British Society for Haematology

About British Society of Haematology.

The British Society for Haematology (BSH) is the largest haematology organisation in the UK with over 2,600 members globally. Founded in 1960, it supports haematology professionals through education, guidelines, and research, enhancing patient care and clinical standards.

The Challenge.

In 2021, BSH approached us with the mission to become a leading resource for up-to-date, evidence-based guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of haematological diseases. Their existing legacy system, developed by various agencies and contractors, was error-prone with poorly documented API, held unused data and failed to meet the business's needs due to frequent bugs and performance issues. Our challenge was to create a user-centric website optimised for a diverse audience that would enable users to easily search, access, and manage specialised information.

Our Solution.

To address BSH’s objective, we delivered a comprehensive suite of services. Starting with a feasibility study, we assessed code structure, plug-in status, front-end performance, user account setup, hosting, and security.  

In November 2022, we successfully upgraded the British Society of Haematology's system from Umbraco 7 to Umbraco 9, enhancing security, performance, and usability, and implemented load balancing for increased performance and resilience. We used our Umbraco Migration Tool to smoothly transition all database components, including over five years of Umbraco content, media, and member information, while integrating essential customisations like property editors and data types. This upgrade also involved moving to a modern, fully load-balanced AWS infrastructure, keeping the original front end to stay within budget limits. This process also presented an opportunity to clean up unused data and improve information architecture. A detailed migration plan was created, highlighting timelines and responsibilities, in close collaboration with the client. 

Pre- upgrade, the feasibility study evaluated code quality, plug-in support, and security standards, ensuring any potential issues were addressed ahead of the migration. We also enhanced the platform's functionality by integrating it with Subscriber CRM and the OPayo payment gateway. To streamline the integration with Subscriber CRM, we implemented a bespoke API client and simplified the communication between CMS and CRM. Collaborating closely with the CRM provider and the client, we improved knowledge sharing and discovery, and implemented scheduled tasks to sync data between CMS and CRM. 

To address user needs, we conducted a comprehensive UX audit and facilitated several workshops. Focusing on improving accessibility, responsiveness, and user interaction, especially in search and filtering. Our workshops developed detailed personas to understand user needs and align website features accordingly. Leveraging these insights, we optimised site functionality and user interface, using interactive wireframes for desktop and mobile to meet all user requirements effectively. 

Throughout the project, clear and consistent communication was a priority for us to maintain client trust and confidence. This open dialogue ensured that the migration process was transparent and aligned with the client's expectations. Our innovative approach, particularly our advanced content mapping and migration techniques, has since become a model for similar projects, which showed our commitment to providing top-tier, customised solutions for our clients.

The Result.

We've delivered a firm and steady foundation for BSH in their goal of becoming leading resource for up-to-date, evidence-based guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of haematological diseases.  

The live website we created has showcased remarkable stability since its launch, experiencing no downtime or issues with system integration or syncing. We continue to host and provide ongoing support for the website, aligning with BSH's strategic objectives as we develop new projects together. 

We've managed to provide BSH with a strong sense of confidence during the initial onboarding and throughout the project delivery process. We've shown them that we're invested in their organisation and value our long-term partnership with them.