Language Disorder Australia
Language Disorder Australia are Australia’s trusted provider of high-quality education, support and advocacy for children and young people with Language Disorder.
Extraordinary outcomes for young people with Language Disorder
Testimonial:
I’ve been involved in many web projects before, but I have never had a developer that is so responsive and capable as Melinda. She is a joy to work with and gives me the confidence and peace of mind of knowing that no matter the challenge, she is always ready to deliver.
-- Sergio LordaoMarketing & Communications Manager, Language Disorder Australia
Web project details:
Having worked with the Speech & Language Disorder Australia team on their websites since 2017, I was delighted to take on the task of revising their web assets when they underwent a rebrand at the beginning of 2022.
Working closely with the Marketing and Communications manager, over the course of several months I identified, designed and developed a new bespoke WordPress theme & solution to suit Sergio’s biggest wish-list item: to be able to implement any design block in any position on any page.
This encouraged me to come up with a new way of developing WordPress themes, which also streamlined how I design. Instead of presenting the client with a series of page designs based on the sitemap (which we developed during scope phase), I was able to present a single, looooong design, which featured “modules”. These modules would then be implemented in the theme in a way that allowed Sergio to add any module at any point on any page, and construct the website using a common set of design structures.
Modularisation revolutionises how I build websites
This ended up being a similar development method to the Function Well website. I was able to set up conditional logic so when the client selects which block type they want to add, it displays the fields only relevant to that block. In the code, rather than having to create a series of templates to suit each different page type, I then used a single template with a series of if statements pointing to part files, which are only called if that content block type has been both selected, and populated.
It might sound more complicated than the usual create page > add content > publish, but it allows for such flexibility of content, without having to worry about the front end aesthetic, as the fields are simple file upload and text editors. The spacing, responsiveness for handheld devices, everything front end is managed by the code, still.
Once Sergio and I completed the Language Disorder Australia website, we then moved onto Bright Door, their connected allied health service, which uses exactly the same theme, since the modularisation is so flexible. This was a huge cost-saver for the client, and a breeze for me; I updated the variables to suit the new brand assets, made a few tweaks here and there depending on slightly different requirements, and boom. Next website done, providing consistency for the front-end user to help identify the brand, and consistency for the client as they know exactly how to edit their website (it’s the same as their other website).
The third web asset in the Language Disorder Australia portfolio is their connected school, once Glenleighden, now Mancel College. This website (at time of writing this case study) is still in its staging phase, but again, is able to use the exact same theme, with tweaks to suit the College’s specific needs. In the meantime, a holding website has been put live, so Google can start crawling the new domain, and so parents and carers can find the information they need, despite the new website still being in development.
The development method implemented on Language Disorder Australia has changed the way I develop websites, streamlined the design process, and will ultimately mean I can make more awesome websites for more awesome people.