The firm has just produced a new identity and hard copy brochure which needed a web site with which to complement them.  The first step was to ensure the new branding was correctly represented to present a consistent experience between online and offline channels.  The brochure determined the theme and tone the site needed to take and this was convered to an online design that resulted in a clean, simple interface that allows people to navigate easily around the content.

The main section of the site is an online catalogue highlighting the products available and invoke a strong call to action in order to get in touch with the firm for ordering.  Much of the firm’s business is bespoke so it was decided that an initial site would not cater for e-commerce.

A need to determine usage was identified.  This was satisfied using a combination of Google Analytics to see user levels, user paths and traffic sources.  It was complemented by the ability to download the firm’s brochure which requires a simple registration form completed allowing the sales team to follow up on leads.

Solution

The main asset here are Mark’s artwork which is what the site needed to focus on.  The simple design that was created was focussed on highlighting a selection of recent artwork on a continuous loop.  By concentrating on the red in Mark’s logo and effective use of highlights, the site is given a luxurious feel.

A key focus was the ability to simply sell prints and cards with minimal investment in infrastructure.  By using Paypal tools, it was relatively simple to tie artwork for sale with a shopping cart system that deals with all the hard lifting of a small e-commerce site.

The site is managed by the WordPress content management system which makes it easy for the client to maintain the site content.  This is tied in with Google Analytics to provide tracking and statistics for the site.

The firm recognised that with different staff working in different ways using different information, that one size no longer fits all when designing an intranet portal.  The concept of user-customisable pages has been around on the internet for a while, but the emergence of client side tools such as the jQuery javascript library have made it possible to recreate and adapt this concept for the enterprise.

Platform/innovation

Shepherd and Wedderburn has created a widget platform, MyShepwedd, which allows users full control of the content they see on their home page.  This marks the first time the firm has allowed users as much freedom to decide which content they consume.

MyShepwedd has been developed internally with no capital cost and using existing resources.  Our development team has designed the platform to be quick, lightweight and to run well even on low-specification machines.  The platform is built using PHP for the application code, Microsoft SQL Server as the backend database and AJAX and jQuery to perform the functionality without the use of page-reloads.

The platform hosts a set of widgets that can connect to any of our enterprise systems either directly through SQL, or through the use of Web Services to extract appropriate, relevant data from these repositories.  Users are given the ability to customise the display of these widgets further through widget-level options.  This can be as simple as determining the number of rows of data to display, or more complex filtering based on a number of criteria, including location and practice group.

Examples of current widgets come from a number of our systems – financial management, CRM, knowledge resources, current awareness – include recent matter worked on, WiP alerts, CRM updates as well as external content such as news and weather feeds.  The widgets are user-aware so are able to bring back information of direct relevance to the currently logged-in user based on their geographic location, practice group, rank or profit centre – for example matters the user has recorded time on, changes or notes against contacts they know, or location based office events.  We have found that this increases the usefulness to the end user, as they don’t have to sift through data that is of little interest to them to get to what they need.

We have retained control over a limited number of widgets in order to allow the firm to push important, firm-wide content to users.

As part of this project, we have taken the opportunity to implement Microsoft Search Server Express, again at little capital cost.  For the first time, this has enabled end users to search across all enterprise repositories to find information that may otherwise have remained hidden.  The filtering capabilities this provides have proved popular with users allowing them to perform a search and then refine it to display accurate, concise results.  Through extensive customisation of the search results, we have been able to enhance the display of results based on its source. This allows access to a number of actions.  Matter based results, for example, allow actions such as summaries of both the matter and client, quick access into the CRM system to contacts for that organisation and direct entry to our financial system for that matter.  These actions have combined to save considerable fee-earner time locating information.

Goals

The goals of this project were three-fold:

1. Highlight the vast array of information we, as a firm, hold electronically, and make better use of it to aid our transactional work;
2. Increase the efficiency of end users’ day to day work by giving them ready access to information they need on a regular basis;
3. Create a platform on which we can build in the future.

Results and feedback

Since the platform was launched firm wide, feedback has been universally positive.  As expected, younger members of the firm have taken to MyShepwedd very quickly and have been actively customising their pages to suit their needs.  As a whole, take up has been high with around 70% of end users customising their pages from the standard template pushed to all users on launch within the first month.

Analytics tracking page loads have fallen since fewer clicks are required to locate relevant information.  Correspondingly, the number of user sessions have increased showing that users are spending more time interacting with firm information using MyShepwedd as a base.

Benefits/added value

Significant production and distribution cost savings have been made through a number of hard-copy management reports being pushed electronically using widgets to appropriate staff with security inherited from our practice management system.  This has resulted in reduced printing costs for weekly and monthly reports that are now pushed electronically.

Feedback sessions have garnered interesting feedback both on how end users are using the platform, and to efficiencies it is creating.  Giving users the ability to customise their intranet experience has enabled some staff to become more productive as they spend less time trawling firm systems for information relating to their matters.  For research too, time has become more productive through our Search Server Express implementation as there is not a single place to search all information silos.  Within the search results page, the ability to perform the same search on external sources such as PLC, WestLaw and LexisNexis has proved valuable both from a time perspective as well as from a risk management point of view.

Time was spent before launch liaising with partners and knowledge champions in each practice group to ensure that content provided by widgets was useful to them, and to gather views on additional content that would benefit their daily working life.  Additionally, we spent time scoping what each practice group would like to see on day one as their standard set of widgets which proved effective in gaining valuable buy-in at all levels of the firm.

Partner Joanna Boag-Thomson comments “It’s great, we’re very excited about the delivery of information in this widget based format”.

The MyShepwedd platform has been live for one month and already we are witnessing significant benefits in terms of information usage and access, but also in terms of requests for new content to be made available in widget form.  Usage statistics from the first month of operation suggest that end users have grasped the concept and are willing to buy-in to it and use the platform to improve their access to information to help their working lives.

The Group had an existing web site but it had not been used to its full potential.  The site was beginning to show its age and was in need of an overhaul.

Solution

The first priority was to give members of the group control over their web site.  To that end, a content management system was installed to provide access to add and edit content, and to maintain event information.

A simple site design was created with an emphasis on striking photographic images to highlight the goals of the group.  The yellow and blue of the EU logo were used to brand the site using text effects to create the title bar.

A members area was created in order to share information and documents to members only.  It is planned that this will reduce the amount of hard copy information that needs to be distributed.

Events are now set up online, giving members the ability to register their intent to attend meetings or seminars.  This reduces the administrative need to distribute invitations and monitor replies.  The event planner can simply, log in and print off a delegate list.

Given that the site has been extensively overhaulled it was necessary to pay attention to the site’s search engine presence.   As well as building the site to comply with best practice guidelines for accessibility, the site has been built to be easily readable by search engines.  Additionally, the site provides a sitemap directly to search engines to inform them of the presence of new or altered pages.

Knowing who is using the site is valuable information for any site owner.  Google Analytics has been implemented to understand the site’s users and how they are using the site.

This group of flag football players in Edinburgh have played flag football for years and want to encourage new people to start playing the game.  There was a need for a simple, yet effective site in order to promote the game and the ease at which it can be picked up.

Solution

It was decided to use a content management system to allow for simple maintenance of content.  WordPress does this in a simple way that is easy to pick up and has the advantage of being free to use.

The only area of the site that needs regularly updated is the date of the next game.  To make this easy to do, a Twitter feed was intergrated into the site.  This means that by updating the Twitter site – which the group uses already – the site can also be updated.

As the target demographic is primarily male, aged 18-40, there was licence to use some modern techniques without risk of confusion.  This allows the use of YouTube videos, integration with Wikipedia content and the addition of sharing content with social networking sites such as Facebook, Reddit, StumbleUpon etc.

The primary goal of the site is to entice people to get in touch so an AJAX based (no page reload on submission) contact form was used to receive and process submissions.

The group need only attract a small number of players to be considered a success so the site has been created as landing point for a campaign on social networking sites through pages and groups on Facebook.

The web site is to be combined with a small-scale print campaign by graphic designer Steve Russam targetted directly to american football fans through a local amateur team directing them towards the web site to engage with the group.

The choirs previous site had been only for five years and was in need of a refresh.  The purpose of the relaunch was to bring the site up to modern standards both technically and aesthetically.  This was done by implementing a modern content management system to allow specified individuals to login to a secure admin area to maintain the content themselves and make it easy to do so.  The WordPress software makes it easy to present content in a way that suits the choir.

Aesthetically, the design was to be clear, modern and usable.   The site has been designed to highlight Cadenza’s musical abilities while promoting upcoming events that the choir is taking part in.  It is a simple structure that is intended to remove distractions and render the site simple to use.  The site has been built with accessibility in mind, and the design is also usable without images and styles.

Tracking was of interest too, and an analytics solution has been installed in order to track visitors and visitor activity on the site.  This will be used to inform future design and content decisions.

In the 21st century, a quality web presence is essential to supporting the aims of any charity and especially a newly registered charity.

The goals of the site are three-fold:

1. Provide support for families of children affected by Fanconi Anaemia;
2. Provide resources for clinicians regarding inforation on Fanconi Anaemia;
3. Promote and raise funds for research into Fanconi Anaemia

These aims let to some intense site architecture discussion about how to present relevant information to three audiences with different needs and interests.  Creating a central site with distinct sections was settled upon as a way to maintain a consistent brand across all areas.

Branding played a key role in this project.  It was essential that the branding should be enforced and consistent considering the vast array of worthy charities in the UK.  An inconsistent brand image would send mixed messages to potential donors and supporters.  Brand colours and logo were supplied and the quality of these quickly informed an effective online identity.

Establishing the charity online will take time but an extensive search engine optimisation programme has made good inroads into the niche areas the site fills.  As the site develops and its reach expands, it is hoped it will be able to shoot above its size.  Analytics software has been set up to track traffic levels and monitor which avenues have been successful in attracting visitors and donations.  This is regularly monitor and has informed decisions about the future direction of the site.

Attracting support is an aim of every charity.  To help that, social networking has been utilised with the creation and promotion of areas on popular sites Facebook and LinkedIn.  This has led to a rapid expansion of the number of people known to the charity with an interest in Fanconi Anaemia.