Redesigning a Complex Resource Site to Better Serve Older Adults
The Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging (SWCAA) provides essential support for older adults, caregivers, and people with disabilities across their region. Their programs help community members navigate some of life’s most complex systems, including Medicare, home care services, and long-term support planning. The people who need these resources most often need them quickly, and with clarity. Their previous website made that harder than it should have been.
SWCAA partnered with Cornershop to rebuild their digital presence into something that truly worked for their audience: a clean, accessible, easy-to-navigate hub that connects people with the programs and information they need.
Turning a Content-Heavy Site Into an Intuitive User Experience
The core challenge was scale. SWCAA’s site carried a large volume of content spanning dozens of programs, resources, and services. Rather than scaling back what they offered, we focused on making it easier to navigate. We rebuilt the site using WordPress Gutenberg blocks, giving the SWCAA team a flexible, modern editing environment they could manage confidently on their own.
To support long-term consistency, we created a custom Global Styles library and a set of reusable content modules. These tools allow staff to update pages quickly while maintaining a cohesive, professional design across the entire site.
Improving Navigation So People Can Find Help When It Matters Most
For an organization serving older adults and caregivers, clear navigation isn’t just a usability preference. It’s a necessity. We streamlined the site structure and designed layouts that bring SWCAA’s most critical resources to the surface, including their Aging Answers navigation tool and key grant opportunities.
Programs like Community Options and Elders, which help older adults maintain independence and access support services, are now easier to find and understand. With a simpler layout and more intuitive pathways through the site, visitors can locate what they need faster, especially during stressful or time-sensitive situations.
Training the Team to Own and Manage Their New Platform
While Cornershop handled the design framework and custom development, SWCAA played an active role in migrating their extensive resource library. We supported that process through training sessions and collaborative reviews, helping their staff build confidence in managing the new system independently.
That investment in training matters. A well-built site only delivers long-term value when the team behind it feels empowered to keep it current and accurate.
A High-Performance Website Built Around Community Impact
Today, SWCAA has a modern, accessible website that reflects the quality and depth of their work. Their team can update resources easily, their visitors can find support without frustration, and the site is built to grow alongside the organization. For a nonprofit doing critical work in their community every day, that kind of reliable digital foundation makes a real difference.
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