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First impressions count - online as well as offline. Even if you aren't selling directly to customers online they will be researching, checking out, window shopping your business. Is your site up to the task or does it fail to give an accurate impression of what your business is really about? |
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We work with our clients to help them incorporate internet technologies into their business model. From simple web sites to e-commerce and web based business applications such as CRM or document management.
This is becoming an increasingly complex area with a multitude of different approaches and technologies vying for attention. It's easy to choose inappropriate solutions. It's even easier to get so confused that you do nothing.
We help you see the big picture and provide some crucial independent advice when it matters most. We aren't tied to any vendors and we try not to have any favourites - though some approaches are more tried and tested than others. Our 'user centred' approach enables us to see things from you or your customers perspective and work towards a solution that best fits your requirements. Our approach is also uniquely 'business centric' - we are business people first, web experts second, so we focus on the business not just the site. Sometimes we help clients change the way they view their business model.
Developing the Business Case
We can help you develop your ideas, facilitate and build the business case and ultimately produce a design specification that becomes a vital communication tool when working with external web developers. Work with us first and you'll have a much better experience working with them.
Web Site Visualisation
When developing new business ideas and processes it can be hard getting your ideas across using words alone. Many of the people you need to influence including key stakeholders need to 'see things' in order to 'get them'. We can help by developing visuals and 'walkthroughs' to support your business case and to help achieve buy-in from the business. Clients love our walkthroughs because they enable them to get a feel for the end result right at the start of the project. Walkthroughs are invaluable in developing the business case and also have a crucial role to play in engaging potential users - they are also much more convincing than a twenty page project plan.
Content and Content Management
Content is king. Designing a web site is one thing - developing effective content is another - and this is a task that is frequently underestimated by clients. Even when a serious attempt is made to develop engaging content, often the plan to keep that content updated and fresh is weak. We can help plan for effective content and also build-in effective content management approaches right from the start. If you have a web site you need a content management strategy and probably some content management tools.
Web Site Prototyping
We can develop prototypes to test usability and gain feedback from potential users. Prototypes avoid costly pitfalls in your web strategy. Prototypes also encourage participation from stakeholders - providing some concrete ideas enables people to 'see' your ideas and to contribute effectively to their development.
Web Site Project Management
We can manage web site development projects on your behalf. We are used to working with web designers and developers and have the technical knowledge to ensure that projects don't get derailed because of unintelligible 'technical issues'.
Web Marketing Plans
Some people say that effective web site marketing is almost an art form. There's a lot of fairly simple things you can do though to make sure that your site is visible and accessible. We can work with your marketing team to help make sure that all those customers you don't know about yet - get to know about you.
Usability Testing
We can generate usability reports on existing web sites - your own or your competitors. Usability plays a critical role in making web sites effective - most users say ease of use is the single biggest factor in determining a web site's success.
Market and Competitor Research
We frequently help clients by researching their online market and the online competition. At the very least you should be aware what your competitors are doing online (including the ones you don't yet know about) - more crucially though are you offering a product or service which will stand out from the crowd? Innovation relies on information - so it pays to gather your competitor information properly.
Accessibility
Web site accessibility is this year's hot topic. In the UK and in other countries governments are introducing new legislation relating to the accessibility of information - and web sites need to conform if they are to avoid poor PR at best - legal action at worst.
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