Maidstone Innovation Centre

The Background

Maidstone Innovation Centre, managed by Maidstone Borough Council, is a state-of-the-art serviced office space facility located in the heart of Maidstone, Kent. Officially opened in 2021, the centre is designed to cater to the needs of local businesses, particularly those in the healthcare and medical technology sectors. It offers a variety of flexible office solutions, including hot desking facilities, dedicated office spaces, meeting rooms, and seminar areas. The centre also hosts a range of events and activities aimed at supporting business growth and fostering innovation within the region.

The Challenge

Initially, Maidstone Innovation Centre launched with a standalone brochure website, complemented by a bespoke booking system. While functional, the website had several limitations. It was difficult for the internal team at Maidstone Borough Council to manage and maintain the content, as the system offered limited editing capabilities. Additionally, the booking system, being a separate entity, did not integrate seamlessly with the website, leading to a disjointed user experience. Users found it challenging to navigate between the brochure content and the booking functionality, ultimately creating frustration and confusion for potential customers.

The need for a more cohesive, user-friendly, and easily manageable website became apparent to ensure smooth business operations and enhance the experience for both users and internal staff.

Our Solution

To address these issues, we worked closely with Maidstone Borough Council’s internal team to design and develop a fully custom hybrid brochure and eCommerce website. The new website presented Maidstone Innovation Centre in a much more engaging and professional light, better reflecting its modern facilities and the wide range of services offered. The website’s design was carefully crafted to ensure an intuitive user experience, allowing prospective clients to easily access relevant information about the office spaces and the services on offer. A key feature of the new site was the integration of a fully functional eCommerce booking system, enabling users to view availability and seamlessly book or purchase the office space solutions that best suited their needs. The new website also equipped Maidstone Borough Council’s internal team with enhanced management and content editing capabilities, streamlining their ability to keep the site updated with minimal effort.

The end result was a modern, user-friendly platform that not only improved the overall user experience but also empowered the team to better serve local businesses in the area.