Case Study: Metropolitan Cemeteries Board – WordPress Web Design & UX for Memorial Services

The Challenge

The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (MCB), responsible for seven cemetery and memorial sites across Perth, offers burial, cremation, and culturally sensitive memorial services with compassion and integrity. However, their previous website no longer reflected the quality or accessibility of their service.

Key issues included:

• Outdated design that restricted users from accessing essential memorial information
• High staff workload due to limited self-service tools
• Navigation barriers affecting older users, remote users, and those with accessibility needs
• Limited clarity around products, pricing, and memorial options
• An online experience that did not align with MCB’s compassionate, community-oriented mission

MCB required a modern, user-centric WordPress platform that removed access barriers, empowered the public, and supported informed decision-making during emotionally vulnerable times.

Discovery and Technical Review

The project began with a thorough evaluation of MCB’s existing digital ecosystem to uncover structural, usability, and accessibility challenges.

Insights from the review included:

• Fragmented navigation obscured key services, locations, and memorial resources
• Insufficient search functionality made it difficult for users to locate memorial information
• Content structure lacked clarity, creating confusion for grieving families and planners
• No centralised resource hub, placing pressure on staff to respond to high inquiry volumes

Our strategy focused on accessibility, efficiency, and emotional sensitivity — ensuring the platform supported both MCB’s internal teams and the diverse communities they serve.

UX and Design Research

The UX phase centered around designing an empathetic, intuitive user journey that guided users through memorial services with clarity and respect. Wireframes and prototypes were created to test layouts, visual hierarchy, and user pathways.

Through iterative refinement:

• Navigation was simplified with clear links to services, cemetery locations, and essential resources
• Dropdowns for individual sites (e.g., Karrakatta, Pinnaroo) improved localised access
• A prominent memorial search tool enabled quick, frictionless lookups
• A mobile-first approach ensured accessibility for all users, regardless of device or ability

This improved structure resulted in clearer pathways, reduced confusion, and a more supportive digital environment.

Marketing, Content & SEO Strategy

To complement the design and development work, a content and SEO strategy was implemented to improve visibility, usability, and engagement:

• Empathetic, clear content aligned with MCB’s sensitive service areas
• Structured site mapping for stronger organisation and SEO performance
• Improved metadata, headers, and internal linking for better search discoverability
• Visual and written content tailored to the emotional and cultural needs of users
• Analytics-driven setup to monitor engagement and identify areas for future improvement

This ensured the platform not only felt compassionate, but also performed effectively as an informational hub.

The Results

The website now stands as a dignified, accessible digital hub that honours MCB’s mission of delivering culturally sensitive care with compassion, integrity, and respect. Designed with empathy at its core, the platform provides a calm, intuitive experience that remains easy to navigate even during moments of stress or grief. For individuals coping with the loss of a loved one, the clear pathways, simplified resources, and supportive content ensure they can find the information they need quickly and without added emotional burden.