CTI is working with international affairs think tank, Chatham House, to create a directory of experts in Russia, the Eastern Partnership and Central Asia region.
The Manchester agency won a competitive tender process to build the interactive, online directory.
The project, called Eksperty, is supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung and is intended to “re-energise media conversations with a more diverse set of voices.”
CTI worked with an in-house team and undertook research to find out what media, conference developers and political experts would require from the online tool.
The digital team chose to build it on on Drupal 8 due to its enhanced security, accessibility and flexibility. It’s also the same platform used for the main Chatham House website.
“The success of this project was down to our collaborative understanding of the fundamental challenge. Chatham House knew that it was difficult for leaders and journalists to access experts, but it was the ‘why’ and ‘how’ which needed to form the solution,” explained Jamie Feely, Account Manager at CTI Digital.
“Using a design sprint and rapid prototyping our Digital Strategy and Drupal experts were able to deliver something that is simple where it needs to be, and complex where complexity is required.”
The experts are invited to manage their own profiles within the directory. Then, once they are vetted and approved, they are made public. The search enables users to refine results as they go along, to ensure the correct person is found, not just the one who uses the right terminology.
“The CTI Digital team understood the broader vision behind this project, brought fresh ways of thinking, and remained focused on making the directory a success,” added Dora Popova, Digital Experience Manager at The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House.
“Since gaining access to the platform, we have already begun building profiles for regional experts. Over 150 experts have expressed interest in participating and we have added over 40 profiles to the directory already. We are excited about the potential this platform provides for boosting visibility and recognition for early-to-mid-career experts from the region.”
