On 12 July, the new website of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) went live. At www.bbk.bund.de, experts and members of the public can find information on the complex issues relating to civil protection and crisis management handled by the BBK. The new, visually appealing website presents the Federal Office as a modern public authority and makes its information easily accessible to various user groups. The IT service provider Materna, acting as the main contractor, carried out the relaunch in collaboration with the digital agency Aperto, using the Government Site Builder (GSB) as a basis.
The new website provides information on a wide range of topics within the BBK’s remit; the BBK has been the federal government’s central authority for civil protection in Germany since 2004. The BBK brings together all areas of civil security preparedness in an interdisciplinary manner, thereby forming an effective protection system for the entire population. In addition to information on the BBK’s responsibilities, the website includes, amongst other things, precautionary measures and behavioural guidelines for members of the public in various emergency situations, as well as, most recently, comprehensive information on the flood situation in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Furthermore, services such as training and further education programmes offered by the Federal Academy for Civil Protection and Civil Defence (BABZ) are aimed at decision-makers and crisis managers at all levels of administration. In the information centre, experts and interested members of the public will find a wide range of guides, leaflets and checklists, as well as the numerous resources offered by the Specialist Information Centre (FIS).
During the redesign process, great importance was attached to taking into account the varying levels of knowledge and information needs of the different user groups and to offering individual access points to the BBK’s wide range of topics beyond the main navigation. The result is a user-friendly and modern website with a streamlined menu and striking, clearly organised content. The digital agency Aperto, part of IBM iX, was responsible for the content strategy, the concept and the creation of the content structure in the relaunch project. Throughout the project, not only users but also a wide range of specialist departments and stakeholders were involved. In addition, Aperto developed a modern, responsive design in line with the BBK’s in-house design guidelines.
Materna acted as the main contractor for the relaunch and carried out the technical implementation, with a particular focus on accessibility. In addition to the technical design and implementation based on the Government Site Builder (GSB), the IT service provider provided administrative support to the BBK’s editorial team. More than 30 BBK editors carried out the content migration for the website in a very short space of time. Over the coming weeks, the website will be enhanced with interactive elements that provide further insights into the BBK’s activities and organisation. Plans include, for example, a map displaying national and international projects and a dynamic organisational chart of the BBK.
Aperto – An IBM Company
Aperto is one of Germany’s leading digital agencies and has been part of the global IBM iX agency family since 2016. Founded in 1995, Aperto now offers strategy, creativity and technology all under one roof. The team of over 400 employees develops marketing and communication solutions, as well as new products and business models for digital transformation. With offices in Berlin and Zurich, the agency serves clients such as Baloise, the German Federal Government, the BWI (Bundeswehr), Christoffel-Blindenmission, Coca-Cola, Gothaer Versicherungen, Hyundai, Migros, Siemens, Sparkasse and Volkswagen. Find out more at: www.aperto.com
About Materna
The Materna Group currently employs more than 2,600 staff worldwide and generated turnover of 355.1 million euros in 2020. Materna covers the entire range of services offered by a full-service provider in the premium segment: from consultancy and implementation through to operations. Materna advises and supports companies and public authorities on all aspects of digitalisation and delivers bespoke technologies for agile, flexible and secure IT. Its clients include IT organisations as well as specialist departments within companies and the public sector.
