The Salt Spring Accommodation Group (SSAG) is a non-profit group and an independent association that provides information services for accommodation providers on Salt Spring Island as well as for their guests.
Caorda’s website design team took a well established, yet tired looking website and applied a fresh dose of modern design and WordPress functionality, to give the Salt Spring Accommodation Group a fresh look and a new lease on life!
The Challenge
The Salt Spring Accommodation Group approached Caorda with a clear vision; a completely new website design. They desired a break from the old, busy looking website. They requested a minimalist approach this time around in order to help put the emphasis on the accommodation listings. The team also understood the importance of mobile support and so a clear ‘mobile first’ design philosophy was at the heart of the new build.
The Solution
In the new design, we excluded the ‘artsy & somewhat gaudy’ images that had been causing the old site to look dated. We sourced out and implemented cleaner, flatter iconography and lots of ‘white space’ to help ensure a clean mobile layout.
Content-wise, we reduced the length of the home page text by about two-thirds, by redesigning how the content was presented and reducing unnecessary verbiage. We reorganized and simplified the menu structure and added a prominent universal search bar to help viewers find accommodations. We also added some spectacular, eye-catching photography and implemented useful icons into the property details pages to help viewers understand the content and find what they want.
Since the old site had already been built in WordPress, and the property listings did not require many changes structurally, we were able to leave the database in place. Naturally, we applied some optimization and organization to the data to improve the usability, making it faster and more dynamic and customizable for future enhancements.
Visit the website“We welcome guests to our island and help to educate them on our island resources, green spaces, nature reserves, recycling, water and electrical conservation practices. We encourage guests to walk our trails, kayak our waters, eat in our restaurants, enjoy our talented performers, taste our wine, shop in our funky stores, buy from our artisans in our markets and galleries and enjoy the peace and tranquility of our island beaches!”
