The Finnish Gymnastics Federation
The Finnish Gymnastics Federation is one of the largest sports federations in Finland, with around 375 member clubs that engage up to 130,000 Finns in physical activity. The Finnish Gymnastics Federation provides a wide range of expert services and tools to support gymnastics activities and simplify the daily operations of clubs. It also trains approximately 4,000 instructors and coaches annually.
The primary functions of the Voimistelu.fi website are to provide information to internal and external stakeholders, communicate about events, training sessions, and competitions, and serve as the first step in the registration process for these activities.
Challenges
The Finnish Gymnastics Federation’s previous website, built in 2015 using the DNN content management system, presented significant limitations for the federation. The site’s performance was not up to current standards, and the possibility for the Federation to independently develop or update the site was limited. One of the most notable issues was mobile usability — Google’s PageSpeed Insights scored the site only 18 for mobile.
News content on the old site was scattered across multiple pages and categories, making it difficult for users to find specific information quickly. The site’s navigation was confusing, and the search functionality was inadequate — often users found information more easily through Google than the site’s internal search.
From a maintenance perspective, updating the site took too much time, and even minor adjustments felt like major tasks due to the system’s slow and cumbersome interface. Content input was one of the biggest issues, which is why The Finnish Gymnastics Federation’s team sought a partner to help manage the site’s ongoing updates.
The Finnish Gymnastics Federation graphic design had been updated in 2013. While they wanted to maintain the brand’s color scheme, logos, and fonts, there was a desire to refresh the website based on these guidelines. The old style, which had many separate sections operating as individual websites, was no longer suitable.
Goals
The Finnish Gymnastics Federation aims to be the heart of the gymnastics community — an inviting yet authoritative showcase of gymnastics as a sport. The goal is not to present the federation solely as a representative of elite, professional gymnasts, but to show that gymnastics is for everyone, bringing fun and joy to people of all ages, especially children. The Finnish Gymnastics Federation wanted to reach beyond the gymnastics “bubble” and attract new enthusiasts to the sport.
The Finnish Gymnastics Federation’s team sought a better-designed user journey and a service that would provide a significantly improved experience for end users. It was essential for users to easily find the information they needed. On the old site, the same information could be scattered across different pages, so one of the key aspects of the redesign was to streamline the content and present it in the right places. Additionally, the site’s loading speeds needed to improve, and the site was to be better optimized for mobile devices. Accessibility also became a higher priority in the design, content, and technical execution.
Design
Before the project started, The Finnish Gymnastics Federation had already thought extensively about the structure of the website and had created two preliminary versions of the sitemap. From the beginning, it was clear that the site would be built with a focus on target audiences and user groups. The main navigation was designed to directly address different target groups — now each group has its own section in the navigation, making it easy for them to find the information they need under their specific menu.
At the start of the project, we worked closely with The Finnish Gymnastics Federation to refine the different user groups and their needs. This allowed us to determine what types of content and pages were required for each group and what the priority of those needs was. This formed the foundation for the sitemap and wireframe design. We collaborated closely with The Finnish Gymnastics Federation, including through workshops, to ensure we had the best insights for the website’s redesign.
Once the sitemap was finalized, we moved on to wireframing. The Finnish Gymnastics Federation gathered internal feedback and suggestions, after which the final wireframes were tested with real users. These included both individuals outside the gymnastics community and those already involved in the sport, such as participants and coaches. Based on the results of the user testing, we iterated on the wireframes before moving on to designing the visual look and feel.
Results
The new, clear, and fresh Voimistelu.fi website was launched in December 2021. The site serves The Finnish Gymnastics Federation’s various user groups well, as each group now has its own section in the navigation. The structure is much clearer, more open, and easier to scan.
The new website aligns with The Finnish Gymnastics Federation‘s brand and makes excellent use of its broad color palette, presenting a friendly, energetic, and colorful appearance. The site highlights the diversity of gymnastics and conveys that the sport can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels.
With the new website, maintenance has been significantly easier. The Finnish Gymnastics Federation’s team now has the tools to update the site efficiently on their own.
