The new website for iCITY: A platform that connects and inspires
Rent rooms, plan events or book labs – all with just a few clicks. Thanks to an intuitive design, powerful headless CMS and interactive floor plans, interested parties can now easily find and book their perfect co-working space on the iCITY website. Flexible, modern and just as dynamic as the spaces themselves, the new digital platform opens doors for collaboration.
Digital redesign and transformation
Flexible offices, modern laboratories and versatile event locations – iCITY near Basel offers tailor-made solutions for companies, creative professionals and event organizers. With its innovative approach, iCITY supports various industries in the implementation of their individual space concepts. However, the digital presence could not keep pace before the redesign. The website was outdated, difficult to navigate and barely usable on mobile devices. For a company that embraces flexibility and modernity, this was a serious problem.
iCITY is a co-working space with 2 locations near Basel. Professionals can rent individual desks, entire offices, event locations and even fully equipped laboratories.
Further information: icity.swiss
The problem: Poor User Experience and outdated technology
When website visitors are looking for flexible workspace solutions or event spaces, they expect a fast and smooth online experience. The old iCITY website presented a real challenge here. The information was confusing, difficult to find, and the UX left a lot to be desired – frustration was the result.
The goal: A modern, user-friendly experience
To solve the problem, a complete redesign was necessary – with a focus on clarity, user-friendliness and technological flexibility. The new website should be:
User-friendly: An intuitive design and clear navigation should make it easier for users to find the relevant information quickly.
Technically integrated: The new platform should fit seamlessly into iCITY's existing systems and offer scope for future expansion.
Future-proof: With a flexible, scalable CMS, iCITY should be able to manage content independently and easily adapt the website in the long term.
Section by Sara Mazzoli
Middle UI DesignerFrom concept to implementation: Design, branding and user feedback
Close cooperation within the team
The redesign of the iCITY website was the result of close collaboration between our expert team from the areas of UX design, content and development. Everyone contributed their expertise to ensure that design and technology were in perfect harmony. External partners such as photographers and floor planners also played a key role in the presentation of the space on the new website.
Interactive floor plans and professional images helped to give users a clear idea of the available spaces. This makes it easier to decide on offices and event rooms and makes the website not only informative but also visually appealing.
Flexible design: Storybook setup as the key to success
Our design team was challenged to think in a particularly versatile way to exploit the full potential of the system. This meant that we not only had to think in terms of prefabricated layouts but also design creative and versatile elements that are adaptable and scalable in the long term.
Creative implementation: iCITY's brand identity in the digital space
We used iCITY's brand guidelines, which are also present in the company's physical spaces, as an initial point of reference for the web design. The concise division into blue and pink areas, as visible in the office buildings, was also implemented digitally. This color coding supports intuitive navigation and helps users to quickly find their way around the website.
In addition, we placed the post-it symbol – a central trademark of iCITY – as an interactive and animated element on the website. The symbol appears in hoverstates and certain sections to create visual accents that are not only functional but also playful. These creative brand elements help make iCITY's digital identity as innovative as its physical spaces.
Iterative design process and user feedback
We carried out the design process in several stages and continuously refined it. By working closely with iCITY, we ensured that the design was both visually appealing and user-friendly. Special attention was paid to mobile optimization, as many users use the website on their cell phones.
To further improve user-friendliness, we carried out several usability tests. The direct feedback helped us to further optimize the Information Architecture and navigation. The menu navigation and mobile user experience in particular, were refined based on user feedback. These tests ensured that the website was not only aesthetically pleasing but also functionally convincing.
Section by Sara Mazzoli
Middle UI DesignerSection by Deanna Miceli
Junior Frontend DeveloperEfficient technology stack for a flexible website
For the technical implementation of the iCITY website, we focused on a modern, high-performance technology stack. This not only enabled smooth integration with existing systems but also the scalability and flexibility that iCITY needs for future requirements.
Storyblok as headless CMS
We chose Storyblok CMS because it offers the necessary flexibility to manage content independently of the presentation.
Headless CMS means a clean separation of backend and frontend and has the advantage of being able to change content quickly without affecting the stability of the website.
This is actually a huge advantage of Storyblok: the ability to combine and adapt sections (larger content areas) and components (smaller building blocks) as desired. However, editors can only really benefit from this flexibility later on and make changes independently with a well-thought-out setup phase. In other words, they can add, adapt or recombine elements such as call-to-action buttons or text blocks as they wish, without having to rely on the help of additional development.
The better we, as the development team, plan and implement the sections and components, the more leeway the content team has later on to flexibly adapt and expand content and dynamically design the structure of the website.
Frontend: Next.js for speed and efficiency
For the front end of the website, we relied on Next.js, a powerful JavaScript framework that is particularly suitable for dynamic and responsive websites. Next.js increases the flexibility of the website through Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR). This technology makes it possible to update pages in real time without affecting website performance. This means that the website is always up to date and can easily adapt content without compromising speed.
CRM integration for seamless user management
In addition to the design and front-end technologies, we have implemented a comprehensive CRM integration. As a result, leads, registrations for tours and events and all user interaction can be managed directly via the CRM. This allows iCITY to centralize all relevant user information and use it effectively for communication and customer management.
The integration also enabled the website to be expanded to include important features such as registration forms, which are seamlessly connected to the CRM.
Section by Deanna Miceli
Junior Frontend DeveloperNew iCITY website: Flexible, fast and ready for the future
This project has not only given iCITY a fresh look but also a platform that is just as dynamic as the company itself.
Thanks to the combination of Storyblok and Next.js, the website is visually appealing, lightning fast, and flexible. The headless architecture ensures maximum adaptability and an improved user experience.
We researched keywords, optimized the web copy and translated everything from English to German. With search engine-friendly content, metadata and a well-thought-out structure, iCITY is now easier for Google and other search engines to find. With CRM integration, the iCITY team can efficiently manage users and events while the platform is seamlessly linked to internal processes.
The new website opens many doors for innovation, and iCITY holds the key to opening even more doors for its co-working community in the future.
