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Organizations Involved

A thriving, unified digital experience for America's Credit Unions

ACU, representing over 140 million credit union members nationwide, was formed through the merger of two prominent organizations, CUNA and NAFCU. The merger necessitated the development of a cohesive digital platform that not only unified their online presence but also provided personalized experiences for members. By collaborating closely with ACU's internal UX team, the project aimed to create a streamlined, efficient, and user-friendly website that reflected the organization's unified brand identity.

Describe the project (goals, requirements and outcome)
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Goals

  • Unify Digital Presence: Merge the websites of CUNA and NAFCU into a single, cohesive platform that reflects ACU's brand identity.

  • Enhance User Experience: Develop a modern, intuitive, and high-performing website that caters to a diverse audience.

  • Personalize Member Engagement: Provide personalized experiences for members by integrating with existing systems and utilizing advanced tools.

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Requirements​​​​​

  • Design Efficiency: Analyze and streamline over 60 design components into a more efficient system using Drupal's Layout Builder and the proprietary Kinetic theme.

  • System Integration: Ensure seamless compatibility with ACU's AMS, Nimble, and implement SSO via Okta for simplified member access.

  • Content Management: Implement a content management system that allows for easy updates, brand consistency, and scalability for future growth.

A union of UX, design, and Drupal development

By partnering closely with ACU’s internal UX team, we were able to analyze proposed designs for feasibility within the Drupal platform. Visually striking, varied, and needing to accommodate a variety of media types, the design system showed a lot of potential, but also some inefficient overlap.

By taking a do-more-with-less approach, we successfully reduced 60+ design components to a streamlined system of just half that number. We utilized Drupal’s Layout Builder combined with our proprietary Kinetic theme to translate these design components into adaptable content blocks.

This approach ensured that each component offered flexibility for administrators while safeguarding the sophisticated, unified brand design.

Integrating people and platforms using modern Acquia offerings

Leveraging our expertise in building personalized experiences, we integrated Drupal with ACU’s Association Management Software (AMS) system, Nimble. Using Single Sign-On (SSO) powered by Okta, the platform can recognize member accounts, simplify login processes, and customize content based on individual preferences.

Acquia’s Digital Asset Management (DAM) system helps ACU store and manage media files more efficiently. ACU also is one of the first organizations to use Acquia Convert powered by VWO, which enables site-wide personalization and sophisticated targeting, ensuring that ACU’s website remains ahead of the curve in providing meaningful member experiences.

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Outcome

The collaboration resulted in a unified, high-performing Drupal-based website that successfully merged the digital presences of CUNA and NAFCU. The new platform offers an intuitive user experience, streamlined design components, and personalized member engagement through seamless integration with existing systems. Post-launch metrics indicate a 130% increase in organic search traffic and a 35% rise in returning users, demonstrating the project's success in enhancing ACU's digital footprint.

100% Validation of page speed tests

130% Increase in organic search

35% Increase in returning users

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Why Drupal was chosen

America's Credit Unions (ACU) selected Drupal for their website redevelopment to effectively merge the digital presences of CUNA and NAFCU into a unified platform. Drupal's flexibility and robust content management capabilities enabled the creation of a modern, intuitive, and high-performing website that serves as a central hub for ACU's diverse audience. Additionally, Drupal's compatibility with various systems facilitated seamless integration with ACU's Association Management Software (AMS), Nimble, and Single Sign-On (SSO) via Okta, allowing for personalized member experiences and efficient content management. 

Technical Specifications

Drupal version: