Our creative task was to demonstrate the collective expertise of the membership and offer rich content on topics related to elder and special needs law
In the Fall of 2022, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) contracted John Consulting to revitalize their online presence. As a creative technology consultancy, we value all our clients, but feel a special affinity for NAELA because of their meaningful and important service to the elderly and those with special needs and disabilities.
In this article we describe our recent branding journey with NAELA, an industry leading legal academy. You can learn more about how it was implemented in iMIS EMS here.
Beginning with a single step
Our redesign process began as it always does; with us asking a lot of questions. Our vision for the redesigned site would involve an audit of our data collection and business processes to determine how and where we might develop efficiencies and better methodologies. We conducted a functional assessment of the current site and audited our page load times, content tagging, bounce rates and search engine optimization.
We developed a strategy for gathering site engagement data, drafted criteria for benchmarking and drew up key performance indicators to help us define “what success looked like” for the redesigned site. Together with our client partners we conducted online usability surveys, virtual town hall meetings and collected qualitative feedback through one-on-one interviews. All of our efforts in the beginning of the process would help bring our creative target into focus.
Boxes and Arrows
With our success criteria and initial discovery materials in hand, we set about the task of audience definition and content strategy. Our design efforts would seek to create an improved experience for existing members, prospective members and those in search of an elder law and special needs attorney. Our content structure and design elements would need to serve the individual needs of each user group, while presenting a cohesive, elegant experience for all users.
Brand and Creative
Our creative strategy focused on the notion of advocacy. NAELA attorneys are highly credentialed, experienced attorneys with integrity who serve a particularly vulnerable clientele, the elderly and the disabled. Our creative task was to demonstrate the collective expertise of the membership and offer rich content on topics related to elder and special needs law. Some of the new and updated site features include prominent placement for NAELA News and Journal, webinars and events, community message boards and a member directory. The site gives prominent placement to NAELA’s nine business areas and 11 core topics.
With all of our strategic, technical and creative priorities in mind we embarked on a design engagement, updating our client’s brand colors, fonts, photography and illustrations along the way. Our efforts resulted in a modern and elegant aesthetic which preserves the feeling of leadership NAELA is known for in the elder law and special needs community.
