Technology/Association
IEEE Information Theory Society's Plone-to-Drupal 9 Move, Built for New Visitors
THE CHALLENGE
A professional society with a website that didn't reflect its standing
IEEE Information Theory Society is one of IEEE's specialized societies, focused on information processing, transmission, and storage. The website didn't match the technical reputation of the society it represented.
- Platform was built on Plone, a CMS with no off-the-shelf migration path to Drupal
- UI/UX was complex, and the goal was a design that makes an impact on first-time visitors
- Content management needed to support large amounts of video content, plus publications and events
- Member-facing features needed customized workflows, single sign-on with third-party apps, and the ability to spin up microsites
THE SOLUTION
From Plone to Drupal 9 - a redesign that earns the first visit
Plone to Drupal 9 migration
Migrating from Plone to Drupal is a cross-platform challenge with no off-the-shelf path. Specbee handled the content migration, mapping Plone's content structures to Drupal 9 equivalents and preserving the archive with precision.
- Cross-platform content migration from Plone to Drupal 9
- Content structure mapping from Plone to Drupal 9 equivalents
- Content integrity verification, ensuring the archive transferred accurately
UI/UX redesign for first-time and returning visitors
The redesign targeted the gap between IEEE ITSoc's technical credibility and its website's first impression, refreshed to current market design trends while respecting IEEE brand guidelines.
- Complete UI/UX redesign
- Iterative design process refined into reusable components
- Design refreshed to current market trends
- Design aligned to IEEE brand guidelines
Content management capability improvements
Drupal 9 gave the IEEE ITSoc editorial team better content management tools than Plone had offered, including the ability to manage large volumes of video content.
- Customized content workflow that streamlines member content creation and updates
- Ability to manage large amounts of video content
- Component-driven page building for the editorial team
Advanced search and video discovery
The platform needed to handle more than text. Specbee added Elasticsearch-powered search along with advanced video search and faceted listing, built to IEEE's brand guidelines, so members could find the right video and research content without digging through menus.
- Elasticsearch-powered site search
- Advanced video search and faceted listing capabilities
- Faceted listing built following IEEE brand guidelines
Member workflows and multi-site flexibility
Beyond the core site, the team built in single sign-on for third-party integrations and the ability to spin up microsites with their own look and authoring flow, distinct from the parent site. Drupal's Groups feature underpins this multi-site flexibility, backed by secure, streamlined deployment and hosting.
- Single sign-on integration with third-party applications
- Microsite creation with a unique look and authoring flow, distinct from the parent site
- Drupal's Groups feature used to support multi-site and member experiences
- Secure, stable, streamlined deployment and hosting
BACKGROUND
IEEE ITSoc's challenge is one many long-standing professional organizations face: a website maintained and extended over many years without a coherent redesign, running on a platform that had become increasingly difficult to work with.
KEY INSIGHT
A professional society's website is a membership acquisition tool.
A complex, dated UI/UX doesn't just frustrate existing members, it loses potential ones. The redesign treated first-visit usability as a membership problem, not just a design preference.
"Specbee was consistently responsive to our requests, and built an on-budget site that met all of our specifications."
The Results
A website that reflects the society's technical standing
Cross-platform migration completed, redesign delivered, editorial tools improved.
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| CMS platform | Plone | Drupal 9 |
| UI/UX design | Complex, dated | Refreshed to current design trends |
| First-visit usability | Poor | Navigation simplified |
| Content management | Cumbersome | Improved editorial tools, video content support |
| Search | Basic | Elasticsearch-powered, with faceted listing |
Complete
Plone to Drupal 9
Content archive preserved through a complex cross-platform migration.
New design
UI/UX redesign
Clean design replaced a complex, dated interface.
Simplified
First-visit navigation
New and returning members navigate the site with less friction.
Enhanced
Editorial control
Drupal 9 gives the team better tools for publications, events, and video content.
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