Back

Context

Commercial Telephone Systems initially hired another company to develop their website but were dissatisfied with the outcome. They approached me to design a new website that better reflected their vision and business needs.

 

Challenge

One of the main challenges was ensuring the redesign matched the client’s original vision, especially after their disappointment with the first design. It was crucial to rebuild their trust and deliver a site that fully aligned with their expectations

 

Scope

I took a comprehensive approach to redesigning the website. After asking the client to provide sample sites for inspiration, I conducted thorough research to understand their preferences and the way they processed leads through the site. Using this insight, I was able to craft a design that not only met but exceeded their expectations.

TOOLS

  • Figma
  • Illustrator
  • Photoshop
  • WordPress
  • Divi

Industry

  • Telecom
  • Networking
  • Tech Support

Design research

I dived into the telecom and networking industry looking at sites.

Original Landing page

The original landing page, which I recovered using the Wayback Machine, was clunky and slow, creating a sense of cognitive overload due to excessive text. The images were outdated and inconsistently sized, making the layout feel disjointed. By reviewing the previous design, I was able to understand the challenges the original designer faced and gain valuable insights to improve upon their work.

 

First developer’s design

Although the design had improved, it still didn’t meet the customer’s expectations based on their feedback. Changes weren’t being implemented because they were limited by the constraints of the chosen CMS platform. When I reviewed the site, I identified the elements that worked well and removed those that weren’t necessary, streamlining the design to better align with the client’s vision.

 

Client’s inspiration

The client was keen to follow a design similar to ESI’s website, but with their own content. To ensure we captured the right look and feel, I studied ESI’s design and created Figma mockups for a few key pages. This allowed us to make adjustments and gather feedback before moving into development, ensuring a smoother process.

 

Launched product

Final design client loved at the end of the day.

Moving forward

Future iterations

When building the site, I relied on second-hand information provided by the client, as no user testing or data was available to determine user needs. Additionally, the site lacked existing analytics to inform decisions, and the client’s immediate priority was to address pressing issues with their site. To lay the groundwork for future improvements, I implemented Google Analytics and a heatmap to track user behavior and gather actionable insights. While I am eager to assist the client with updates based on this first-hand data, incorporating such changes was beyond their current budget at the time.

Learnings

One key lesson I learned from this project is the importance of minimizing maintenance requirements for sites that list specific products, especially when those products can quickly become outdated. Without a dedicated person to keep the site updated, there’s a risk that outdated products may remain listed, creating confusion for users and diminishing the site’s credibility. Moving forward, I prioritize discussing site management plans with clients, specifically identifying who will be responsible for maintaining product listings. This ensures the site stays relevant and accurate over time, even as products go out of circulation.