Today, we are proud to announce the launch of the new website for the Brabantse Delta Water Board. This project was characterized by a strong foundation, a well-thought-out approach, and a pleasant collaboration throughout all phases.
A Solid Foundation in the Research Phase
The first phase of the project was entirely focused on research. During this period, we took a close look at the water authority’s requirements. The project team’s vision was clear: “We want to inform and inspire!” A clear objective, but of course, you still have to be able to translate that desire into something suitable. And then there were all the functional requirements (compliance, integrations, etc.) that were specified in the RFP.
To give the project a solid framework, we started by breaking down the requirements and specifications. This made it easier to work toward a design. We knew what types of content and pages needed to be created; all that remained was to translate that into something “inspiring.”
It was crucial that the functional design and the visual design aligned seamlessly. By carefully coordinating these two elements early on, we were able to combine speed and quality later in the process, thereby ensuring an efficient workflow.
Efficient Development Through Smart Phasing
The research phase was followed by the development phase. Thanks to our solid preparation, we were able to carry out this phase very efficiently.
We made a conscious decision to develop the back-end first, based entirely on the functional design. Only then did we begin work on the front-end, using the visual design as our starting point. This sequence ensured a calm, clear, and streamlined development process.
Balancing Informative and Inspirational Elements
The Brabantse Delta Water Board’s brief was clear, but by no means simple: develop a website that is both informative and inspiring.
The informative aspect is fundamentally easy to structure with clear content blocks and a logical page layout. The challenge lay primarily in the inspirational aspect. After all, inspiration is subjective and requires a careful approach.
In the design, we therefore opted for subtle visual effects and a playful use of imagery, in keeping with the Brabantse Delta’s identity. At the same time, we deliberately ensured that these elements never distract from the content. Striking a balance between user experience and readability was central to this approach.
Job Postings Page
CMS Training and Adoption
In the final phase of the project, we worked closely with the teams at the Brabantse Delta Water Board. We organised several sessions to explain the CMS—based on Wagtail—and help them become familiar with it.
The immediate feedback we received was very positive. The CMS was perceived as intuitive and user-friendly—something we ourselves also see as one of Wagtail’s major advantages. This enabled the organisation to quickly begin managing content independently.
A result to be proud of
We look back on this project with great pride—not only because of the end result, but certainly also because of how the collaboration unfolded. At the same time, we look forward with enthusiasm: new requests and opportunities are already in the pipeline to further build upon this platform.
Acknowledgments
We would like to express our gratitude to Wouter Simons of GBBO, who, as interim project manager on behalf of the water board, successfully steered the project in the right direction. Link: https://www.gbbo.nl/over-gbbo/team/wouter-simons/
We’d also like to thank Geert-Jan Hendriks of https://www.studiogj.nl/ for transforming a challenging request into a beautiful and well-executed design.
Want to take a look? https://www.brabantsedelta.nl/