On behalf of the Board, the IOPA Staff and the Website Committee, we are pleased to announce the launch of our new website and updated brand on Wednesday, July 16th 2025. Visitors to the public-facing areas of the IOPA website will experience a fresh new look, with refined content and improved ‘user journey’.
A snapshot of the reason for and the process behind the website rebuild
Three years ago, the project was effectively forced upon us by the software upon which Institute digital processes and the website relied becoming obsolete and unprotected. This offered the opportunity to revise and update the whole system, of which the website was a small part.
The Website Committee was established and initially comprised of ourselves as chair/member and candidate rep respectively at the time, and Gareth Bentley, Karina Zorlakis, Jemma Hemsworth and the then CEO Caroline Langley. The work included a detailed charting of all Institute business and operational processes, data management, revision of the website and development of a new logo.
With appointment of a design agency, focus groups with both Members and non-members were held leading to the development of the logo, colour palette, visual identity and initial designs. The staff of the Institute once again proved their worth in considering how our processes could be improved and developed.
Unfortunately, the Institute parted ways with the original technology partner selected for the project in 2024. This was due to a number of factors relating to their performance and understanding of our requirements.
Overtime the committee changed too, with Steph Izzard replacing Gareth Bentley, and Jennifer Norton replacing Caroline Langley. A new tech partner was appointed in January and we have a very good working relationship with them. The work has been divided into two phases, the first phase has included bringing our systems up to date and the launch of our new website, finally allowing us to officially launch the new brand. This launch sees the end of the first phase which is the more important but less visible of the two.
Once live we will be able to move into phase two which allows for continuous improvement across our functions and enhancing the ways in which members interact with the organisation. In the autumn the work of substantially refurbishing the members’ login area will begin. The aim remains to make it more useful and pleasurable for our members, candidates and staff to use. This will include a more interactive and informative members’ roster to help us get to know more about each other in our now more online-meeting community.
This website concept has been developed with various input from our membership through consultations and usability testing, we are grateful to everyone who has taken a part in getting us to this point in the project. With phase two of the project on the horizon, the website will undergo continued development and updates. We look forward to hearing your opinions about the website and welcome any feedback.