Ecowende HSSE induction tool

Offshore wind farms are complex and dangerous working environments. Everyone who works there or visits, from contractors to shipmasters to regular visitors, must be demonstrably aware of applicable safety and environmental protocols before they are allowed access to the facilities.

Ecowende wanted to digitise and streamline that process. Not a simple document that someone clicks through, but an attractive, interactive induction tool where users are taken through all relevant safety rules step by step via modules and chapters. With intermediate knowledge tests that check whether the material has actually been understood. And with a full administrative system that allows administrators to track and manage the progress of all users.

The challenge: build a tool that is serious enough for a critical safety process at an international wind farm project, but attractive and user-friendly enough that people actually go through it and remember it.

We designed and built the HSSE Induction Tool entirely in-house, from UX and UI to technical realisation. The style aligns with Ecowende's corporate identity, with supplied animations and watercolour illustrations seamlessly integrated into the interface.

The tool is composed of modules with chapters within them. Each chapter consists of a combination of content pages and test forms. The content pages are available as four templates: an animation template with Vimeo-embedded, an image template, a combination of text and image and a test form template. This allows the content of each chapter to be constructed in a varied and attractive way.

After each chapter, knowledge is tested via closed multiple-choice questions, open-ended questions and drag-and-drop exercises where users drag elements to the right position. The tool stores intermediate progress so that users can pick up where they left off at a later time.

After successfully completing all modules, the user automatically receives a certificate by e-mail. The certificate can also be downloaded as a PDF via the dashboard.

The invitation system works through an invitation form. Inviters enter the visitor's name, e-mail address and company name and select the appropriate target group: Visitor, Shipmaster or Contractor. After sending, the system keeps track of the status of each induction. If necessary, an inviter can manually resend a login code to the invitee.

The tool works with three user groups, each with their own rights and capabilities.

Site administrators are Ecowende employees with full access to the system. They assign rights to onboarding administrators and have access to all reports and exports.

Inviters are people who can invite others to go through one or more modules. They have a dashboard with an overview of active and completed inductions, including the ability to download certificates and create a CSV export.

Users are the people who actually go through the induction. They register an account, go through the modules at their own pace and receive their certificate upon completion.

In addition to user groups, the tool works with three target groups, Visitor, Shipmaster and Contractor, who each go through their own set of modules to suit their specific role and responsibilities on the wind farm.

A safety induction is not a product that people choose by themselves. It is an obligation. The challenge was to turn that obligation into an experience that people take seriously and where they actually absorb the information.

That starts with the design. We worked out all the user stories for each type of user before designing a screen. We then created a fully clickable demo so that Ecowende could experience the tool even before a line of code was written. That approach ensured that the end result exactly matched expectations.

The drag-and-drop test forms required a separate technical approach. Users drag elements to the right position in a plane - a more interactive and therefore more effective test form than a simple multiple-choice question. We built up to two customised drag-and-drop screens that fit seamlessly with the rest of the tool.

Craft CMS as the basis for content management and user management. Tailwind CSS for front-end styling. Servd as hosting platform with daily automatic backups. Invitation system via invitation form with name, e-mail address, company name and target group selection. Manual resending of login codes possible. Modular content structure with four page templates per chapter. Multiple-choice test forms, open-ended questions and drag-and-drop exercises. Interim saving of progress. Automatic certificate generation and PDF export upon completion. Dashboard for admins and invitees with lists of active and completed inductions. CSV export per list. Fully in English.

The Ecowende HSSE Induction Tool now has almost 1,600 users. Everyone starting work on or around the Hollandse Kust (west) VI wind farm goes through the digital induction before they are given access to the installations. Administrators have real-time insight into the progress of all users via the dashboard and can take immediate action if an induction is not completed.

The wind farm will go live in 2026. The tool is ready for that.

Security-critical applications require a different approach than a regular website. The consequences of a poor user experience are greater here than anywhere else. If a user drops out or does not understand the tool, someone may go to work on an offshore wind farm inadequately prepared.

That realisation shaped every design decision. From the modular design to the drag-and-drop keys to the clickable demo beforehand. The focus was not the technology but the question: is this user going to understand what is expected of him?