Partnering with YTK in web service development
The YTK Unemployment Fund is Finland’s largest open unemployment fund with nearly one in four employees being a member. Fund members have the opportunity to join the YTK Worklife Association. The fund provides security to its members during challenging times in their careers, while the association offers opportunities for professional development and skill enhancement.
Background and goals
The YTK Unemployment Fund and YTK Worklife were looking for a partner to help develop their web services to better meet evolving needs. The previous web service structure no longer aligned with the new brand’s objectives, and the websites for employment and income security services were too similar to each other.
The clients sought to improve the user experience from both the perspective of customer groups and content management. The goal was to refresh the web services so that the visual design aligned with the new brand identity, while also switching from a custom-built solution to an open-source platform.
The objective was to create a website ecosystem that would be simple, user-friendly, secure, and fast for both users and website administrators.
"We are very satisfied with the collaboration and the final result. We got fantastic new websites that met all the goals we set at the beginning of the project."
Elli Lindqvist
Marketing Analyst, YTK
Brand differentiation
The YTK Unemployment Fund’s brand renewal was completed in the fall of 2022. The renewal included a name change for both the unemployment fund and the association, as well as an updated visual identity for both. The driving force behind this transformation was the desire to offer customers more clearly differentiated services, clarify the roles of the YTK-branded entities, and shift the focus from unemployment services to employment-related services.
As a result, we developed two distinct websites, Ytkkassa.fi and Ytkpalvelut.fi. The web services were implemented as completely separate instances, while still sharing a common codebase, blocks, and functionality. This approach allowed for a cost-effective solution for two different organizations. The websites were designed to visually differ from each other, making it easier for users to navigate between the services and identify which site corresponds to their needs.
Member acquisition at the core of the renewal
One of the primary objectives of the websites is to attract new members, which is why a special focus of the project was on creating clear user flows and building an informative, visually appealing experience.
In this project, we developed a modern, informative, and stylish website that delivers information about memberships. Optimizing the conversion path for member acquisition is also a cornerstone for future development.
Technical implementation
We implemented the websites using the WordPress content management system, leveraging the Gutenberg content editor, which enables smooth and efficient content management. With Gutenberg, content creators can quickly create new pages and easily manage all content. Instead of static page templates, we built the pages using various content blocks, allowing even large changes to be made without vendor assistance. During the design phase, we defined the blocks to be used across the site, which can be applied to almost any page.
From a technical perspective, the goals of the website revamp were ease of maintenance and accessibility. The WordPress CMS gives content creators full flexibility to modify pages as desired directly in the page editing view. Unlike outdated form-based content editors, the Gutenberg editor displays content blocks in a manner that closely resembles how they will appear on the actual page.
Another key technical goal was broad accessibility. We ensured compliance with the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards from the outset, making sure content elements were easily readable by screen readers. Accessibility was tested both with automated tools and with the help of Evermade’s quality and usability testing expert.
As part of the website revamp, several features from the old site were also updated, with the most significant being the daily allowance calculator. The simple, form-based daily allowance tool from the previous site was replaced with a modern, chat-style interface, where the user interacts with the application, which guides them through the process step-by-step.
Member growth through digital marketing
The effectiveness of the website renewal cannot be measured without well-planned and implemented analytics. The visitor data from the sites is intended to support data-driven decision-making and guide future website development.
As part of the website redesign, measurement plans were created for each site based on their respective goals, and a functional measurement plan was set up using Google Analytics 4. The focus of the measurement was on various user flows, particularly member acquisition. The goal of the analytics was to determine which digital marketing actions were driving new potential members to the sites, and which elements and features of the sites were guiding visitors towards becoming members.
