NOT A REBUILD. AN EXTENSION TO WHERE
THE AUDIENCE MOVED.

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Work > Middletown Centre for Autism

Middletown Centre for Autism (MCA) was established by the Department of Education in Ireland and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland to support excellence in the education of children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders. Their training, research and resources are used by parents, carers, professionals and educators across the island of Ireland.

We've worked with MCA for many years as their digital partner, supporting and extending an existing administration platform that runs the centre's day-to-day operations. When their service users' needs shifted, the question wasn't whether the platform was good. It was whether it was reaching the parents, carers and professionals it was built to serve, on the devices they were actually using.

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THE PROBLEM

The existing platform was solid. It managed courses, bookings, delegate records, trainer information and hundreds of resources, and MCA's staff used it confidently every day. But it had been built for a desktop browser, and that wasn't how a growing share of MCA's audience were trying to access it.

Users

The primary users were busy parents, carers and education professionals. Many were trying to book training, find resources or check certifications in the gaps between school runs, clinical appointments and full-time jobs. A desktop-only experience didn't fit those gaps.
Internal Systems

MCA's internal systems were already working. Replacing them or running a parallel mobile system would have meant duplicate data entry, inconsistent records and more work for staff who were already stretched.
Access Issues

During COVID-19, this stopped being a usability issue and became an access issue. MCA discovered that many of their service users didn't have a personal computer at home. They had a phone. Without a mobile experience, the platform was effectively unreachable for the people who needed it most.
Multiple Platforms

MCA's resources were spread across the legacy platform and several WordPress sites. Service users were expected to know where to look. Most didn't.

OBJECTIVES

Scaffold Digital had an existing relationship with the team at Middletown Centre for Autism. We were working with them to support, extend and maintain a legacy web platform they had built through another supplier.

This administration platform is used by all teams in MCA to administer the many services they provide. The platform houses course information, booking facilities, delegate management and trainer management functionality. Alongside hundreds of resources to further support parents and professionals living and working with people who have Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Middletown understands the landscape of how their users interact with digital services and content has changed. The web platform did not provide users with any sort of mobile experience. With this in mind, MCA commissioned us to design and develop a mobile app that would provide service users with the same functionality as the web portal, with some useful additions. It was decided the app would include, course information, course booking, resources, and account management capabilities. The app directly links with their legacy platform via a bespoke API to pull all of the relevant information into the app. This meant that administrators at MCA did not need to spend any additional time entering information and adding resources to the app.

“Working with Sarah-Jane and her team has been a rewarding experience, and I can’t recommend them highly enough to anyone looking for dedicated, knowledgeable, and innovative digital solutions.”

Dr Rachel Ferguson / Researcher Middletown Centre for Autism

THE OUTCOME

We have developed an app for iOS and Android that is compatible with smartphone and tablet.

Service users at MCA now have access to course information, useful resources and the most up to date information coming from the centre. It allows users to quickly and effectively manage their MCA account, book courses, access resources and course certifications. During the COVID-19 pandemic it became evident to MCA that many of their service did not have access to personal computers, but most people had access to mobile devices. With this in mind, it propelled the need for a mobile app-based solution that afforded users the same functionality and user experience as the web portal.