ASCENTIS’ WEBSITE MAKEOVER GETS AN A+
We are delighted to announce the launch of the refreshed Ascentis website, a complete overhaul of their existing platform, created to support one of the UK’s most established Awarding Organisations. With almost fifty years of experience and an extensive portfolio that includes Access to Higher Education Diplomas, Community Interpreting, Digital Skills, Employability, English and Maths Skills, ESOL, Education and Training and Short Online Qualifications, Ascentis needed a website that reflected the breadth and professionalism of their work and gave important areas such as the Customer Care Centre a stronger digital presence.
The previous website had grown significantly over time, which meant the user journey had become less intuitive and the visual identity needed refreshing. Our goal was to give Ascentis a cleaner, more modern platform that would present the organisation in a more engaging and contemporary way. As part of this, we invested significant effort in reshaping the Customer Care Centre so it can better support centres with the resources they rely on.
A clearer journey and a refreshed brand experience
Our team redesigned and redeveloped the existing WordPress website with a focus on structure, clarity and user experience. The layout is now much more open and straightforward, helping users navigate through qualification areas and key content without confusion. Every decision was centred on improving the overall experience and making sure visitors can find exactly what they need.
While maintaining the familiarity of the existing brand, we introduced refinements to colour, iconography and typography. These small but important updates give the site a more polished and consistent feel, helping the brand come across as both professional and welcoming.
To further elevate the experience, we also produced a new video that showcases the Ascentis building and office environment. This addition gives the site greater personality and helps communicate the values and character of the organisation from the moment a visitor arrives.
“Our goal was to make the Ascentis website more visually appealing and much easier to use,” says Steven Taylor, Creative Director at 21Digital. “With such a large portfolio of qualifications, clarity was essential. The new website gives Ascentis a strong digital foundation that will continue to support their work for years to come.”
A more powerful and user-friendly Customer Centre
Another key part of the redevelopment was improving the Customer Centre, an important area of the website where Ascentis can share resources with their centres that aren’t available to the public. This space plays a big role in how centres access documents, videos and subject-specific materials, so it was essential that it was both secure and easy to use.
The Customer Centre is now divided into three clear sections. Access is based on permission levels set for each customer, so users only see the areas that are relevant to them. All customers can view a main library of general resources, while two additional sections provide more specialised content for Access to Higher Education and ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages). This structure helps make sure that users can quickly find the materials that matter most to them.
The Customer Centre has been designed to give a smoother, more intuitive, and more personalised experience. Features like search, filtering, and the ability to pin frequently used materials make the Centre feel more responsive and tailored to individual needs. Rather than scrolling through long lists, users can now access their key resources immediately after logging in, creating a more efficient and user-friendly journey.
Michael Cain, our Technical Director explains “Our goal was to make the Customer Centre feel as personal and efficient as possible for every user. By introducing features like resource pinning, we wanted to ensure that people can instantly access the materials they rely on most. Combined with enhanced search and filtering tools, the new experience makes it far easier to navigate the volume of resources Ascentis provides and get straight to what matters.”
The project also includes plans for a future Single Sign-On (SSO) integration with Moodle. This will allow users to log in once and move between the website and Moodle without needing separate passwords.
If this inspires you to rethink your own digital presence, our team is ready to help bring your brand to life online! At 21Digital, with over two decades of experience, we specialise in lead generation, e-commerce, web development, SEO, Google Ads, digital consultancy, social media marketing, and email marketing, all tailored to help your business thrive online.
