A new website for Skillfair

The Skillfair website is currently being re-developed and I thought it would be useful to share our plans for it with you, and to ask for your comments and ideas – particularly if there are features that you think would help you and that we haven’t thought of.

Phase 1

We’re taking a phased approach to the redevelopment to minimise the risk and potential disruption. Phase 1 is concentrating on;

• Upgrading the technology platform to give better stability and ease of maintenance for the future
• Focus on capturing new clients and encouraging them to contact consultants
• Improving some aspects of the user interface while avoiding major change.

Some new features that you will see immediately are;

For casual visitors/clients;

• A streamlined site with easier access to Search for consultants
• Wider variety of articles and advice aimed at encouraging clients to use the service
• Showcase consultant information on the home page alongside projects
• Links from consultant profiles to ‘other consultants with these skills’ to encourage browsing

For Consultants;

• Improved interface to edit your profile, broken into smaller chunks for ease of use
• Ability to display company name on the directory if you wish
• Skill search facility
• Matched project listings – will show projects on all markets
• Facilities to help you manage your project contacts, showing which are new, active, lost etc.
• Improved account status page with details of your membership, ability to reprint invoices manage alert settings etc

For Clients;

• Matched consultant listings will show consultants from all markets
• Consultant search will show all markets
• Improved facilities to manage responses to projects, showing which consultants are new, active, rejected etc.

Phase 2

Once Phase 1 is live we plan to use the new technology platform to further improve the interface and particularly to allow you to provide more and richer content about your services. The main changes we currently plan are;

• A web 2.0 style interface for profiles – this means you will be able to format your profile, add images, links, documents etc
• Allow you to add articles, press releases, white papers etc to your profile
• Add details of your professional memberships, testimonial letters etc
• Add features to help you manage the ‘incoming’ projects – indicating which you’re interested in and filtering out those that are of no interest

Phase 3

Other features that we are thinking about but would like your input on how they would work best and/or whether they’re of interest include;

Allowing consultants to run their own subject based ‘special interest groups’ through Skillfair

Using the site to encourage collaboration and joint bidding – we’ve had a number of suggestions about this and are currently looking at a mechanism whereby you could indicate your interest in collaborating , on any project or on a particular project

We welcome any ideas or suggestions you may have on how the site could be improved either to capture more clients or to make using it easier and more efficient – just comment on this blog to let us know what you think.