Who are Parkinson’s Europe?
For over thirty years, Parkinson’s Europe has been the leading voice in their community across Europe. They have championed the European Parkinson’s community, striving to advance better treatments and ultimately find a cure. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with this terrible condition by supporting them and their families, advocating for better care, and researching treatments. Having a strong digital presence is crucial in achieving their mission.
The challenge
We were tasked with redesigning and merging their outdated website with their online magazine, Parkinson's Life. Both platforms were experiencing poor UX (User Experience) and accessibility issues, particularly for users with this condition who often face challenges navigating digital spaces. Our goals included improving navigation, integrating a donation feature, enhancing website aesthetics, restructuring content, and upgrading mobile functionality. Ultimately, we aimed to create a unified, user-friendly site that effectively serves its audience while addressing usability needs, enhancing their reputation, and clarifying their message.
Our approach
We began with in-depth research to understand how users with Parkinson’s interact with digital content. Our design focused on creating an intuitive, usable interface, accommodating the physical and cognitive difficulties faced by people living with this condition. We achieved this by adhering to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), using inclusive design principles and optimisation for various assistive technologies.
To ensure the website is a valuable resource for its community we included features such as improved navigation, a membership area filled with beneficial resources and tools, an interactive map showcasing different organisations and events for Parkinson’s throughout Europe and a CRM (client relationship management) integration using Copper. We also consolidated content from the magazine into the main site, which required careful planning for the information architecture to ensure seamless integration while maintaining strong SEO (search engine optimisation) performance. We worked closely with the client to align the site’s design and functionality with their mission and objectives.
The solution
Our solution involved a thorough website redesign, focusing on usability and ease of use. We implemented an intuitive navigation structure and clear, user-friendly content layouts, ensuring that all users, regardless of ability, can easily navigate the site and locate what they need. We also improved SEO to further support user engagement and raise awareness of Parkinson’s Europe’s mission, amplifying the voices of individuals with this terrible condition and their supporters.
