Modern Signal

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a scientific nonprofit organization. Our main goal is to aid our members, which is made up of scientists who do research on biology. We run an annual meeting where we have research presentations in the field.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I do publications and communications. I was brought on actually to help launch the website. The first project we did with Modern Signal was SDB Collaborative Resources, or CORE, which is an online database of images and movies on developmental biology. So, my main responsibility was to help curate images and movies from scientists and get them on our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with Modern Signal?

The main goal was for Modern Signal to design our database. CORE was very image intensive, and the goal was to make it very visually appealing and easy to use. We get submissions online from our membership, so it's very important that this process was easy and straightforward. We have a very large number of Mac users on Firefox and Safari, so it was very important that the site was capable of handling multiple platforms. That was our primary goal when we first came to work with Modern Signal.

Please describe the scope of their work.

They initially worked on our membership database, then website development and management. CORE was a big project. Because they did that work, it made sense to go with them for other things on our site, so it could connect to our membership database.

SOLUTION

What was your process in selecting Modern Signal?

I think I found them online, maybe through Google. I was looking for designers, and we were getting quotes through the website for CORE. We really wanted it to be geared toward us and not just go with whatever site we could get anywhere. We wanted it to be designed around us – that was important. Modern Signal was local, so that was kind of nice. They talked to us, and we just liked how they presented themselves. So, I think the process was basically that we met them, asked for a proposal and went from there.

Can you give a sense of the cost of the initiative?

We have spent at least $20,000 on CORE, including all of the upgrades. We've probably spent a similar amount for the website.

When did you start working with Modern Signal?

We started working with them in 2011, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics on the project?

I think our membership appreciates the SDB CORE site, and it's visually pleasing. The functionality of our current site is better than it was before.

Is there anything unique or special about Modern Signal that really makes them stand out?

I like that it's small and that I know whom I'm talking to, that I'm not put through several prompts on the phone. It's like they're in our office, like they are right downstairs, as far as the service they provide. I feel like, even though they're remote, they're still there.

They're great at adapting to our needs when those needs change. Last year [2014], we added a donate button to our website so that we could start getting in donations for the society, and that was a really important function to have integrated into our membership database.

So, it's the quality of their work and the fact that they're responsive to us. That's really important because our previous vendor was not responsive. Someone at Modern Signal always answers my emails and actually responds and takes care of things that come up. Just yesterday, there was an issue with Firefox and our website administration page not coming up. It was fixed overnight. So, it's great that when they see an issue, they address it right away. Their customer service is great.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

Overall, they've been responsive. I think they seem to be ramped up with a lot of other business, so they kind of have to work a project in. I guess they could expand and add another developer or another person but, then again, the idea of keeping the company small was kind of nice, too.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

It's important to prepare beforehand and think about what your needs are. You can't assume that other people can read your mind, so it's really about being very explicit about all the things that you want. Modern Signal can only do what you tell them, so I think it's important that you plan things out ahead of time. Things will come up and you'll have to change some things and that's fine, but just be explicit about what you need upfront.