Client & Project Overview
One of America’s largest energy holding companies, was looking to consolidate 3 existing companies to create 1 cohesive brand within the parent company umbrella. This brand and its digital experience had 1 core goal in mind: to showcase the value organizations can find in sustainable and renewable energy solutions.
HOW IT GOT DONE
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HOW IT GOT DONE *
Step 1: Research
Every project requires discovery - but this project especially so. Combining three companies into one is no easy feat. There are a myriad of goals, processes, philosophies, and content pieces that need to come together in a cohesive way. To ensure we were building the site strategy on solid fooding, I conducted stakeholder interviews, competitor research, and developed user personas. These all acted as the strategic foundation for everything that came later.
Step 2: Strategize
As a result of discovery, my team and myself created a discovery results presentation. The intention of this document was to present our findings and offer the client the opportunity to further clarify any of our findings. It also offered us an opportunity to present some of our initial ideas for the proejct to see what the client was open to. Through this process with the client, it also opened the door for upsell opportunities as we presented ideas that were not necessarily in scope.
Unique to this project, I felt we had enough information to make informed decisions for the sitemap. For this reason, I chose to divert from the standard process to present my initial draft of the IA. This allowed us to develop a more collaborative relationship with the client as well as streamline the timeline.
Step 3: Design
With the information architecture approved, I was able to move directly into the wireframing phase of the project. As a sales and marketing tool, the new site needed to provide end users with a thorough understanding of their sustainable energy options, regardless of their knowledge level.
This ultimately led to the decision to have high-level pre-made “packages” in the form of service and industry pages. These pages ultimately focused on leading users to the best solutions for each use case. The site also included more detailed solution pages meant for users with a more thorough understanding of the offerings.
Results
The client was so happy with the work my team and I did with the new website, they ultimately decided to sign on as a retainer client, offering us the opportunity to continuously monitor website performance and find ways to improve the site. They ended up becoming a client digital marketing client as well.