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Highways Agency Technology Manual

Redevelopment for the old resource site

Highways Agency Technology Manual

A complete overhaul of the Highways Agency's Online Technology Manual was really needed to make it readily accessible to it's engineers and technicians from anywhere in the world.

The Technology Manual is a large yet comprehensive online resource for the staff at the Highways Agency, that is reached either via their own Intranet or for some people it is available via a user login directly through the Internet. The task set to Wiseguy by the WSP Group, the engineering consultants responsible for the development and maintenance of the manual, was a tricky one.

A screengrab of the Highways Agency Technology Manual

First and foremost the site needed a design overhaul and to address primarily the navigation and user experience, as the site is an important tool for lots of people with varying levels of website and Internet experience. The design needed to fulfill the brand parameters of the Highways Agency, as well as looking clean and fresh, so Wiseguy advised to emulate the main Highways Agency website and extend rather than manipulate the existing identity.

A key requirement of the website and it's development included the facility to have a user-friendly Content Management System that could faciliate the demands of a publishing environment. The administration area has varying levels of access: Administrator access allows the site's two main adminstrators to control the way the site functions; Editorial access means that before any amendments are approved, the editor can check them and sign them off; Staff access allows for everyone to contribute and update articles, ready for approval by the editor.

Much of the consultancy work delivered by Wiseguy was in observing the current practices and then creating a solid structure and best-practice system for the new site. The new site now offers an easy colour-coded system for navigation, article archives, latest update feeds, news articles, as well as a forum for registered users to discuss issues related to them and the Technology Manual.

Eventually the site will also deliver some content that is public-facing and the rest under it's current user system, all of which has already been catered for in the development. But for now, we know that they are really pleased with it and now is used an essential part of their engineer's resources.