Järvi-Suomen Energia – From a rigid information channel to an accessible service platform
Järvi-Suomen Energia builds, maintains and develops the electrical grid in the Järvi-Suomi area. The project to redesign Järvi-Suomen Energia’s website started in January 2020 and the site was published the following May. The project resulted in more practical digital services and provided insight into new methods and data-driven website development.
Building a user-friendly site
The primary goal of the project was to transform the site from a mere information channel to a versatile service platform. The site no longer met the needs of the company, which called for a new platform where content would be easier to manage. Better findability and searchability were also on the list of improvements.
Järvi-Suomen Energia wanted the new site to be more versatile but also to have a clearer structure. Mobile devices were given more focus in the comprehensive process of rewriting the website contents. The company hoped for an easy-to-update and visually fresh website.
An electricity grid company offers public services, which is why the site wasn’t intended as a sales platform. Its main goal is to convey information to users about potential power outages due to grid maintenance or storms, pricing details and safe excavations. Also building new grid and the development of small-scale energy production were highlighted in the planning process. As the icing on the cake, the site had to be as easy-to-use and accessible as possible, no matter what device you browse on.
Clarity and accessibility in the spotlight
We started the large project by conducting a profound analysis of the client’s service and offering and the site users’ expectations. Accessibility became the guiding light for the project in terms of technological solutions and content, as well as visual identity.
The site structure was planned together with Järvi-Suomen Energia, always keeping the site users and customer service in mind. We paid special attention to the accessibility and transparency of the pricing.
We tackled the transparency issue by creating examples of different pricing scenarios that give end users better visibility than price lists. We also improved the findability of the prices by replacing downloadable PDF files with easy-to-read pricing information that is available directly on the website.
We redesigned the information architecture and navigation. The content was edited to be more intuitive and to guide users towards relevant information along clear paths.
The visual identity is based on a brand identity Järvi-Suomen Energia created with Blink Helsinki. We kept the layout as clear and approachable as possible. High contrasts, white space, a big font and scalability make the site visually accessible.
The site was built on WordPress using the Gutenberg editor, which enables content modularity and provides a modern dashboard with preview. The predictive search feature on the website also includes PDF and Word files.
A success for the client and the users
User tests for the published site show that the information architecture is logical and information is easy to find. The usability test participants held a unanimous view that the new site is comprehensible and easy to use.
The collaboration with Järvi-Suomen Energia was close, which helped us to make measured decisions that everyone could commit to. “Working with Paper Planes was straightforward, highly motivating and interactive,” the Järvi-Suomen Energia team states.
The project resulted in a clear, functional and user-centric website around a complex but important subject matter that affects nearly everyone. Järvi-Suomen Energia is now more equipped to inform their customers about the status of the electrical grid, pricing and customer service. “Every project has its own rhythm and in this one everyone danced to the beat of the same drum,” concludes the Järvi-Suomen Energia team.