HeatNexus is a global research initiative funded by the Wellcome Trust, focused on reducing the growing health impacts of extreme heat, especially in vulnerable communities across the Global South. As climate change escalates, the need for coordinated, accessible, and scientifically grounded responses has never been greater.
To support this mission, HeatNexus engaged Marameo Design to create a digital platform that could centralise global research efforts, enhance accessibility, and scale with the project’s evolving scope. The result, launched on 4 February 2025, is a clean, intuitive, and multilingual website built on WordPress using custom Gutenberg blocks, designed to inform, connect, and grow alongside the initiative.
Key challenges
HeatNexus approached Marameo with a clear vision but faced several foundational challenges typical of newly established research initiatives. These included:
Need for simplicity and growth The project required a digital platform that was both lightweight and flexible. It needed to be simple enough to manage day to day, but also robust enough to accommodate future expansion and the increasing complexity of the research landscape.
Editor independence With a distributed team of collaborators, many without technical backgrounds, the site had to be easy to update and expand without developer input. Content management needed to be seamless and intuitive.
Geographically rich data presentation HeatNexus’s research spans multiple continents. The team wanted to present complex, location based project data in a format that was accessible, engaging, and informative.
Global accessibility Given its international audience, the platform needed to be linguistically inclusive and optimised for mobile users in bandwidth constrained regions, especially those in low and middle income countries where the effects of heat are most acute.
Our approach
Leveraging our experience in building digital platforms for global research initiatives, we approached the HeatNexus project with a deep understanding of the team’s need for accessibility, editorial autonomy, and geographic clarity.
Key strategies
Our strategy was anchored in three pillars:
Empathy-driven design We prioritised clarity, inclusivity, and ease of use knowing that HeatNexus would serve a wide range of users, from researchers and policymakers to local community advocates. The visual identity is clean and unobtrusive, placing the spotlight on the initiative’s important work.
Sustainable content architecture The site was built on WordPress and powered by Marameo’s signature Gutenberg blocks, which are designed to give non-technical editors maximum flexibility and ease of use. These pre-designed, modular content blocks allow the team to:
Create new pages quickly
Maintain visual and functional consistency
Scale the platform without sacrificing usability or design quality This ensures the editorial experience remains intuitive while supporting long-term growth.
Global accessibility by design From the outset, we accounted for multilingual needs and geographic diversity. Features like automatic translation and a mobile-first interface ensure the platform is inclusive, accessible, and performant regardless of where or how users access it.
The solution
The outcome is a high-impact digital platform built on WordPress and powered by Marameo’s signature Gutenberg blocks, giving editors full control over content creation and updates, without needing developers.
A custom interactive map visualises global research projects by location, while multilingual translation ensures accessibility in over 70 languages.
Fully optimised for mobile and low-bandwidth environments, the site offers a seamless, intuitive experience for a diverse international audience.
Since launch, Marameo continues to support HeatNexus through an ongoing care plan, keeping the platform secure, up to date and performing as the initiative grows.
The site achieved outstanding scores on Google PageSpeed Insights, ensuring optimal user experience and search engine visibility.
These high scores reflect a commitment to technical excellence, guaranteeing fast loading times, strong accessibility for all users, adherence to best web practices, and robust search engine optimisation, all crucial for maximising the platform’s global reach and impact.
* Google PageSpeed Insights is the global benchmark for website performance. It combines Google’s search influence, detailed performance metrics, practical recommendations, global accessibility, and alignment with modern web standards.
Tangible results 🎯
Editor autonomy
Team members can now manage and grow the site with ease, thanks to the intuitive Gutenberg block system.
Team members can now manage and grow the site with ease, thanks to the intuitive Gutenberg block system.
Engaging user experience
Visitors can visually explore research activity by location, fostering greater understanding of the initiative’s breadth and scope.
Visitors can visually explore research activity by location, fostering greater understanding of the initiative’s breadth and scope.
Enhanced global reach
The site’s multilingual capabilities have significantly expanded its audience, enabling access and engagement in regions most affected by heat-related challenges.
The site’s multilingual capabilities have significantly expanded its audience, enabling access and engagement in regions most affected by heat-related challenges.
Strategic positioning
The platform now acts as a central hub for researchers, funders, and policymakers, supporting collaboration and visibility on a global scale.
The platform now acts as a central hub for researchers, funders, and policymakers, supporting collaboration and visibility on a global scale.
Exceptional core web vitals
The site achieved outstanding scores on Google PageSpeed Insights, ensuring optimal user experience and search engine visibility.
The site achieved outstanding scores on Google PageSpeed Insights, ensuring optimal user experience and search engine visibility.
Successful partnerships
Don’t just take our word for it—hear directly from our clients about the success we’ve achieved together.
These testimonials highlight the power of collaboration and the value of working as one team.
“We’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with Mara and her team at Marameo Design. As a client, they have been an exceptional agency – understanding our requirements and delivering solutions that consistently exceed expectations. Their ongoing support for our digital and web needs has been invaluable, and we cannot recommend them highly enough for any digital services.”
Nisha Gurung
The George Institute
★★★★★
“Marameo are incredible to work with. They provide creative and intelligent digital solutions to complex marketing and communication challenges, with particular expertise in the research sector. They are incredibly reliable and have deep expertise in the rapidly evolving online world. Plus they are amazing people. I can’t recommend them highly enough.”
Jo Savill
Australian Research Data Commons
★★★★★
“We have engaged Marameo Design on two occasions for the development and delivery of two websites and continue to work with them on digital strategy and website maintenance. Mara and her team are truly an amazing team of professionals! They are always ahead of the pack – asking critical questions, thinking things through thoroughly and leading with digital expertise second to none. Working with them and their highly attentive customer service is a breeze. We can not recommend their services highly enough!”
HTQ
★★★★★
“Thank you SO MUCH for your incredible work. It’s an amazing result I am really proud of having worked on.
I know we’ve demanded perfection from you many times! – and you deliver. It’s been wonderful to work with a team who are so professional about achieving the best quality for the end product.”
Tim Johnson
The Australian Prevention Centre
★★★★★
“Marameo Design has shown a very high level of customer service, strategic advice and understanding of the audiences, as well as great skill and expertise in development delivery since taking over the rebuild and then the maintenance of the ARDC website.”
Adelle Coote
Australian Research Data Commons
★★★★★
“I have worked with Mara and Marameo Design for over three years and have been consistently impressed with the skills and knowledge that the team has. Work is delivered in a spirit of collaboration, on time and on budget. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.”
Lindsay Complin
★★★★★
“What can I say? Marameo rescued our website (Research Data Alliance)! It’s still work in progress but it just gets better. Really great team.”
Bridget Walker
Research Data Alliance
★★★★★
““Highly recommended team of professionals, who always responded quickly and efficiently. They provided us a great website created on WordPress which was also required to integrate with our existing Drupal backend sales system. An ethically focused company who are a pleasure to work with.”
Jo Savill
Australian Research Data Commons
★★★★★
“I can’t recommend Mara and the team at Marameo Design highly enough. Mara has been doing work for our company for many years. I have always found the Marameo Design team to be pro-active, efficient, super responsive and a pleasure to deal with. Nothing is too much trouble and they always go above and beyond in their service.”
Shelley Sher
La Corium Health
★★★★★
“I wanted Marameo as our agency knowing that I could trust them and their work output. We have just launch a whole new customised WordPress website in collaboration with Mara and her fabulous team, and I couldn’t be prouder of the output. Bonus that they’re all such cool cats to work with. I couldn’t recommend Marameo enough”
Katrina Batho
Liverty Housing
★★★★★
“I have worked with Marameo Design on several projects over the years. They have built Drupal and WordPress websites for my clients, or migrated a Drupal website to WordPress. Mara and her team are very valuable to have on the team as she has great insight into human web behaviour and offers best practice in terms of web design and usability. They have a wonderful problem-solving attitude to every challenge.
Jen Galama
Traffic Act
★★★★★
“I have known Mara and the Marameo Design team since 2023—over two years now—and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with them. They truly understand requirements, consistently deliver on time, and go the extra mile by suggesting what works best (and what doesn’t) in this space. Their expertise and guidance have been invaluable. If you are looking to collaborate and strengthen your online presence, this is the team you can trust!”
Dr. Shilpa Sadanand
The Resilience Collaborative
★★★★★
“Mara and the Marameo team work hard to find the right solution for a business website, including regular maintenance, updates and and great advice along the way. They are also responsive to feedback and requests in a very timely manner. Thanks!”
Kevin Brumpton
Return Fire Productions Pty Ltd
★★★★★
“Worked extensively with this agency for over 3 years when I was at The George Institute of Global Health. They were always prompt, professional and gave excellent support with our Drupal website. Recommended”
Kevin Truong
The George Institute
★★★★★
” Mara and her team were so accommodating and went above and beyond to try and get what we needed in a short period of time. The transition was incredibly seamless. I always found them so switched on and eager to assist. They know their stuff and their caring and warm approach really fits well in the not-for-profit space”
Katrina Batho
Liverty Housing
★★★★★
“The Marameo Design team are always responsive, efficient & explain things very well. I have a wordpress e-commerce website & they have done an awesome job helping me & understanding what I need. So easy to deal with. I highly recommend their services. Thank you so much for your help & patience. Give stars all the way!!!”
Melissa Cremasco
Cremamia
★★★★★
“Thank you again for your time today – I could have stayed on that call for hours! Your insights on potential opportunities and improving Sepsis Australia’s website were incredibly valuable.”
Harriet Benjamin
Sepsis Network Australia
★★★★★
“The team at Marameo delivered a sleek and user-friendly website for FoodSwitch that perfectly aligns with our vision and expectations. Working with Mara for creative design and the technical team for the build, Marameo were easy to work with. Communication was clear, collaboration was seamless. We are very happy with the end result.”
Steve Stamatellis
FoodSwitch
★★★★★
“Working with Marameo Design has been a wonderful experience. They are professional, supportive and always reliable. True collaboration.”
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