The British Army has unveiled its revamped public-facing website, crafted in partnership with digital agency Cantarus.
- The collaboration, which began last year, aimed to modernize and enhance the Army’s online presence.
- Key improvements include user-friendly navigation, immersive content, and compliance with accessibility standards.
- The upgraded website supports the Army’s missions in media operations, recruitment, and family support.
- This initiative marks the Army’s most significant digital transformation in over two decades.
The British Army has officially launched its newly redesigned public-facing website, the result of a significant collaboration with Cantarus, a digital agency based in Manchester. This initiative, announced last year, represents a major step forward in the Army’s effort to modernize its digital presence. The partnership has been focused on delivering enhancements, upgrades, and fresh features to the Army’s primary website, www.army.mod.uk.
The website serves as a vital digital hub, central to the Army’s media operations, information dissemination, family support, and recruitment strategies. Cantarus, recognized as an Umbraco Platinum Contributing Partner, was entrusted with designing, developing, and launching the new site in line with the evolving digital strategies and security needs of the Army. This comprehensive upgrade involved a migration to a more current and sustainable version of the Umbraco CMS.
In light of the Army’s largest transformation in over 20 years, this project adopted a data-driven approach to implement intelligent and strategic improvements. Cantarus established a user research and testing program, utilizing data and analytics to identify crucial challenges and insights. As Rob Helsby, the creative director at Cantarus, remarked, “As we emerged from discovery, our experience design team established three guiding principles for the project: Modernity, Excitement, and Unity.”
These foundational principles influenced every aspect of the project, from core functionalities to interaction design. The goal was to create a website that effectively serves diverse audiences, including military historians, the families of active soldiers, and veterans. Efforts included overhauled navigation, integrated 3D objects, interactive tools, and immersive storytelling to deliver a lasting and impactful user experience.
Significantly, the updated website features a modern design with new page components and micro-animations, while maintaining strict adherence to WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards. These enhancements aim to bolster the Army’s ability to provide precise information, engage recruits effectively, and offer support to families and personnel.
Overall, the website upgrade positions the British Army at the forefront of digital innovation, ensuring it meets the needs of its varied audience and aligns with its strategic objectives.
The new British Army website exemplifies a forward-looking digital transformation, underscoring a commitment to modernization and audience engagement.
