Video and Web

Improving the online experience for a historic membership organisation

The Institute of Carpenters is a membership organisation for professionals working in carpentry, joinery and related wood trades. They approached Video & Web because their existing website no longer adequately supported the organisation. It was not responsive, the navigation made key information difficult to find, and the overall user experience created friction for visitors. For a membership body, that mattered. The website needed to build trust quickly, explain the value of joining and make the route to membership much easier.

The primary goal was to attract new members, support existing members, and provide the Institute with a more practical online platform for future growth.

The primary goal was to attract new members and make the joining process more fluid.

Making membership easier to understand and access

A key part of the project involved improving the journey for people considering membership. The old process made joining feel more difficult than it needed to be, so we created clearer routes through the website and developed online application forms to streamline the process. This online improvement helped turn membership from something that required effort into something visitors could start quickly and confidently.

The website also needed to explain the wider value of membership. By giving clearer prominence to member benefits, professional standards and the Institute’s role within the wood trades, the site helped visitors understand why joining mattered.

We created a dedicated Student Hub to provide this audience with a clear destination on the site.

Creating a Student Hub

At the time of the redesign, the Institute wanted to attract more student members and promote free membership for new students. We created a dedicated Student Hub to provide this audience with a clear destination on the site. Rather than expecting students to search through general membership content, the hub brought useful resources together in one place, including information sheets, member discounts, event information, video, college links, and career-related content.

The student hub also gave the Institute a stronger way to engage the next generation of carpenters and wood trade professionals, while also making the website feel more useful to students, apprentices and colleges.

Adding value through Find a Professional

The Find a Professional section served another important purpose for the website. For the public, it created a way to find skilled craftspeople who were members of the Institute. For members, it added a clear practical benefit, providing them with a profile and visibility on the organisation’s website.

That section also reinforced trust. By connecting membership with professional standards and public search, the website helped show that joining the Institute offered more than a badge. It offered credibility, visibility and a connection to a recognised professional body.

Adding value through the 'Find a Professional' database.

Building a more responsive and usable website

The redesign needed to improve the experience across the whole site. We created a responsive website that worked more effectively on desktop, tablet and mobile. The navigation became clearer, the content structure became easier to follow, and key sections such as Join Us, Student Hub, Find a Professional and Get Involved became more accessible.

The visual style retained a connection to craft, tradition, and the wood trades, while giving the website a more modern, practical structure. This balance was important because the Institute has a long history, yet the site needed to support contemporary users and membership growth.

The result

The new Institute of Carpenters website gave the organisation a clearer, more usable and more responsive online presence.

It made joining easier, supported student recruitment, improved access to member resources and added value through the Find a Professional directory. The site also gave the Institute a stronger platform for communicating its standards, heritage and role in supporting professionals working in wood trades.

By improving structure, responsiveness and user journeys, the project helped turn the website into a more effective membership tool.