Services
Usability Testing, Information Architecture, Visual Design, Development Situation

A Fortune 500 company sought to introduce a methodology change to its marketing teams and 25 creative vendors. The company was instituting a radical shift to the design, text and structure of all materials which target the general consumer population.

Online media was the first group to be addressed. The client had gathered substantial research and content in order to formulate a website. Their challenge to us was to create a website that could be used as a training tool, a reference, and a model for how things should be done with respect to the new methods.

Action
Our first step was to reduce the volume of content and develop more concise guidelines. To do this, we paired our subject matter experts with the authors of the original research to make the guidelines more memorable and less overwhelming to the creative audience.

Next, we refined the concepts and grouped them in a way different members of a creative team would understand. By iterating through several card-sorting exercises with members of the vendor teams, we reduced the content by approximately 40% while maintaining the intentions of the original text.

Third, we developed the information architecture for the site. We brainstormed with the Client to identify other forms of media and tools which would support the future growth of the new methodology. Then we designed a scalable structure that would meet the long-term needs of the initiative while serving the best interests of the users today.

Lastly, we developed a visually appealing interface. We created a series of visual design solutions, incorporating the Client's request for a friendly and vibrant design to distract users from the regulatory aspect of the site. Final deliverables included identity, web, print and marketing collateral.

Results

• Marked increase of consumer requests for product samples and literature
• Methodology compliance at 90% half way through the compliance calendar
• Training can be self directed as the online materials are self contained
• Three major additions with only superficial changes to the design and information
architecture