About The Salt Spring Centre of Yoga
Founded in 1981 by master yogi Baba Hari Dass, the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga is a non-profit educational and spiritual retreat centre that teaches the core principles of yoga, including peace, resilience, and belonging.
Set on 69 acres of pristine land that borders the Blackburn Lake Nature Reserve on Salt Spring Island, the Centre is home to a large organic farm, fruit orchard, and food forest. In this beautiful setting, students partake in classes, retreats, gatherings, ceremonies and yoga teacher training. The Centre facilities are also available for bookings and rentals.
Volunteerism is at the core of the Centre. Volunteers have the opportunity to work alongside others who are committed to exploring meaningful work, spiritual practice and selfless service, and to spend time with the elders and founders of the Centre who willingly share their wisdom and experiences from their own journeys.
The Challenge
Prior to hiring Local Propeller, the Centre had a website that was designed and built by dedicated volunteers. While their efforts were immensely appreciated, so many people were involved in the site’s design, maintenance and functionality that over time, the website no longer reflected the Centre’s brand or the standards put in place and user experience became problematic.
The site was hosted by another enthusiastic volunteer who over time, could not keep up with the regular maintenance required to keep the site functional. Again, users were left with a less than desirable experience and managing the site became increasingly difficult.
The final challenge was with the original website’s architecture. While the site was a wealth of information on a vast number of programs and subjects, users found it difficult to find or relocate topics of interest.
The Results
By employing a strategic approach that is centered on creating a thoughtful user journey, Local Propeller was able to address each of the challenges that existed with the original site. As a result visitors to the new website can truly feel and visualize what they will experience while physically at the Centre. Users also intuitively understand where to find information and how to interact with the website’s many functions.
Photos are a crucial element in the new website’s design highlighting the peace and tranquility of the Centre’s beautiful setting. The photos chosen also reflect the core values of yoga that the Centre models itself on, including peace, resilience and belonging.
The new website’s navigation is integral to user experience. Visitors can easily find all of the information they are seeking, and the highly functional calendar makes bookings simple and intuitive for all of the activities offered at the Centre.
And finally, brand standards are also now obvious throughout the new site. Colours, fonts, and the language used all reflect the identity of the Centre and evoke feelings of harmony, calm and purpose. Users get a sense of what the Centre offers through the reflected brand and understand what they will experience while there.
“Working with Local Propeller was seamless. Jeff had great ideas and solutions for each of the challenges we faced with the original website, and he took the pain out of what could have been a very difficult process. The team at Local Propeller were persistent on resizing and editing the beautiful pictures that create an accurate portrayal of the Centre. And the feedback from community members has been entirely positive. They love the calendar, particularly the ability to see upcoming events and classes.
“Local Propeller is a pleasure to work with and they are solution-oriented. I have already recommended them to other businesses.”