Institute of Physics

The challenge

The Institute of Physics wanted an innovative digital strategy that provided clear direction around how to engage with their diverse range of audiences and provide clarity on how it could deliver against clear measurable goals. 

Having spent the last few years getting their digital infrastructure modernised and providing strong user journeys for members, they wanted this work to deliver a step change in sophistication and move them to a position where their digital met and exceeded user expectations. 

Our approach

We worked with the IOP to define the scope by workshopping a set of questions that they wanted the digital strategy to answer. These ranged from vision and goals to how they could best integrate the commercial parts of their offer.

When you are talking to people who work at the cutting edge of science you need a rigorous methodology and to be absolutely sure your data stands up. Fortunately, taking a clear and evidence-based approach to strategy is at the heart of what we do, so our first step was to break these questions down and design a discovery process that would deliver real insight. 

The process

We put together a discovery period which contained user research, stakeholder interviews, engagement research and benchmarking to provide a comprehensive set of insights.  For each question that formed a part of the scope, we ensured we would have relevant data to frame the discussion. 

We then developed a series of four strategy workshops where we reviewed the data with the IOP’s key stakeholders and provided frameworks to help determine insight would mean for the IOP strategically. Having agreed core tenets of the strategy, we provided visuals of how their strategic decisions might be executed to allow clear group debate. 

Once the strategy was agreed by the IOP’s Executive Leadership team, we then worked with them to establish how they can deliver the work whilst making best use of limited resource and budget.

The results

The strategy and roadmap that resulted from the work represent a significant change in approach, designed to deliver a step change in the IOP’s digital engagement and move them to a leading position in terms of how membership bodies engage digitally.  There is consensus amongst the project’s senior stakeholders that this strategy has taken them further than they originally envisaged as possible. 

We are very proud to be continuing our engagement with the IOP and are now focussed on working with them to turn that roadmap into a reality.