Relaunching a Website – the “Doctor Who” Case Study

The recent relaunch of the BBC’s Doctor Who website — as well as the decades-old science-fiction show itself — is interesting for many reasons. The BBC team in Wales was aware that the entire franchise was going through something of a regeneration. The new Doctor, companion, and creative team meant that changes to the tone of the brand were coming that had to be reflected on the website as well.

BBC’s brief was a simple: “Make the site the No. 1 destination to experience the world of “Doctor Who,” past, present, and future.” In web-design terms, this translated into extending the reality of a show with such a rich, subject matter. The website was then built in a way that became a platform to distribute originated content associated with “Doctor Who”. The goal was to ensure that “Doctor Who” would be more than just a Saturday night TV program, and the site transformed into a 24/7 experience for which the online element is the key component.

From a technology point of view, the team utilized the new BBC Platform. The use of this new platform opened a new suite of development tools. It enhanced the speed of the site, allows to produce more dynamic, customizable content. The new Global Visual Language enables to think big (literally) with designs, using the metaphors of time and depth within the site. Together with R&D , the web design team realized a powerful way of engaging with narratives online, which helps to explore how to tell stories that don’t fit into single “Doctor Who” episodes.

For content, the BBC accrued feedback from its audience from its “red site.” The feedback included:

• The audience loves monsters. For this reason, a brand-new section in the site helps viewers to explore and learn more about them. Iconic foes like Daleks and Cybermen have had repeated encounters with the Doctor, which is reflected within the site’s designs.

• The “Doctor Who” site is the destination for fans, and the news section is important for two reasons: to deliver level-production news (which is a key request from users) and break important “Doctor Who” news stories.

• The Fun & Games section of the site is a major priority; it’s also extremely popular with the younger audience. A new look and feel was introduced to this section to keep it visually engaging and entertaining. The BBC is also working on the development of its own Adventure Games.

• Past series have been unlocked from archives, and content has been moved to the new site.

The first phase is completed, and the new site is available online now.