• New site to be simpler to use, more visually attractive and features a number of enhancements
• Changes made following feedback from public consultation in 2016
• Refreshed look is more contemporary and allows open and transparent communication with public and stakeholders

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has today re-launched its website www.britishhorseracing.com to become simpler and more user-friendly.

The site has been re-designed in order to make it easier to navigate to find key information for the public as well as the racing industry and participants, and to improve the overall look and feel of the site.

The changes were made following a significant public consultation in the second half of 2016, which said that while users of the site found its information useful, improvements could be made on simplifying the navigation and improving the visual layout.

The majority of those who completed the survey described themselves as members of the betting public and used the site once a week or more. This was backed up by the site’s analytics.

As well as seeking to address the feedback received on navigation, usability and attractiveness, a number of enhancements have been added to the site as part of the project.

These include live fixture updates for those seeking the latest news in real time, as well as an easy to view interactive racing data and statistics page.

Upcoming fixtures can also now be viewed in either a list or calendar format via the small red and blue icons to the right of the screen on the fixtures page.

Stewards’ reports are now placed in a more prominent positions on the site, and also within the racecard and the race results sections to make it easier to navigate and seek out information related to a particular fixture.

Coinciding with the launch of the site, the format of online Stewards’ reports are being altered. The objective is to provide more information about each race and present the reports in a manner that is simple and more easily understandable for the media and general public.

Notices, results and written reasons from the BHA Judicial Panel are now located on a new microsite. This can be accessed here as well as via the main BHA website and creates a distinction between the BHA’s Judicial and Executive functions.

Robin Mounsey, Head of Media at the BHA, said: “The website re-design project is intended to address layout and navigation issues and to simplify, declutter and make better use of space.

“The feedback from our users made it clear that we needed to evolve the site into one which was more user-friendly.
“We hope that the changes will help us achieve our objective of providing more open and transparent communication with the public and our stakeholders.”

The project was carried out by Guildford-based design agency Studio Tangerine.

Notes to editors:

1. The BHA’s website was last re-launched in 2014 and has had almost 1 million unique visitors in the last 12 months.