytics analysis, design & information architecture, usability testing, development, content creation, SEO & web copywriting, training, hosting and project management.

The website was developed on the Umbraco CMS, an open-source system renowned for its scalability and ease of use. Some key areas of functionality include a Media Centre with Hi-Res image download facility, interactive maps with bespoke route planning, boat licence ready reckoner, useful tools image carousel, page alerts, extended search and discovery including documents and route mapping, comments can be added to every page, user polls, PDF management and social media integration.

The Result:
A new vibrant site was developed where users can learn about the canals, find out about local events, access information on boating, fishing, cycling and much more. A clear structure, simple layout and navigation and key calls-to-action, allow users to access information on the site with ease.

We developed a number of bespoke features which help add to the overall effectiveness and appeal of the site. Due to the modularity of the site's build, Innovation Digital offered BWS the scalability they required allowing the Scottish Canals site to develop and grow in line with the fast-paced development of Scotland's waterways.

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