James Woolford Design

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Ability Consultants of Ability Consultants

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Story of our Company
‘With decades of combined experience, Ability Consultants has been steadfast in its support of charitable and third-sector organisations
across the UK.
Founded in 2020 by CEO Steven Irvine-Duffy, Ability Consultants was born out of a desire to help more charities increase their fundraising and income generation capacity. What began with just 3 clients (all of whom are still with us) has grown into a thriving consultancy that now supports over 20 organisations across England, Scotland, and Wales.

We are proud to work with a diverse range of clients, from small grassroots groups to large international charities. Our portfolio spans a wide variety of sectors, including air ambulances, hospices, homelessness, Down syndrome support, LGBT+ advocacy, international human rights, women’s centres, youth initiatives, suicide prevention, primary schools, and children’s cancer organisations. Most of our growth has been organic through recommendations with many organisations a client for over 3 years!

2025 marks an exciting chapter in our journey as we also launch the Ability Consultants Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to supporting organisations that deliver impactful work to marginalised communities across the UK but struggle with fundraising and income generation. Additionally, we will be reinvesting our profits into the foundation, allowing us to provide grant funding and further extend our support to those making a real difference in their communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire James Woolford Design to accomplish?

• Web Design

SOLUTION

How did you find James Woolford Design?

Referral

Why did you select James Woolford Design over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We are absolutely delighted with the work James Woolford Design has delivered for our new website – www.abilityconsultants.co.uk. From initial consultation through to final launch, James approached the project with professionalism, creativity, and a genuine interest in understanding our brand and values.

Scope of Work:

James led on a full website redesign and rebuild, modernising our online presence to better reflect our growth and the diverse work we do with charities across the UK. He began by conducting a discovery session with our team to understand our target audiences, goals, and the tone we wanted to strike. From there, he developed a site architecture that improved user experience and navigation while ensuring accessibility and mobile responsiveness.

Key Deliverables:

A fully redesigned and developed website built on a user-friendly CMS (WordPress)
A fresh visual identity that aligns with our values and mission
Clean, intuitive site navigation and improved content structure
Bespoke landing pages for services, team profiles, case studies, and projects
Integration of enquiry forms and mailing list sign-up functionality
Optimisation for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices
Basic SEO setup and analytics integration
Training and support to enable our team to manage content independently
Throughout the project, James was collaborative, responsive to feedback, and solution-focused. He worked within our timelines and kept us informed every step of the way.

The end result is a polished, professional website that captures who we are and positions us strongly for future growth. We’ve already received fantastic feedback from clients and stakeholders.

We would highly recommend James Woolford Design to any organisation looking to elevate their digital presence with a partner who listens, delivers, and exceeds expectations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Since launching the new site, we’ve seen significant improvements in performance and engagement:

92% increase in website traffic within the first 60 days
37% longer average session duration, indicating improved user experience
60% increase in direct enquiries via the site’s contact forms
Improved visibility in search engine results, with several key service-related keywords now ranking on page one
Positive feedback from existing and prospective clients, including comments on how clear, engaging, and easy to navigate the site is
Improved internal efficiency, as the new CMS enables our team to update content quickly and independently
James was responsive, collaborative, and always a step ahead with solutions. He took the time to understand our vision and translated it into a site that’s not just visually appealing but strategically effective.

We highly recommend James Woolford Design to any organisation seeking a professional, results-driven website partner who delivers above and beyond expectations.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

James’s project management was outstanding throughout. From the outset, he provided a clear timeline with key milestones and deliverables, and he stuck to it. Every stage of the project — from discovery and design to development and launch — was delivered on time or ahead of schedule.

Communication was another strong point. James was always responsive, approachable, and quick to act on feedback or evolving needs. Whether it was a quick layout tweak, content adjustment, or a new idea we wanted to explore, nothing was ever too much trouble. He kept us in the loop at all times with regular check-ins and progress updates, which gave us complete confidence in the process.

He also built in time for thorough testing and made sure we were happy with every detail before going live. The entire experience was smooth, efficient, and actually enjoyable — a rare thing in a web project!

If you're looking for a designer who is not only creative but also organised, reliable, and genuinely cares about your project’s success, James Woolford is the one to go with.

What was your primary form of communication with James Woolford Design?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What truly set James Woolford Design apart was the ability to combine creative flair with strategic thinking. James didn’t just build us a beautiful website — he built a platform that reflects our values, speaks to our audiences, and supports our future growth.

His approach felt truly bespoke. He took time to deeply understand our organisation, our tone of voice, and the social impact sector we operate in. That care and attention showed in every design decision and piece of functionality. We never felt like we were getting a ‘template’ solution — it felt like our vision, brought to life with clarity and purpose.

We were also incredibly impressed by James’s ability to demystify the technical side of things. He explained everything clearly and gave us the confidence and tools to manage the site ourselves long after launch.

In short: James combines design expertise, reliability, and heart — and that’s a rare and brilliant mix.

Are there any areas for improvement or something James Woolford Design could have done differently?

It’s hard to fault the experience we had working with James Woolford Design — the process was smooth, the communication was clear, and the final product exceeded our expectations.

If we had to identify one area for potential improvement, it might be around expanding post-launch support options. While James provided excellent training and handover, having a formalised package for ongoing maintenance or small ad-hoc updates could be a useful addition for clients who may not have the in-house capacity to manage everything themselves.

That said, James was always responsive when we had follow-up questions or needed small tweaks, and we really appreciated his willingness to go the extra mile even after the project officially wrapped up.