Assignment
In March 2005, core was assigned to create a concept and lead the project to develop the new website of JWT+H+F, the Swiss advertising agency, part of the international JWT network. The project took three months to get lined up and started, and nine months in realization. Complete with training and user manual, it was finished in September 2006.
It was a complex project, highly demanding, and at the same time a very small budget was limiting our resources and action radius. Core collaborated with Ben Hayes, who did the majority of the development work. Large parts of Wordpress were hacked, taken apart and reassembled, in order to meet client demands for a simple user interface and ease of use.
Conditions
The original website of JWT+H+F had been a static website, with a classic approach of displaying content with practically no interaction. The task was to shift the user experience towards Web 2.0, enabling direct user interaction with all content, adding rating, giving space for personal opinions and integrating the site with existing Web services such as Google Video.
A major part of the assignment was to develop a concept that was both, intelligently designed and flexible for the future. Coming from an old, table-based website design, a website with limited interactivity and an awkward user interface, we aimed to create the very oposite: A site that would taste like fresh orange juice, fun to surf; it would be a pleasure to dive into its content.
Another important part was content: Theoretically, it should be possible for every member of the agency staff to publish content. Core chose Wordpress as a CMS foundation because it was a perfect match with the requirements. Wordpress is easy to use, it is widely spread, has an excellent and flexible API, it is supported by a great Open Source community, and its software design is prepared for the future of Web development.
Solution
Our solution was based on a simple but changing insight, which makes a huge difference in comparison to most other ad agency websites:
People don’t come to look at ad agency websites if it is just a static show. Threads of comments will lead to more intensive interaction with the website’s content. If you enable an interactive platform, providing tools to rate and give comments to the ad agency’s published work, chances rise that your visitors will return to see who else left a comment, and how the rating of a certain advertising campaign is doing.
The client brief was developed by core in a workshop with the client, and it included the following important points:
- The new website needs to be an outstanding, active, dynamic, smooth and fresh experience
- By analyzing mistakes of other Swiss ad agency websites, we can improve our website on every level
- Give it a simple user interface and make it easy to use for the agency staff
- Enable easy, quick and simple content publishing
- Incorporate a gallery for showcases
- The website must be highly interactive, standing out in contrast, if compared to other Swiss advertising websites
- In comparison to the old site, the new website should be more important for Google and Yahoo
- Make it modular and keep it open for optional feature updates in future
Throughout the development of the website the client changed the list of requirements and features. This is normal for clients, as no one can possibly grasp such a project fully from the start. Some things you conceptualize turn out to be impossible later, or they simply need a redesign of elements. The commission contract allowed a certain flexibility within reasonable terms, so the project wasn’t getting out of hand.
Core used Basecamp for project management. This solution was extremely helpful in the process. It allowed centralized communication in threads between project manager and developer, and at the same time it allowed us to provide a certain transparency to the client, letting them observe the individual steps of development and giving them controlled access to some resources.
The Swiss website of JWT now ranks in the first results of a Google search, while the international JWT website is listed in the lower ranks. This is a great example for the good effect, if a website was developed with consistent use of Web standards, using a solid, logical Information Architecture, avoiding Flash and integrating third party services. Combined with a higher degree of activity on the website, this practice leads to better ranking results in Google search.
Additionally to the actual website, core also developed training material for the ad agency staff, with a centralized user manual that can be updated online.
Resources
The Swiss ad agency website of JWT+H+F
The website of JWT International
Ben Hayes’ Website, Jackfruit Design
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