Case Study - Demonstrating Our Minimal Systems Approach

Overview

At Econ, we’re known for solving complex problems in the Food & Trade sector—but we also thrive in other heavily regulated industries, including healthcare. SaaristoTerveys, a small health provider in Finland’s scenic archipelago, needed to modernize their aging website and underlying operations without adding complexity. They faced multiple issues:

• An unsupported Adobe Muse site requiring over 21MB to load
• Fragmented booking and payment workflows
• Duplicate content that caused SEO penalties due to both HTTP and HTTPS versions, plus a separate mobile site
• Customer brand colors that clashed with accessibility standards
• Users accessing the website from low-bandwidth or spotty connections across the archipelago

We saw this as an opportunity to apply our minimal-systems methodology in a healthcare setting, where data accuracy, usability, and compliance matter just as much as they do in large-scale supply chains. By streamlining the platform and addressing both technical and design shortcomings, we proved how our operationally driven IT solutions can excel anywhere.

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Challenges

1. Outdated, Bloated Platform

   • The existing site was built on Adobe Muse, discontinued the same month it launched. Loading over 21MB significantly impacted speed and usability—especially in areas with limited connectivity.

2. Fragmented Operational Tools

   • Bookings, payments, and gift cards were in disparate systems. Staff had to manually reconcile payments (e.g., Edenred, ePassi, Smartum), draining time and risking errors.

3. Risk of a “Plugin Trap”

   • A branding agency recommended WordPress and separate tool add-ons. This approach would have worsened the fragmentation, introducing security risks and a heavier maintenance burden—especially problematic for a regulated healthcare provider.

4. Accessibility & Brand Colors

   • Company brand guidelines included a light yellow background with white text, a color combination that doesn’t meet standard accessibility contrasts. We communicated these concerns candidly, as readability is crucial for healthcare content.

5. SEO Damage from Duplicate Content

   • The old site published both HTTP and HTTPS versions and used a separate mobile site with nearly identical content. This triggered severe penalties from search engines, causing the site to drop in rankings.

6. Healthcare-Specific Compliance

   • Like regulatory frameworks in Food & Trade, healthcare sites demand reliable, secure data handling and an interface that meets keyboard-navigation and screen reader standards.

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What We Did

1. Minimal, Device-Responsive Architecture

• Rebuilt with Next.js, TypeScript, and TailwindCSS, stripping away extraneous elements to achieve a 1MB minimal load—ideal for low-bandwidth environments.
• Ensured dynamic scaling, so the site automatically adapts to each device without duplicating content or forcing separate mobile URLs.

2. Unified, Integration-Ready Platform

• Centralized booking and payment workflows in a single framework, minimizing manual overhead for staff.
• Addressed security and reliability concerns, ensuring that data remained protected and that future expansions can slot in without major refactoring.

3. Accessibility-Driven Design

• Implemented full keyboard navigation and screen reader support to meet modern accessibility requirements.
• Highlighted brand color concerns around legibility (light yellow + white text). Although the client opted to keep their palette, we provided clearer contrast where possible, mitigating some of the readability issues.

4. SEO & Site Integrity Fixes

• Consolidated the site under a single, secure HTTPS domain to eliminate duplicate-content penalties.
• Removed the separate mobile version, replacing it with a responsive design that preserves content consistency and aligns with best practices.

5. Regulated Industry Approach

• Leveraged our expertise in the Food & Trade domain to handle similarly strict healthcare needs. Reliability, compliance, and minimal disruption were top priorities—mirroring how we operate in complex supply chain projects.

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Results

Ultralight Website & Better Connectivity

• Reduced load from 21MB to around 1MB, essential in archipelago areas with spotty Internet. Visitors now experience faster load times and frictionless navigation.

Clean SEO & Unified Brand Presence

• Consolidated domain and mobile content under a single source—improving search visibility and preventing further duplicate-content penalties.

Accessibility & Transparency

• Although the client retained certain brand colors that challenge contrast standards, we ensured the site is still keyboard accessible and screen reader–friendly, supporting users with diverse needs.

Improved Operations

• Staff no longer juggle multiple systems or chase down missing transactions. Booking and payment processes happen in one streamlined interface.

Regulated-Market Validation

• Demonstrated that our minimal-systems and operationally driven approach works across healthcare just as it does in Food & Trade. By cutting bloat and focusing on real-world usage, we delivered a robust, future-proof digital platform.

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