Sector(s)
Team Members
Project Team
Annertech is one of Europe's leading open-source digital agencies. Founded in 2008, we have grown to become not just the "go to" Drupal experts in Ireland but right across the UK & Europe, working with a range of clients in both the private and public sectors.
Our mission is to help companies to embrace open-source technology to deliver ambitious digital experiences for their customers. Our philosophy is to never hoard our knowledge, but share it – with clients, partners and the open-source community.
Our clients include: Glanbia, Dublin City Council, National Gallery of Ireland, and Haringey Council.
Visit the site
Visit the siteOrganizations Involved
Community contributions
Approximately 5 patches to Drupal core and contrib modules were tested and are in use on the site. Each of those helps bring Drupal forwards as a more stable and useful platform.
Oxfam Ireland’s website, while part of the larger international brand, had a different visual identity that didn’t fit with the other Oxfam sites. The decision to revamp the website was driven by the desire to align it with the global corporate brand, thereby creating a unified look and feel across all Oxfam sites.
However, the objective of the project was not only about achieving visual consistency but also about enabling Oxfam Ireland to effectively communicate its own brand story and strategic objectives to its audience.
Our Approach
Migration approach
Oxfam's content editors prepared the new content according to the content plan, and identified all content, such as blogs, which should be migrated by Annertech’s tech team. By automating this process, we were able to save time and ensure that no valuable content was lost in the transition.
Editing interface
For the Oxfam Ireland project, we implemented Layout Builder which enables Oxfam’s content designers to create pages in a more flexible and intuitive manner. Through a user-friendly drag and drop interface, editors can easily design and customise pages to best showcase Oxfam's mission and initiatives. The WYSIWYG editing interface allows for real-time editing and previewing, empowering editors to make changes and additions with ease.
Design features
The design of the new Oxfam Ireland website was carefully crafted to be both visually appealing and highly functional. A simple and clear typeface was chosen to effectively convey the message, while allowing the incredible images to take centre stage for maximum impact. The landing pages were designed with striking hero images to drive home the organisation's core message.
In addition to visually appealing design elements, the website also features a user-friendly navigation system. A mega menu was incorporated, providing users with easy access to key sections of the site. On desktop, this appears as a drop-down mega menu, while on mobile devices, a list menu appears when the user clicks on the hamburger menu. This responsive design ensured that users could seamlessly navigate the site regardless of the device they were using.
One of the goals of the design was to provide a user-friendly website that aligned with Oxfam Ireland's global brand, but which, above all, was accessible for all users. The new design accomplishes this but still allows Oxfam Ireland to tell its own stories, thereby successfully engaging visitors and encouraging them to explore their impactful work.
Oxfam’s “impact stories” played a key role in shaping the design of the website, with stunning imagery anchoring the content and engaging the audience. Custom-built structures were created to showcase these impactful stories, allowing the imagery to shine while delivering compelling narratives.
Special containers were created to house Oxfam's impact content.The information on the site was restructured into three main sections: Oxfam in action (campaigns), Get involved (volunteer, donate, speak out, shop), and News/stories (impact), making it easier for users to find relevant information.
Oxfam's colour-coded types of content help the user situate themselves within the site.Integrating donations and CRM
As part of Oxfam Ireland's fundraising efforts, the integration of donations and CRM was a key priority for the new website. By seamlessly connecting the website with Oxfam Ireland's donation system and their customer relationship management (CRM) software, we created a streamlined user experience for those looking to support the organisation. The website not only makes it incredibly easy for users to donate but we also simplified the process of signing up to volunteer or receive newsletters.
Furthermore, the new website plays a crucial role in supporting Oxfam Ireland's digital strategy, helping to drive e-commerce efforts, support the bricks and mortar shops, and communicate the organisation's message to a wider audience.
This all helps support Oxfam Ireland's long-term development projects, humanitarian assistance, and advocacy work, ensuring that their impactful initiatives can reach those in need.
The donation and newsletter sign-up processes have been integrated into Oxfam Ireland's new website so that it’s quick and easy for users to donate money or get involved.Results
Oxfam Ireland's website, oxfamireland.org, is a dynamic platform that showcases the organisation's extensive efforts in fighting poverty and injustice worldwide. The site hosts a variety of stories, videos, and interactive tools that effectively shed light on the voices and experiences of the individuals and communities that Oxfam supports, as well as the donors and volunteers who play a crucial role in making it all possible.
One of the key features of the website is its ability to encourage user engagement in various campaigns and causes, ranging from climate change to gender equality and humanitarian emergencies. By effectively engaging with different audiences and stakeholders, the website aims to generate a widespread impact that can inspire change and improve lives on a local, national, and global scale.
The new layout experience, which is both simple and flexible, has been well-received by Oxfam's team members, allowing for impactful content delivery. The addition of the Layout Builder tool enables pages to be designed in a highly flexible manner using a drag-and-drop interface. This tool has empowered the team to create stunning and engaging content that effectively conveys the website's key messages across its three main sections.
Colin Carey, Head of Digital at Oxfam Ireland said in relation to Layout Builder: "As a content editor, the website is very easy to use. The new layout experience is brilliant – it is simple yet flexible – and we are thrilled with the result."
The website forms an important part of Oxfam Ireland’s strategic plan, making it easy for people to volunteer, find a local shop, donate, or get involved in Oxfam's initiatives. Not only does the website facilitate online donations and provide links to the organisation's 46 shops across Ireland, but it also serves as a powerful tool for raising awareness, mobilising action, and showcasing the positive impact of Oxfam's work.
Furthermore, the website's focus on the user experience and accessibility has resulted in a fully responsive, accessible website that performs seamlessly across all devices. This is evidenced by its GTmetrix Grade A performance rating.
Since the website's launch, there has been a significant increase in user engagement from organic search traffic, with a 74.31% increase in engagement rate, a 163.4% increase in organic search traffic, and a 61.7% increase in direct traffic. These results underscore the success of the website in effectively reaching and engaging with its target audience.
Testimonial
"We've been an Annertech client for 10 years now and have an excellent relationship with the team. Our previous website was still running on Drupal 7. We needed to migrate all the content over, and update not only the system but also the design, bringing it in line with our new global brand and accessibility standards. We've noticed an uptick in meaningful user engagement with lower bounce rates and higher on page time, which indicates that the new website is hitting the right notes with our audience."
– Colin Carey, Head of Digital, Oxfam Ireland
Back to topOxfam Ireland's website was on Drupal 7, which was approaching its end-of-life and no longer meeting the organisation's needs effectively. The website had evolved over time and had become cumbersome to navigate, lacking in intuitive design and falling short in meeting accessibility standards.
To address these concerns, and given their existing familiarity with the Drupal platform, Oxfam Ireland reached out to Annertech to overhaul the user experience, improve accessibility, and redevelop the site in the latest version of Drupal.
In addition to this, a significant aspect of the project was the migration of over 400 content pieces, including blogs, press releases, and files from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9.
Technical Specifications
Drupal version:
Key modules/theme/distribution used:
Gin was used because it is built on top of core Claro (and thus has good accessibility), but it also has extra goodies. The frontend theme is completely custom with focus on accessibility.
The extra Layout Builder modules provided extra functionality and customisability to us when implementing the editor user interface.
