London Digital Agency, Dock9 Launches New Responsive Sitefinity Website
Challenge
The Dock9 company site had remained unchanged in structure and technology for three years. The team needed to start from scratch and build an entirely new user experience that was responsive to tablets and mobile devices.Solution
The new Dock9 site required a complete re-imagining of the user experience and content. Making the new website responsive to these devices became a central element to the project.Result
The new, responsive Dock9 site has empowered a non-technical business staff to collaborate, contribute and deliver content across web, email and social media channels, all from one source.
Full Story
Challenge
Based in the City of London, Dock9 is a full-service digital agency serving major national and international brands. Dock9 specializes in building usable, attractive and accessible online experiences driven by a solid understanding of end users and business objectives.
Like many other agencies, the Dock9 team had given priority to client projects over their own website for years. By the time they took action, the company’s site had remained unchanged in structure and technology for three years.
Dock9 as an agency, and the web as a whole, had transformed since then. The team needed to start from scratch and build an entirely new user experience that was responsive to tablets and mobile devices.
Like many other agencies, the Dock9 team had given priority to client projects over their own website for years. By the time they took action, the company’s site had remained unchanged in structure and technology for three years.
Dock9 as an agency, and the web as a whole, had transformed since then. The team needed to start from scratch and build an entirely new user experience that was responsive to tablets and mobile devices.
Solution
When it came time to develop their own website, the Dock9 team applied the same rigorous methods they use for client projects. They started with an analysis focused on business and user objectives, competitive landscape and success criteria. Additionally, they challenged themselves to attain the maximum return on investment (ROI).
Analysis revealed very quickly that the existing Dock9 site did not clearly communicate the desired level of creativity and technical prowess. The new Dock9 site required a complete re-imagining of the user experience and content.
The Dock9 team also learned that 25 percent of their visitors were using mobile and tablet devices. Making the new website responsive to these devices became a central element to the project.
Armed with a clear strategy for project requirements, the Dock9 team followed their usual iterative User Experience (UX) design process. The Dock9 team develops all new sites on the Sitefinity platform to be responsive and in line with the latest web standards (HTML5/CSS3). The Dock9 team had always been impressed with Sitefinity CMS for its rapid release cycles and cutting-edge features so it was a natural choice to use this platform. The team was particularly interested in the out-of-the-box functionality around responsive content, news management, email campaigns and social media integration.
To achieve project goals, the Dock9 team also developed four custom modules. This included a module for project work showcases, for which content is held in one place in the CMS, but depending on rules set within the module, it is automatically and distinctly shown in different sections of the site. Another custom module enabled the Dock9 team to define client testimonials and link them to pages and projects, also automatically shown in different contexts on the site.
Analysis revealed very quickly that the existing Dock9 site did not clearly communicate the desired level of creativity and technical prowess. The new Dock9 site required a complete re-imagining of the user experience and content.
The Dock9 team also learned that 25 percent of their visitors were using mobile and tablet devices. Making the new website responsive to these devices became a central element to the project.
Armed with a clear strategy for project requirements, the Dock9 team followed their usual iterative User Experience (UX) design process. The Dock9 team develops all new sites on the Sitefinity platform to be responsive and in line with the latest web standards (HTML5/CSS3). The Dock9 team had always been impressed with Sitefinity CMS for its rapid release cycles and cutting-edge features so it was a natural choice to use this platform. The team was particularly interested in the out-of-the-box functionality around responsive content, news management, email campaigns and social media integration.
To achieve project goals, the Dock9 team also developed four custom modules. This included a module for project work showcases, for which content is held in one place in the CMS, but depending on rules set within the module, it is automatically and distinctly shown in different sections of the site. Another custom module enabled the Dock9 team to define client testimonials and link them to pages and projects, also automatically shown in different contexts on the site.
Result
Using Sitefinity enabled the Dock9 team to meet an ambitious internal deadline—from kick-off to launch, the project took just under two months to complete. The entire project was completed with a five-member team—one project manager, two designers and two developers.
The new, responsive Dock9 site has empowered a non-technical business staff to collaborate, contribute and deliver content across web, email and social media channels, all from one source.
The response from users has been overwhelmingly positive, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates on the site, particularly from mobile and tablet users who are automatically served a user experience tailored to their device. Within one month of implementation, mobile conversion increased by 200 percent and desktop conversion increased by 24 percent.
Overall, the Dock9 team is delighted with the end-result and making good use of the content management and distribution functionality.
The new, responsive Dock9 site has empowered a non-technical business staff to collaborate, contribute and deliver content across web, email and social media channels, all from one source.
The response from users has been overwhelmingly positive, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates on the site, particularly from mobile and tablet users who are automatically served a user experience tailored to their device. Within one month of implementation, mobile conversion increased by 200 percent and desktop conversion increased by 24 percent.
Overall, the Dock9 team is delighted with the end-result and making good use of the content management and distribution functionality.