Radioplayer

Background

Radioplayer is a non-profit partnership between the BBC and commercial radio. Their aim is to keep radio listening simple, particularly on things which are connected to the internet, like computers, smartphones, and tablets.

Their previous website was four years old and in need of a new content management system, better search engine optimisation, a refreshed look and feel and mobile optimisation.

My contribution

The digital and content strategies had already been decided in house, it was my job to implement their decisions.

I worked directly with the MD and Operations Manager to establish the key user journeys, agree on site architecture and core navigation. I created a new, more modern visual style, designing and building each responsive page template iteratively in the browser, evolving the design from prototype to finished article with continual input and feedback from the client.

Part of the project also included building the main Radioplayer discovery engine console into the homepage so that users could use the same discovery service they'd seen across radio. I implemented this, making sure to adjust the look and feel just enough for it to feel at home with the new website design but not lose any of it's familiar function.

For the backend, I replaced the existing Wordpress CMS with Drupal at the request of Radioplayer. I configured the CMS to specification, sourced and integrated relevant plugins for SEO and content creation. I converted all of the built page designs into Drupal templates and made the appropriate content areas editable and reusable. I moved all content from the older Wordpress site across to the new Drupal CMS.

I hired a senior developer/server admin to build a secure, scalable server. They were also tasked with implementing the API powered elements of the site, ensuring that the correct data returned and displayed within the page templates, under my direction.