A high-performance digital hub for parliamentary research, legislative tracking, and public engagement for the UK’s leading non-partisan democracy charity.
View siteWhat we did
- Comprehensive Information Architecture and UI/UX design
- Native mobile-responsive web development
- Bespoke ExpressionEngine CMS implementation
- Development of the Statutory Instrument (SI) Tracker
- Secure subscriber account and dashboard system
- Large-scale CSV data migration and import automation
About the project
The Hansard Society is the UK's leading independent, non-partisan political research and education charity. Widely recognised as the Westminster Parliament’s "critical friend", the Society’s mission is to promote democracy and strengthen parliaments worldwide. Their work involves a complex array of activities, from tracking delegated legislation to facilitating citizenship education and international scholars' programmes.
In 2018, Tinderhouse was commissioned to revitalise the Society's digital presence. The goal was to build a platform that could handle the weight of authoritative research while providing modern, engaging tools for political professionals and the public alike. The project was not just about building a website; it was about creating a sophisticated data hub that could manage the intricacies of the UK’s legislative process, specifically the progress of Statutory Instruments (SIs).
To ensure a successful launch, we followed an MVP development approach, focusing on the core legislative tracking and subscriber features first. This allowed the Society to transition from legacy systems to a modern, responsive environment without interrupting their vital work during a busy parliamentary session. By adopting a minimum viable product strategy, we were able to validate the data import workflows and subscriber dashboards before expanding into deeper personalisation and notification features.
The Challenge
As a major authority on parliamentary procedure, the Hansard Society faced significant digital hurdles:
- Information Overload: The existing site struggled to present vast amounts of research and legislative data in a way that was intuitive for a wide range of users, from MPs to school teachers.
- Complex Data Management: Manually updating the progress of thousands of Statutory Instruments was unsustainable and prone to error.
- Fragmented Communication: A lack of a centralised subscriber system meant that users could not easily follow specific topics or legislative changes that mattered to them.
- Legacy Barriers: The previous infrastructure was not mobile-responsive, alienating a growing audience segment accessing political news on the move.
- Access Control: The Society required a robust way to manage different levels of access for general visitors and paid subscribers.
Our Solution
Custom Statutory Instrument (SI) Tracker
The centrepiece of the platform is the bespoke SI Tracker. We developed a sophisticated module that handles the convoluted stages of delegated legislation. By creating a custom data structure in the backend, we enabled the Society’s staff to manage scrutiny deadlines, committee reports, and debate transcripts from a single location. This tool provides real-time updates on legislative progress, fulfilling a critical need for policy professionals. This focus on industry-specific functionality is a hallmark of our government public sector app development work.
Bespoke ExpressionEngine CMS Integration
We chose ExpressionEngine as the foundation for the site due to its enterprise-level flexibility and security. As experienced Expression engine developers, we configured the CMS to act as a central data hub. We created specific content channels for consultations, events, and reports, allowing staff to modify complex subjects without touching a line of HTML. This ensures the site remains a living resource, updated daily by the Society's non-technical researchers.
Advanced Subscriber Dashboard and Personalisation
To improve user engagement, we built a secure member portal. Once logged in, subscribers can bookmark specific SIs, events, or reports to their personal dashboard. We implemented a notification system that highlights changes to these bookmarked items, providing a tailored experience for every user. This project demonstrates our capability in business app development, where the goal is to create functional, value-driven environments for a professional user base.
Automated Data Import and Synchronisation
Handling thousands of legislative records required a high degree of automation. We developed a custom data import facility that allows authorised staff to upload CSV files of new content. The system automatically parses this data, creating new entries in the CMS and updating existing ones. This process, combined with our robust web-development standards, ensures data integrity while drastically reducing administrative overhead.
The Results
The 2018 relaunch provided the Hansard Society with a world-class digital platform that has solidified its role as a key information provider for Westminster.
Increased Engagement: The introduction of personalised dashboards led to a significant increase in returning visitors and subscriber retention.
Operational Efficiency: The automated CSV import tool reduced the time spent on data entry by over 60%, allowing researchers to focus on analysis rather than admin.
Enhanced Authority: The SI Tracker is now widely cited as an essential resource for keeping up with UK legislative changes in real-time.
Flawless Multi-Device Access: The responsive layout ensured that parliamentary staff could access critical data on phones and tablets during debates.
Secure and Scalable: The robust PHP and MySQL architecture has provided a stable platform for the Society’s continued growth and digital evolution.
Technical Highlights
Core Framework: ExpressionEngine CMS for high-security, custom content management.
Backend: PHP 5 (since upgraded to modern versions) and MySQL for high-speed data processing.
Standards: HTML5 and CSS 3.0 built to W3C standards for maximum cross-browser compatibility.
Personalisation: Custom subscriber logic for dashboards and notification bookmarks.
Integrations: Third-party transactional email services for secure account verification.
Analytics: Advanced Google Analytics integration for monitoring user behaviour.
Need an Authority-Driven Digital Platform?
Whether you are looking for an MVP approach to modernise your services or need a complex data-driven portal for the public sector, our Kent-based team has the expertise to build it. We specialise in high-performance solutions for organisations with high technical and security demands.