Driving donations through improved experiences for charity DEBRA UK
Score on AA WAG 2.2 accessibility metrics.
Securing Gift Aid checks for approx. 60% of donation submissions to date.
Furniture collection submissions since launch.
DEBRA UK is a dedicated medical research charity and patient support organisation helping people affected by epidermolysis bullosa (EB). It’s also one of the largest global investors in EB research. Its membership is free and open to anyone living with EB or supporting someone with the disorder. As a member, you can access practical, emotional, and financial support, as well as opportunities to connect with the wider EB community.
Core Services Provided
Our task
Tribus was appointed by DEBRA UK to create an accessible website that put the needs of its community front and centre.
From an inclusive colour palette to an improved donation process, this project was all about delivering the details needed to build a more inclusive, engaging, and impactful website that was able to accommodate users with a range of needs.
Our approach
To maximise this project’s potential, our Digital Consultancy and Innovation team began by testing and enhancing the brief to discover any hidden opportunities. We also introduced processes and platforms that would help unearth useful insights, unite internal teams, and share ongoing progress.
As EB can cause a range of accessibility issues (such as loss of hearing from lesions in the ear canal or impaired sight from blisters), accessibility was a crucial consideration from the outset. So, we assigned a lead developer with W3C certification in accessibility to the team, and built the website from the ground up, adhering to the development standards for security and accessibility. We also used our experience to advise on a range of decisions and developments, from high-contrast colour combinations that improved legibility to plug-in tools for accessibility.
To ensure the right content was accessible to the right people, our Digital Performance & Technical Marketing experts audited DEBRA UK’s existing website content and conducted SEO research. This informed the site structure and provided content recommendations for future use.
Next, our UX & Design team conducted a series of exercises to help understand and cater for DEBRA UK’s segmented stakeholders and website users. From mapping out user scenarios to testing and validating prototypes, we took the steps needed to shape a new website navigation structure and designs. Based on our designs, our Software & Product Engineering experts delivered a custom WordPress development. This included integration with the existing Access Charity CRM to streamline workflows for donations. It also allowed us to build using a modular approach, ensuring any future updates to the site could be delivered quickly and easily by the DEBRA UK team.
Today, we continue to work with the DEBRA UK team, providing hosting, support and maintenance for the website on an ongoing basis.
Where things developed
Donation opportunities
Technical skills
Additional investment
Our results
Easy to use
94% Accessibility score
Streamlined
10,000
Don't take our word for it
"I really enjoyed working with Tribus on the development of DEBRA’s website. The team brought fresh, creative ideas to the design and helped us build something that truly reflects our identity and mission. They were technically solid, making sure everything worked seamlessly behind the scenes and ticking all the boxes when it comes to accessibility, mobile readiness, technical SEO. I’m really pleased with the final result and appreciate their support throughout the journey" Luis Calvo, Head of Digital Marketing, DEBRA UK