One of the largest defence projects in Australia is the construction of three Hobart Class Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs). The multi-year, $8 billion project is being delivered by the AWD Alliance made up of the Defence Materiel Organisation, ASC and Raytheon Australia. The first ship is scheduled to be handed over in 2014.
Despite the scale and visibility of the project, the AWD Alliance's original website was falling short in many areas. The AWD Alliance engaged Fusion to overhaul its website, designing it from the ground up to be the AWD Alliance's core strategic communications platform.
As we undertook our 'define' and 'design' phases, it became obvious that there was an opportunity to improve the timeliness and value of the information being communicated via the website.
By getting under the skin of the personas of groups who would use the website, we established that getting a snap shot of the project was quite important. We solved this problem with the creation of a fast facts panel with information graphics that quickly communicates the technical specifications of the destroyers.
To give visitors a feel for the scale of the project and its progress, we created an interactive timeline that is accessible anywhere on the website. It is easily updated with planned and met milestones by the AWD Alliance using Helium®, our content management system. Design of the timeline echoes the visual language that you would see on a ships navigational instruments.
Improving the accessibility and frequency of information about the project was achieved by encouraging the AWD Alliance to communicate news as it occurs via a 'Project update' service, rather than the previous method of bundling items into one big ad-hoc update. Visitors can opt-in to receive project updates via email or RSS. Potential project suppliers are kept informed of opportunities with 'Work-Packages' tenders published to the website via a cleanly integrated XML feed from a legacy system. The latest career opportunities also rely on XML to import the latest jobs available from three different sources.
"The final product has allowed us to transform one of our most visible communication tools from a drab collection of information into an interesting energetic site which encourages repeat visits." said Jon Moore, Services Director - Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance.
We were really proud when AWD also made the following comments:
"The innovative solutions Fusion developed for some of our more interesting requests set them apart from other companies...The Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance is dedicated to the timely delivery of Australia's next generation of Navy Destroyers, and as such we appreciated the professionalism, innovation and above all timeliness that Fusion brings to its work. Our new website reflects the scope, energy and excitement of this nation building project and it is thanks for Fusion that our vision for the site has come so vividly to the screen." said Jon Moore, Services Director - Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance.
View it for yourself at:
http://www.ausawd.com/
Fusion were recently engaged by Department of Trade and Economic Development (DTED) to plan, design and develop a data enquiry web application that aggregates a vast array of economic, social and environmental indicators.
Our Heapsgood brand campaign was recently covered by A Current Affair. From the feedback we received via friends and family, it seems that many people are still watching the old analogue box and tuning into ACA.
