To bring CPDmatch to life, we built a bespoke Laravel site with sophisticated and intuitive system architecture. The project brief specified the need for a solution that could make the site display even when a user did not have access to wifi or 4G, as this is a common scenario in most hospitals.
To provide a solution to this we used a progressive web application, meaning that the site still shows content loaded even when there is a lost connection to the internet. This allows users to still browse while off-line, just without any new loading taking place.
The project called for a full website design that would visually reflect the brand and ethos of CPDmatch. The overall site design needed to be clear, and easy to navigate to allow users to quickly find suitable courses. The Framework design team achieved this by producing a site with a clean and spacious layout, utilising a white background with pops of light blue, purple-blue and turquoise, reminiscent of the NHS branding colours often seen in hospital environments.
Additionally, the website was designed to be very easy to navigate, with clearly labelled sections and buttons that allow the user to quickly find exactly what they are looking for. The site’s fresh and professional look and feel captured the spirit of CPDmatch and helped to encourage user trust and confidence in using the site.
An important aspect of the web design for CPDmatch was that it also needed to be UX focused. The goal was to put the experience of the user first and ensure that they could quickly and easily use the site to find relevant courses. To achieve this, after the initial launch of the site, we worked on optimising the homepage and simplifying the filtering system.
We incorporated a ‘save search’ function, which enables users to save their search input and then when an opportunity matching their requirements becomes available, they will immediately receive a push notification on mobile. This feature was included following user research, collecting feedback from healthcare professionals who had flagged that a difficulty they faced was the lack of time they had to search for CPD opportunities between shifts. This feature could then allow healthcare professionals to simply save their search and have the app alert them when a relevant course was announced.
There was also a discussion around how education providers could use the site. As a way of helping them promote their courses and increase visibility, we introduced ‘push credits’. These are credits designed to be used by education providers as a means to elevate their course to the top of the listings, supplying them with more of an opportunity to be seen by searchers.
The next phases of development for this website promise a plethora of exciting new features, designed to boost user experience and make the site even easier to promote courses on. We’ll be updating the progress of this project as we go, so watch this space.
Framework were my chosen agency for the development of CPDmatch, a PWA designed to become a hub linking millions of global healthcare professionals to education opportunities. I chose Framework because they listened, understood my needs and provided the full package from design, development, deployment and marketing. My idea has now gone from concept to reality and I continue to work closely with the whole team as we develop new modules and respond to the changing needs of this business sector.
Richard Hixon – CEO, CPDMatch
