new website of the bank of lithuania

Modern, unique, user-friendly and tailored
to different target audiences

    development process



    challenge

    1. The website was non-responsive
    2. Information was arranged according to the Bank of Lithuania organisational structure, not user needs
    3. The homepage was overloaded with various information, messages and banners, leaving the users puzzled and overwhelmed
    4. The navigation was complex, preventing easy locating of relevant information
    5. The interface did not follow the latest design trends
    6. The website was not user-friendly

    development process



    goals

    • A representative, well-structured, and user-oriented website, providing instant access to necessary information
    • A responsive website design
    • Formation of a positive and modern image of the institution
    • Making sure that users use their time to read information that is of interest to them rather than searching for it
    • Making sure that information architecture caters to user needs instead of complying to the Bank’s organisational structure
    • Effective communication tools – newsletters, RSS, etc.
    • Implementation of means to ensure feedback and company-user interaction – query forms, comments, voting
    • Enabling users to check their credit history or give up their right to consumer credit

    development process



    Different target audiences

    1. The Bank of Lithuania website visitors fall into several target groups
    2. The general public, interested in the services provided by the Bank of Lithuania (exchange of litas into euro, possibility to check personal credit history or give up the right to consumer credit, contact information, etc.)
    3. Financial market participants, interested in prudential requirements and ratios as well as information related to legal regulation
    4. Numismatists, interested in information related to collector and commemorative coins
    5. Journalists, interested in the latest economic projections, information on supervision of financial market participants, sector operating results, statistics and news/press releases
    6. The academia (lecturers and students), interested in statistical information, projections made by Bank of Lithuania experts
      and the latest news/press releases
    7. Accountants and auditors, interested in information on exchange rates

    development process



    analysis and methods

    1. We carried out a detailed analysis of the old website using Google Analytics. Taking in account its results, the structure of the new website was developed.
    2. We surveyed the main target groups – numismatists, journalists, representatives of financial market participants, lecturers and students – seeking their opinion on the old website and asking to specify what information is easy to find and what is not, what information is missing. We held discussions with and surveyed focus groups.
    3. We also surveyed the Bank of Lithuania employees. Our colleagues indicated the weak points of the old website in terms of convenience and attractiveness, and provided examples of what they like in other commercial or central banks’ websites, etc.
    4. A SEO optimisation was carried out, compliance with W3C standards was ensured.
    5. We performed usability, functionality and security tests with three suppliers.

    The homepage consists of blocks representing the content that is most relevant to target groups:

    • news
    • exchange rates and calculator
    • event calendar
    • contact information

    It is also possible to display specific news in a video or image format. We also created a block for popular topics, where links are updated based on Google Analytics data.

    mega menu and navigation

    We created a drop down menu so that users could access the second- or third-level information with just a click of the mouse.

    responsive design

    We created a responsive web design – the layout adapts to various screen sizes and resolutions (computer, smartphone or tablet).

    rich content

    The content of the old website was condensed, rewritten and substituted with graphs or other visual information. Each Bank of Lithuania function was presented in an introductory video (e.g. Financial stability, Payments, Monetary policy ), providing a brief and easy-to-understand description of each function. The homepage features a video explaining what the Bank of Lithuania is and what its functions and main areas of activity are. The videos help educate
    the general public and understand the Bank of Lithuania’s functions and their importance for the country.

    Features

    financial sectors

    Financial market participants were categorised by sector. Each sector has a news and publications block, presenting information relevant only for that specific sector. The profile of each financial market participant presents not only the key information on that participant, but also related news, disputes with consumers that it was involved in and sanctions for violations imposed by the Bank of Lithuania. The so-called funnel principle allows finding more specific information.

    Features

    coins

    The collector and commemorative coin block allows users to filter coins by their type (collector, commemorative, coin set), currency (litas, euro), metal (gold, silver), etc. The coins are presented
    in a convenient grid-list, showcasing the reverse of each coin.
    Each grid presents a detailed description of the coin
    and its features as well as a promotional video.

    Features

    media

    The media section presents the latest news, Bank of Lithuania expert commentaries on various issues, including economic, financial market participant supervision and international relations, the event calendar, speeches given by Members of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania and Bank of Lithuania employees, interviews with them, and the photo gallery.

    Features

    FAQ-feedback

    Users may submit questions if they cannot find them in the FAQ list.

    Features

    currency

    The exchange rate section is one of the most visited on the website. The exchange rates and the calculator are presented on the homepage. Users can find the currency that they need by filtering currencies according to currency name a three-letter currency code.

    Features

    statistics

    The statistics section presents more than 200 statistical tables. It is now tailored to user, focusing on the indicators that are most relevant for them. Statistical data and information is presented according to user needs:

    • the general public – Statistics in brief
    • regular users – Predefined tables
    • analysts – Statistics database

    Detailed description of the methodology and indicators is also provided. The users are informed in advance not only of the data published but also of its revisions.

    Features

    search

    Advanced search tools allow website visitors to find information easily.
    The user-friendly search engine offers autocomplete suggestions.
    The list of search results provides the summary
    of each page where certain keywords were found.

    In one way or another, 100 Bank of Lithuania employees have been involved in the website creation process, yet 20 Bank of Lithuania employees and 8 members of the supplier team were the most active contributors.
    The overall time spent developing the project was nearly 16,000 working hours.