Empowering Compass to Support the Elderly

Compass, the national elder abuse knowledge hub, was created by Elder Abuse Action Australia (EAAA) to support the Australian Government’s commitment to provide information and resources about the abuse of older people, for the benefit of the wider community.

But the existing website’s legacy Content Management System had become a burden, with outdated and insecure code, poorly organised content and limited functionality. Even small updates had begun to require the intervention of developers, impacting content creation and the delivery of important updates to a diverse, often vulnerable audience.

The Opportunity

We identified the value a headless CMS would provide to the Compass team. In addition to increased efficiency, a flexible, scalable and intuitive authoring experience would directly support their capacity to produce meaningful content and features that promote elder abuse awareness.

Our Solution

A refreshed, accessible, mobile-first website and bespoke Content Management System built on Storyblok headless CMS, empowering the Compass team to confidently author new content and campaigns, while historic content was migrated and reclassified for ease of use.

Key Features

The website evolution focused on improving user experience, streamlining content management, optimising search capabilities, and providing robust support standards, elevating functionality, accessibility, and overall user satisfaction.


Visual Design

A considered blend of form, functionality and clarity.

The visual design adheres to Australian accessibility standards, ensuring a user-friendly experience for people of all ages and abilities and a focus on clear typography, high colour contrast, and intuitive navigation.

With over 80% of visitors on Mobile devices, a responsive design including dedicated mobile navigation and layout has been tailored to the specific needs of the users.

Content

The foremost national hub for all matters related to the mistreatment of older people.

Authored and curated by subject matter experts, the site content addresses the specific needs of older Australians facing issues of abuse, as well as those navigating the complexities of offering care and support to them.

This includes invaluable in-depth information and resources on legal subjects such as Powers of Attorney for example, as well as news, events and real stories of lived experience. Compass also maintains a nationwide catalogue of supporting resource providers categorised by region, service and audience.

Interactivity

Empowering users to easily discover content that is meaningful to them.

In support of this objective the site offers tailored and personalised content suggestions that align with users' preferences, determined by a custom algorithm that evolves as each user interacts with the site.

As the site features continue to evolve, another recent addition is the ability to leave feedback and discussions on selected content items, building community and continuing the conversation around the important topics raised on Compass.

Structure & Navigation

Intuitive wayfinding and advanced search tools

Large dropdown menus and Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons facilitate easy exploration, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for individuals of all ages.

The dedicated mobile navigation and layout have been tailored to enhance accessibility, allowing older users to effortlessly find the information they need.

For users who need more encouragement, the help tool assists in navigating to topics and services for particular audiences, within states and for a wide range of topics.

Functionality

Efficient access to the most relevant information.

Content pages feature a practical sidebar to streamline access to relevant information, enabling users to quickly discover and engage with content that piques their interest, both in-page and site-wide, enhancing overall usability.

Users can also access downloads, see relevant materials and references, and are guided to related content based on their activity on the website. Content is fully tagged and easily shareable.

Lighthouse scores for accessibility, best practice and SEO are over 90, and the site is also installable as a PWA for a more application-like experience.  

Results

The new website enabled the Compass team to effectively deliver valuable content and impactful digital campaigns, leading to a 7.5x increase in new users along with an over 8x rise in sessions since launch, driving greater engagement and awareness about elder abuse.

Additionally, valuable insights have been gained into audience behaviour through advanced analytics, enhancing strategic decision-making processes.

After the new website launched, Compass saw:

• Increased efficiency and ability for Compass to launch new content campaigns

• Confidence to build on and scale the presence and impact of Compass

• Useful analytics help Compass better understand audience behaviour and make better decisions for users

• Steady rise in organic search thanks to much improved SEO

• A dramatic, almost 300% rise in users

• 120% increase in new users in the second year, giving a total uptick of over 760% new users to the site overall

• Over 830% rise in sessions

• An increase in page views of almost 450% in the same period, with a 10% increase  in sessions per user.