Scientific Knowledge for All

In collaboration with fRI Research, KEEN Creative embarked on a comprehensive redesign of the organization’s website, aiming to enhance its accessibility and search capabilities. Recognizing the impending obsolescence of their existing software, fRI Research sought a solution that would better enable academics, scientists, and policy makers to seamlessly navigate and retrieve vital scientific knowledge. A key goal of the project was to migrate the extensive repository of academic articles, news items, and program publications to a modern and robust CMS. This transition ensured the preservation of valuable research while providing a solid foundation for future updates and expansions. In addition to content migration, KEEN Creative undertook a thorough reevaluation of fRI Research’s categorization and tagging systems, optimizing them for efficient content organization. This was an especially delicate operation, as the fRI site is a multi-site — meaning that changes to this main site would impact the operations of six other sister websites. Our KEEN team worked hard to ensure that performance and speed was not impacted across these interconnected websites. The next major challenge was centred on improving the site’s search functionality. The original search feature was rigid and cumbersome, hindering users’ ability to access relevant articles swiftly. KEEN Creative implemented an intuitive search system that used Natural Language Processing to provide results while handling typos and sentences. This enables users to find the information they seek more effectively, and by using more natural language instead of strict keywords. Working collaboratively, the KEEN team developed working prototypes to obtain stakeholder feedback and ensure the website’s design and structure aligned with user needs. The menu design was thoughtfully negotiated, striking a delicate balance between showcasing the vast range of resources available while ensuring a streamlined and approachable user experience. Throughout the project, KEEN Creative remained committed to meeting deadlines and maintaining an open line of communication with fRI Research.