National Environmental Education Foundation
Cultivating Lifelong Environmental Learning for Multiple Audiences
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category
Design & UI
Digital Engineering
Research & Strategy
User Experience
capability
Design Systems
Drupal
Migration
Mobile & Responsive
Technical Architecture
User Research
industry
Environmental & Non-profits
The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) partnered with Oomph to reimagine its digital experience and connect users more effectively online with its vast environmental education resources – from heat waves to algal blooms. Equally dedicated to people and the planet, NEEF offers unique online and in-person learning experiences designed to make the environment more relatable and relevant. Oomph worked alongside NEEF to turn strategic, user-centric design into an engine for connection.
THE BRIEF
Connecting People and Planet
NEEF’s website is the gateway that connects its audiences to a vast array of learning experiences – but its existing platform was falling short. The organization needed more visually interesting resources and content, but it also knew its legacy Drupal site couldn’t keep up.
NEEF wanted to build a more powerful platform that could seamlessly:
- Communicate its mission and showcase its impact to inspire potential funders
- Broaden its audience reach through enhanced accessibility, content, and SEO
- Be a valuable resource by providing useful and engaging content, maps, toolkits, and online courses
- Build relationships by engaging users on the front end with easy-to-use content, then seamlessly channeling that data into back-end functionality for user-based tracking
THE APPROACH
Strategy is the foundation for effective digital experiences and the intuitive designs they require. Oomph first honed in on NEEF’s key goals, then implemented a plan to meet them: leveraging existing features that work, adding critical front- and back-end capabilities, and packaging it all in an engaging, user-centric new website.
Information architecture is at the core of user experience (UX). We focused on organizing NEEF’s information to make it more accessible and appealing to its core audiences: educators, conservationists, nonprofits, and partners. Our designers then transformed that strategy into strategic wireframes and dynamic designs, all of which we developed into a custom Drupal site.
The New NEEF: User-Centered Design
A Custom Site To Fuel Connection
NEEF needed a digital platform as unique as its organization, which is why Oomph ultimately delivered a suite of custom components designed to accommodate a variety of content needs.
Engaging and thoughtful design
NEEF’s new user experience is simple and streamlined. Visual cues aid in wayfinding (all Explore pages follow the same hero structure, for example), while imagery, micro-interactions (such as hover effects) and a bold color palette draw the user in. The UX also emphasizes accessibility and inclusivity; the high contrast between the font colors and the background make the website more readable for people with visual impairments, while people with different skin tones can now see themselves represented in NEEF’s new library of 100 custom icons.
Topic-based browsing
From water conservation to climate change, visitors often come to the NEEF site to learn about a specific subject. We overhauled NEEF’s existing site map to include topic-based browsing, with pages that roll resources, storytelling, and NEEF’s impact into one cohesive package. Additional links in the footer also make it easier for specific audiences to find information, such as nonprofits seeking grants or teachers looking for educational materials.
NPLD-hosted resources and event locator
Oomph refreshed existing components and added new ones to support one of NEEF’s flagship programs, National Public Lands Day (NPLD). People interested in hosting an event could use the new components to easily set one up, have their own dashboard to manage, and add their event to NEEF’s event locator. Once the event has passed, it’s automatically unlisted from the locator — but archived so hosts can duplicate and relaunch the event in future years.
THE RESULTS
Protecting the Planet, One User at a Time
Oomph helped NEEF launch its beautiful, engaging, and interactive site in May 2023. Within three months, NEEF’s team had built more than 100 new landing pages using the new component library, furthering its goal to build deeper connections with its audiences.
As NEEF’s digital presence continues to grow, so will its impact — all with the new custom site as its foundation.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
