95Visual

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the former public relations and communcations manager for the Technology Management Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It offers several educational programs, including undergraduate and graduate certificates, Master's degree, and doctoral degree. I'm currently Standford University's marketing manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire 95Visual?

We hired 95Visual to redesign our website.

What were your goals for this project?

The Technology Management Program had launched new graduate degree programs to serve at the forefront of technology, business, and innovation for students, so we wanted our website reflect that idea.

How did you select this vendor?

A colleague referred them.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed, developed, and launched our new redesigned website, providing additional support and minor web updates afterwards. They helped align our departments' brand, streamline navigation and user experience, and improve the backend functionality of the website. They also provided resourceful information about digital marketing and how that impacts web traffic, searchability, etc.

What was the team composition?

We mainly worked with the CEO, although the team had about five people.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

After launching the new site, our online traffic and user sessions have increased, encouraging prospective students to check out our new programs with ease and interest. The backend was easier and more flexible to use, and the newly redesigned website received several awards for web design and development.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was well conducted, and our main point of contact was knowledgeable and able to explain technical jargon in lay terms. We met regularly via video conferencing, and he was responsive and quick in addressing our issues and concerns. They clearly communicated the status of our requests, timelines, and issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their level of professionalism, organization, and experience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are the academic department of the University of California, Santa Barbara's College of Engineering. 

What challenge were you trying to address with 95Visual?

We received numerous complaints about our website and its lack of functionality, but we couldn’t make many changes due to its rigid design. We went to the group that worked on the original site and asked them to create a Drupal website that was mobile friendly and easy to customize. Months into the project, one of the developers informed us that our project would have to be pushed back so that their team could work on critical the sites for the chancellor and a few deans. We needed a new website as soon as possible, so we decided to search for external agencies that could build the site that we needed.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had already spent a considerable amount of time and resources, so I had 95Visual take a look at the work that had already been completed. They discovered that the structure of the work had the same issues and would not be mobile friendly if they used that work. Fortunately, they were able to build the website from scratch without changing the quote.

The Technology Management Program was starting a professional master’s degree program, so working on that web page was our top priority. The Hometown team suggested that we launch pages incrementally, so that information regarding our professional master's degree was not delayed.

They created several templates for us to use, which allow us to use a variety of layouts and color schemes on all of our web pages. They also included feeds that feature general department news, as well as stories to specific fields. Although the website is easy to edit, the Hometown team are always there to help us when we have any issues. Our department has no control over the campus’s hosting environment, so they worked with the IT staff to create a single hosting environment and made a map so that our in-house I.T. staff can troubleshoot in the future.  

Their team went beyond the scope of work and helped us set up analytic reports on Google AdWords. They also tended to our marketing needs by including lightbox popups that get the emails of those interested in our master’s degree program.

What is the team composition?

We worked with their project manager 85% of the time, and a web designer and another developer were also present during our meetings.

How did you come to work with 95Visual?

We reached out to several agencies that specialize in building Drupal sites, and we ended up getting bids from three different companies. 95Viusal impressed us because they were well-versed with the Drupal platform and they have a stunning a stunning portfolio. Most importantly, they have experience working with bureaucracies, so they were patient and understanding when it came to our slow approval process. They also know that the needs of an academic space are different from that of a startup or private business, so they were able to bring cutting-edge elements to our site without sacrificing the important information.  

How much have you invested with them?

It cost approximately $40,000 to complete this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working on the website in October 2016 and we had most of the work completed by March 2017. We continue to use them for support as needed.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our metrics are positive, but the true success is that our staff members who have basic experience with technology are able to make changes to the site without seeking professional help.

How did 95Visual perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was phenomenal, they listened to our needs, and they stuck to the timelines. They were always prepared for meetings and never wasted time. Our team consisted of three individuals and we all had different concerns, but they managed all of our needs and kept everything on task superbly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their greatest talent is their ability to explain technical information in a manner that anyone can understand. When we weren’t able to explain our goals eloquently, they provided visual aids and had us select the option that best fit our needs. They knew that our team is fairly inexperienced, so they always suggested new features that we would not have known about and let us know if something that would be hard for our staff to customize. We also appreciate that they were always upfront about the cost of their services and offered solutions that were within our budget.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Choose them for your website design needs, because you couldn’t be in better hands.