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Company: indigo multimedia limited
Project: Get out there
Dates: Sep 2007 to Jan 2008
How did the project start?
Indigo developed the Get Out There website for Durham County Councils Children and Young People's Service, the site aims to Publicise Positive Activities for Young People aged 13 to 19 and acts as a directory of things to do and places to go for Young People within the County Durham area. As part of a Government pilot to Empower Young People 2600 Young People who are claiming or eligible for free school meals can access up to £30 a month of credits to spend on a huge range of leisure activities. They can find out about, locate and even book anything from kayaking and gorge walking to sugar craft and skateboarding.
What options did you consider?
There were a number of considerations when we approached the development of this site, the main one being the different levels of access different types of users needed. Young people eligible for credits needed the ability to book and spend online, others the ability to request booking information. We developed CMS facilities that would track and confirm bookings, generate receipts and invoices and keep Young Peoples key workers up to date with client activities. The CMS also needed to accommodate the requirements of a large number of suppliers from Sport Centres, to schools and youth clubs and give them the flexibility to regularly update their information easily.
What help and expertise did you receive?
We worked very closely with our clients and their partners when developing the content for the site. We also set up focus groups with young people to help us evolve the design for the site and their input helped inform the look and feel of the site. We achieved a clean and fresh interface, which users can easily use to locate and book a huge range of activities. Features such as personal accounts keep users up to date with activities and bookings and the postcode search facility, means young people can locate the activities near to them.
Did you face any challenges or learn any lessons?
The scale of the project was challenging we needed to ensure the site functioned well on all levels. We had to satisfy the requirements of site users and also meet the needs of suppliers and partners, it was important that we provided CMS solutions that would make the flow of bookings and credit payments, traceable, easy and flexible to manage.
What are the outcomes and how has it improved your business?
The site was launched as a beta version with 500 users; this has will increase to 2,600 registered users accessing activities across the County Durham area. The site has improved access to a range of different leisure activities and continues to give economically disadvantaged young people the opportunity to take part in new and exciting activities that they might not otherwise be able to.
What are your plans for the future?
Positive Activities is part of a wider government agenda to provide opportunities for young people to access out of school activities throughout the year. The success of the site is a reflection of a partnership approach by a number of agencies and includes support from Durham County Council.
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