Macclesfield-based Nexer Digital has been appointed by national homelessness charity Crisis to overhaul the digital services used by more than one million visitors to its website each year.
The design agency will redesign and rebuild the Crisis website, with the new platform expected to launch in early 2027.
The brief will see Nexer Digital create new online journeys for people experiencing homelessness as well as donors, fundraisers, campaigners, volunteers and community partners.
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Crucially, people with lived experience of homelessness and users with accessibility needs will be involved in the design and testing of the new service.
The project will span research, content, design, development, accessibility, data and testing, with the new website built using Umbraco 17.
It is the latest major public and third-sector digital brief for Nexer, which was appointed by the Information Commissioner’s Office to support and overhaul its digital services last year.
The agency subsequently worked with the regulator on its biggest-ever public awareness campaign, creating an accessible online hub aimed at helping parents support children to make safer decisions online.
For Crisis, the new platform is intended to make it easier for people experiencing homelessness to find support and community resources, while simplifying the process for supporters wanting to donate, fundraise, campaign or take part in events.
It will also be designed to give Crisis’s internal teams a more manageable platform and allow the charity to communicate the impact of its work more effectively.
Hilary Stephenson, Managing Director of Nexer Digital, pictured, said: “Crisis’s website has an essential role to play. It must help people access support while giving supporters clear and simple ways to take action and see the difference their support makes.
“We’ll begin with the people who use the website and what they need from it, including members with accessibility needs and lived experience of homelessness. By embedding inclusion from the outset, we can create an online experience that works better for everyone.
“We’re incredibly proud to be working with such a pivotal national charity. With ending homelessness also a key priority for the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, this project feels especially significant to us as a North West-based agency. It is an exciting opportunity to combine our digital expertise with Crisis’s ambition to help end homelessness for good.”
Accessibility has become a significant part of Nexer’s work. The agency previously worked with Bupa to identify and address hundreds of accessibility issues across its digital platforms, and has also developed partnerships aimed at improving access to careers in the technology sector for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Crisis supports thousands of people experiencing homelessness each year through its network of Skylight centres across Great Britain, while more than 6,150 people volunteer to support its work.
Lucy Noble, Digital Product/User Experience Lead at Crisis, said: “Our website is an important way for people to find vital information and get involved. We want every visitor to be able to find what they need quickly and easily, whatever their circumstances or access needs.
“This project will help us reach and support more people, strengthen our fundraising and campaigning, and communicate the impact of our work more clearly. It will also give our teams a website that is easier to manage and develop as our organisation and services evolve.
“Nexer Digital’s charity and public-sector experience, collaborative approach and commitment to inclusion made them the right partner for us. Its team combines a strong understanding of accessibility and lived experience with the technical and security expertise needed to deliver a project of this scale.”
Nexer will continue to provide digital support to Crisis following the launch of the new website.
