Suicide or Survive – Dublin

Suicide or Survive cultivating good mental health around a touchy topic

The Client
Suicide or Survive is well established. This is a very well organised charity organisation, with a wonderful efficient, friendly, empathetic team. They deliver training courses or programmes nationwide. The satisfaction rate with attendees is super high. They deliver beyond expectation every time. Headed up by the charismatic Caroline McGuigan, this charity is so well respected.

The Problem
Whilst Suicide or Survive as an organisation is very successful, is always busy, is hugely efficient, the website was failing it miserably. The design was drab and too corporate, serious and uninviting. Navigation was poor, pages repetitive, functionality clunky and it was hard to find what you wanted. The site was huge and people were getting lost in it, then leaving without any inclination to engage with the people behind the website. Feedback was terrible. The whole team felt it was time to upgrade.

The Brief
The tender process included a very detailed brief, to ensure that any agency who tendered would be competent, experienced and understanding of the organisation. They would be expected to understand the brief, the aims of SOS and the people it serves. The issues outlined above had to be eliminated totally. A new ‘fresh’ look had to be brought to design, content and feel. Suicide is a serious topic, but it can be discussed without formality. And design does not have to be washed out or lacking in colour.

The Approach
We started with a written Brief of our own interpretation of the project, for approval at SOS. Then we created a wireframe or layout for approval by the team at SOS. Then we wrapped that up with a proposed custom design for approval, which succeeded on the first attempt. It aced its objectives, adding a ‘feel’ that had been missing for years and a simplicity that made the new website instantly more engaging.  Then we built a business website that focused on the courses on offer, whilst backing them up with any of the supporting information that might be required to answer any questions 24/7/365. 

Using great photography and videography from SOS plus some custom graphic elements and pages, we populated the website with existing content and the pages all flowed better than ever before. We optimised for the agreed key terms. Then we trained six members of the team on managing their own new site. They were all blown away by the power and the simplicity of it all – see the video review. 

The Results for Suicide or Survive
The whole management team is feeling empowered. They are all individually seeing ways that the website can support their own departments. Whether that is presenting courses online or marketing offline courses, engaging with clients or sponsors or simply promoting courses, events and activities. Everything about the new website is welcoming and there is nothing hidden or lost in the website. CEO Caroline McGuigan said “The best part of the project was the relationship with you at MEANit. Working with you was easy, the way that you communicated with us. Nothing was too much trouble. And no question was stupid”

The Results for MEANit
We have a happy charity client who is happy that they made the right call. Maybe not the obvious call, or the lowest cost option either, but the one the ‘gut got’.
The Suicide or Survive website is on a Care Plan and we are actively working with SOS on how the web can help them deliver more for their audience.
And we got a great feeling from working with such a fantastic team of people at SOS, as well as making a big difference for a lot of people, who are badly in need of any help that they can get. More people will sign up for these courses as a result of the success of this project. This is the sort of work we love.