A New Digital Platform for Ark Housing Association
Ark Housing is a Scottish charity that provides supported housing for people across the country. Their properties serve a wide range of individuals with varied needs, and their website plays a vital role in both communication and service delivery. It provides essential information for tenants, facilitates housing applications, and offers a route for those who want to engage with the charity or apply for job vacancies.
The existing website had been in use for over ten years. It was difficult to manage and did not reflect the charity’s evolving needs or visual identity. Ark needed a full rebuild, delivered on a platform that would be accessible, secure, and easy for their team to update independently.
Digital Marketing Umbraco Web Development Branding & Design Content CreationSupport
Zen began by working closely with Ark’s internal team to understand how their staff and service users interacted with the existing platform. There were two core requirements.
First, the new site needed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, ensuring that it was truly usable by all of Ark’s audiences.
Second, the platform needed to be built in a way that allowed for long-term flexibility, enabling Ark staff from any department to create and manage content without technical help.
The site was developed on Umbraco 9, a secure and flexible content management system that aligned well with Ark’s need for a modular, user-friendly interface. We implemented a custom pod-based page structure that gave Ark full control over how content was presented across the site, whether updating key service information or launching entirely new sections.
To better support Ark’s operational goals, we also developed a series of secure online forms for housing applications and job listings. These were designed with clarity and usability in mind, helping to streamline processes for both applicants and staff.
The platform now acts as a central part of Ark’s digital estate. Although no CRM integration was required, the site does integrate with their HR system and continues to function as the main hub for internal recruitment and external engagement.
The final result is a clean, accessible, and adaptable website that reflects Ark Housing’s mission and values. The platform meets stringent accessibility standards and gives the organisation a reliable, future-proof foundation for communication and service delivery. With improved functionality and a more intuitive user experience, Ark now has a digital space that is as supportive and empowering as the services they provide.
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"We worked with the Zen Agency on the redesign of our website. Alan, Jack and the team were very responsive to our requirements and were knowledgeable and supportive throughout the process. We were delighted with the new website. We are currently in the process of working with Zen on the next phase and expect the same level of service & support. Thanks Zen!”
Jean Ark Housing
