A custom research impact platform for the University of Bristol

The Brief

The University of Bristol needed a way for researchers to demonstrate the real-world impact of their work — evidence that matters for funding bodies and research assessment frameworks. The problem was a fit: academic disciplines each measure impact differently, with their own outputs, evidence types and success criteria, and off-the-shelf survey or reporting tools couldn’t flex to match.

The Approach

Rather than design in isolation, WINC worked directly with the university’s research team throughout the build, running user testing with actual researchers to shape the workflows and interface — making sure the tool matched how academics actually work, not how a generic form builder assumes they do.

The Solution

A custom-built WordPress platform using custom post types and Advanced Custom Fields, with flexible data relationships connecting projects, outputs and evidence. Conditional logic adapts each form to the research context in front of it, so a lab scientist and a social policy researcher aren’t filling in the same rigid template. The platform handles data input, progress tracking, and generates the reports funders actually need.

[If merging in WWT: “The build also involved migrating a complex dataset between development and live environments without disrupting active survey data — the kind of technical groundwork that doesn’t show up in the interface but is what makes the platform trustworthy for researchers relying on it.”]