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Website and Brand Renewal
July 26, 2018By Melanie Hodges Neufeld
The Law Society of Saskatchewan is currently updating its communication processes for members and the public to better meet information needs. Thank you to those members who took the time to complete the recent survey. There were 340 responses between May 4 and 18, 2018 and we are pleased to share some of the key findings:
Approximately 90 per cent of respondents noted they receive the information they need from the Law Society.
More than 90 per cent of respondents preferred to receive time sensitive information via the weekly email updates. For more detailed information, the top preference of respondents was email (85%), with Benchers’ Digest and the Legal Sourcery blog noted as good channels to continue.
Over 40% of the respondents visit the LSS website weekly, about 33% monthly, 12% other and about 10% daily. Some members have incorporated the LSS site or library page as their home page.
More than half of the respondents note the current website meets their needs well, emphasizing the importance of keeping the information current. More than 60 per cent felt the information on the website was either very easy or extremely easy to understand; and the vast majority found it somewhat or very easy to find what they were looking for. About half of the respondents use the site’s search function.
There were several examples of areas members wanted on the home page including: latest news, calendar of events, and a series of quick links. There were also suggestions to consider improving detail related to CPD, provide an improved search function, and enhance the Find a Lawyer function, to note a few.
The most frequently visited subpages off the LSS home page for respondents were: Members’ section, continuing professional development, lawyer regulation, library, publications and information for lawyers and students. Their most common comments focused on career opportunities and Casemail, as well as some recommendations on how to improve the login process for CPD members.
In terms of desired direct links off the home page, respondents’ suggestions included: CanLII, job postings, legal research, Legal Sourcery, and additional reference to CPD programming.
Slightly more than half of the respondents would recommend the website as a reference for a friend or colleague, that they typically spend about the expected amount of time finding detail they are looking for.
While there wasn’t significant interest in the visual aspect of the website, there were areas identified for consideration for any website renewal. This included making sure the site was presented in an organized way and making sure functionality and navigability were kept as priorities. Some members referenced the importance of the visual renewal to keep the process current and not to cause search delays with overuse of visual elements.
What is being done to better meet members’ communication and information needs?
Although not all comments can be addressed immediately, this insight will help to address communication channels and improvement as well as website renewal with the new site expected to be launched later this year. As part of the website renewal, we are looking forward to:
• Providing an improved “Find A Lawyer” link;
• Delivering enhancements to the CPD area of the website for members;
• Improving our weekly email bulletins to members and begin an archived area of this detail;
• Continuing to provide important professional information and trends through the Legal Sourcery blog;
• Scheduling the annual communication update survey of members for May 2019;
Over this year, we will also be updating our visual identity process which will include an updated logo, address numerous inconsistencies and provide for standardized print elements and templates.
All efforts align with our value of open communication and help to meet a goal of providing information in a manner that is in the preference of the user and in a most user-friendly format, whether for our members or the public. Thank you for your patience while we make these improvements. If you would like any further information throughout the process, please contact Melanie Hodges Neufeld at [email protected].