Our client, The Maritime Skills Academy, needed a modern, mobile-responsive online platform to replace their outdated website, which lacked online payment options. Our team developed a high-performance platform with customisable search tools and integrated payment options, enhancing operational efficiency and user satisfaction. Computools assisted in this digital transformation, resulting in increased bookings, higher revenues, and reduced administrative costs for the client.
The Maritime Skills Academy is a prominent provider of maritime crew services to the cruise, commercial, and superyacht industries. Operating as a small business with a world-class training centre, the academy annually welcomes delegates from around the globe. Offering over 500 specialist courses, the academy is committed to meeting the stringent safety standards of the Coastguard Agency, MNTB, and international regulations.
The main problem addressed in this case was the Academy’s outdated website, which lacked online payment options, resulting in poor performance, inferior user experience, and business losses.
We agreed on redesigning and developing a mobile-responsive online platform with customisable search tools and integrated payment options. The solution addressed the immediate challenges and automated key business processes, significantly enhancing operational efficiency, and user satisfaction.
Through the implementation of advanced automation, manual tasks related to bookings, payment administration, and schedule management were significantly reduced. Optimising course scheduling and calendar management throughout the year facilitated improved operational efficiency. The ability to manage group numbers and evenly distribute participation was enhanced, substantially impacting the client’s business.
The outcomes of these developments led to a remarkable year-on-year increase in class bookings. Additionally, there was a notable reduction in unused class spaces, demonstrating a more efficient allocation of resources. The overall impact was a substantial reduction in booking processing and related administrative tasks, including chasers, reminders, and rescheduling efforts.
Computools was chosen for its expertise in user experience design and mobile-first website development, making it the ideal partner to address The Maritime Skills Academy’s challenges. The team’s proficiency in WordPress, JavaScript, MySQL and PHP and commitment to a behaviour-driven development approach ensured a tailored solution aligned with the client’s needs.
An outdated website was the only aspect lacking in the client’s business model. When The Maritime Skills Academy sought to upgrade its outdated website, it carefully chose Computools from among various options.
The decision was based on Computools’ expertise in the required technologies, successful track record, and effective communication. The collaboration resulted in a high-performance website with improved user experience, exceeding the client’s expectations.
Our team created the new mobile-responsive online platform with user-oriented features and multiple integrated payment options. Using a behaviour-driven development approach, the team created a detailed system requirements specification based on the user stories and the business process map.
We identified inefficiencies in the client’s existing website architecture and proposed a comprehensive redesign to streamline the user experience. By customising the search algorithm, we enabled users to search for courses by keyword or filter by category, improving navigation and accessibility.
The design tasks included developing an intuitive user interface with a convenient course search, optimising mobile design, creating a unified design system for consistency, prototyping user flows, and adapting the design to the Maritime Skills Academy’s brand.
Crafted detailed profiles representing typical Maritime Skills Academy users.
Visual representation outlining the website's hierarchical structure and navigation.
Blueprints illustrating the skeletal framework of key interface elements and layout.
Final design showcasing visually appealing, user-friendly interactions and elements.
WordPress
WordPress is a widely used content management system (CMS) that simplifies website creation and management. It offers a user-friendly interface, customisable themes and a range of plugins, making it ideal for building and maintaining websites without extensive technical expertise.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a versatile programming language primarily used for web development. It enables dynamic content creation, interactive features and enhances website user experiences. JavaScript runs in web browsers as a client-side scripting language, facilitating real-time updates and interactivity.
MySQL
MySQL is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) that organises and retrieves data. It is commonly used in web development to store and manage data efficiently. MySQL is known for its reliability, scalability, and compatibility with various programming languages.
PHP
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a server-side scripting language commonly employed for web development. It enables the creation of dynamic web pages by processing code on the server before sending it to the user's browser. PHP is widely used for its flexibility, compatibility, and integration capabilities.
Scrum project management methodology with two-week sprints ensured continuous delivery and fast-paced development. Through close cooperation with the client, the Computools team suggested innovative solutions and received new requirements. The team finalised every sprint by testing and demonstrating newly implemented features.
The Computools team was very rapidely operational despite the complexity of the situation and the need for the team to adapt to our development methodologies. The Computools team could also work very remotely with very good inter-communication with the SBFinance team ensuring good efficiency despite off-shoring.
Computools are experts and act professionally, with lots of guidance on technical recommendations and with easy to understand explanations of what the technical choices mean and why one can be a better website than another. As a result, the development was completed on time and exceeded our expectations. The feedback from our customers was very positive and compared to our previous results we doubled our turnover.
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Computools was selected through an RFP process. They were shortlisted and selected from between 5 other suppliers. Computools has worked thoroughly and timely to solve all security issues and launch as agreed. Their expertise is impressive.