Revolutionising websites for small charities with AI
I played a pivotal role in developing an AI-driven automated website builder for UK tech start-up, Joyful (now part of the Access Group). The product was aimed at small charities and NGOs who often require low-cost and efficient website solutions.
The challenge
Joyful’s mission was to create impact within the third sector and transform how online fundraising and service delivery was done. However, their teams were often having to spend weeks gathering requirements, designing sitemaps and developing websites for charity clients. This time-intensive process increased costs and made accessing a well-functioning website unaffordable for some.
The approach
The automated website builder was designed to tailor websites to client needs based on their business priorities, audiences, and user goals. The process began with a detailed survey where clients answered multiple-choice questions to define these key factors. Their responses then powered an algorithm that generated strategic sitemaps and designs aligned with their objectives.
To build the survey, I collaborated with other strategists, combining our expertise to identify common scenarios and outputs. We considered how different priorities - such as raising donations or delivering online services - would shape content and user journeys.
I played a central role in developing the logic that powered the sitemap algorithm. This involved translating unstructured insights from strategists’ discussions and decisions into structured equations that informed the website builder’s logic, effectively automating strategic consulting.
We launched an initial minimum viable product (MVP) within two months, after which I spent the following year testing and iterating the logic and features to continually enhance performance and adaptability.
Key results
Reduced the time it took a strategist to design a website sitemap for a small charity. The average time spent was previously four hours per strategist, and after using the automated website builder this reduced to around 30 minutes.
By positioning the automated website builder at a lower price point, Joyful was able to expand to a wider range of clients and increase revenue.
By reducing design and development resource needed, Joyful was able to streamline the overall delivery timeline for a new website.
The success of the automated website builder helped attract investment from a leading tech company.