I was flipping through RFPs of our past clients, seeing what I could learn from them. In the process, I found that there are six primary issues that motivate agencies to upgrade their sites.

You might be surprised to find out that, though many of our clients have opted for a front-end facelift on their site, that isn’t the primary request we get. Take a look at some of the needs that drive requests for re-development.

Be aware that the following case synopses are not comprehensive. Many of these clients wanted to address multiple problems. And some faced all of the following problems plus a few more!

Specialized software

Dole

Client: Reefership Marine Services, Ltd is the exclusive maritime transportation provider for Dole Fresh Fruit Co., and Dole Ocean Cargo Express, the commercial cargo subsidiary of Dole.

Project: In order to bring more ship owners on board, they needed to provide transparent, continuous reporting that would reflect the distribution of revenue generated. To meet this goal, they needed specialized software that could track their pool of tankers dynamically, reflecting delays or advances due to sea conditions or other factors.

Result: By using its state-of-the-art, proprietary pool-management-reporting software, our client can now provide real-time online reporting to pool partners, owners, banks, shipyards, and agents.

CIBIL

Client: TransUnion CIBIL is India’s leading credit information company and maintains one of the largest collections of consumer information globally.

Project: Our client wanted to offer a “marketplace of loans” wherein the consumer approaches the portal seeking loans while the members who are financial institutions post loan deals to consumers in need of loans.

Result: CIBIL now has a framework that can offer each consumer the best loan deal by various participating loan providers, based on his or her credit score. The most critical aspect of this portal is the rank-ordering logic that determines which loan offers are worked out and displayed to the consumer.

Better branding

YMCA Camp Fitch

 

Client: Camp Fitch YMCA More than 16,000 people visit Camp Fitch for at least a few days every year through their resident summer camp, classroom field trips, retreats and other outdoor adventures.

Project: As a sub-organization, Camp Fitch needed to better conform to the YMCA’s very specific branding guidelines. They also needed that branding to more effectively target their primary audience—the parents enrolling their kids for summer camps.

Result: Our intensive design-planning phase measured each decision against branding requirements and effective storytelling. Now the target audience is pulled into the journey through the appeal of a visual and unified message.

Improved UX

Reach Out and Read Colorado

Client: Reach Out and Read Colorado gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.

Project: Reach Out and Read’s constituents couldn’t readily engage online. Book donors couldn’t easily find where to donate books, financial donors couldn’t easily donate online, and parents didn’t know where to find participating medical offices.

Result: New donor management tools were user-friendly and integrated well with a new CRM. Redesigned front-end web pages became more intuitive, attractive, and easily navigable. The front-end pages also included giving tools and robust location finders. An engaging, accessible resource library was created for each member type.

Effective CMS and management tools

Pratt Institute

Client: Pratt Institute’s programs are consistently ranked among the best in the country, and its faculty and alumni include the most renowned artists, designers, and scholars in their fields.

Project: Our client wanted to set up an online network for the exchange of knowledge between professionals. A platform that would serve as an ever-expanding knowledge repository. The teachers, professionals, and mentors who registered with the portal would be able to contribute to the repository, creating an ecosystem of shared knowledge accessible not only to students, but also to the educators and professionals themselves. Additionally, our client wanted the solution to serve as an online tool to facilitate formal certification programs.

Result: An entire custom-developed system, including CMS, LMS, and CRM, was the best solution for a project this complex. Workflow processes, data exchange details between components, and user interface design were key aspects of the system’s architecture. We also had to keep in mind that the system must be versatile. This has facilitated numerous implementations and customizations since its launch in 2009 to fit the ongoing needs of the organization.

Compelling design

Bangla Ministries

Client: Bangla Ministries Worldwide is an organization dedicated to reaching the world’s largest unreached people group with the gospel and love of Jesus Christ.

Project: Their challenge was that the existing site didn’t reflect the passion they have for their mission. They also needed intuitive tools for site visitors to interact with their website. This included onsite donation pages, a form where users could enter prayer requests, a contact form, and the ability for site users to download or purchase resources.

Result: An eye-catching responsive website that truly reflected the purpose of their organization. A clear headline and subtext helps visitors understand the organization’s purpose. Vibrant, powerful images of real human beings brought mission-centered passion to the design. The simple two-color scheme communicates the beautiful, royal essence of the culture this organization is reaching. And every part of the design stacks seamlessly on smaller screen sizes, making it mobile-friendly.

Restructured marketing

Leland’s Cabins

Client: Leland’s Cabins creates custom-built, warm, cozy cabin within weeks. Their offer is unique in that they allow their clients to customize their own cabin floor plan and layout.

Project: Leland’s wanted increased website traffic. Part of their plan was to upgrade their site’s visual appeal. But they also wanted us to help devise a plan to drive traffic to them. Because of the nature of their business, their primary focus was toward their local market. This required that we first run some data-driven analyses to identify their primary and secondary audiences.

Result: An ongoing package that includes creating unique content and broadcasting it on social media channels. We also made sure their site (and continued content program) is SEO-friendly, especially geo-targeting specific towns and cities. Besides this approach to increasing organic traffic, we also recommended strategic use of paid search campaigns based on prime buying seasons or to boost recognition of an undervalued product.