Teal Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the acting VP of Digital at Voto Latino, a civic engagement organization that helps organize the Latino community to register to vote and participate in politics.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

We were looking to register 500,000 new voters in 2020 and needed to reimagine our website as a tool in our voter registration and participation effort. Our goal was to target voters in a way that was welcoming and engaging.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Teal Media completely overhauled our WordPress website. The team walked us through the full process, including research on our target audience of young Latino voters who are unlikely to be active in politics already. They also evaluated what the staff wanted out of the website, conducted surveys of our audience as well as one-on-one interviews, and audited our current website. 

The Teal Media team created a user profile that we used to make all of our decisions about layout and content going forward. Their team was responsible for all fo the design and visuals, creating a color palette. Our team provided content but their team created the layout of the site, reorienting the site to be a civic engagement hub.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five members of the Teal Media team, including Liz (Director of Client Services, Teal Media), Ryan (Art Director, Teal Media), Jason (CTO, Teal Media), Jessica (Principal, Teal Media), and Tyler (Project Manager, Teal Media).

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

We had over 30 firms reply to our RFP, but, having worked with Teal Media before at a previous position, I knew they would do a good job.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $80,0000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement ran from August 2019–January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The amount of people who have registered to vote through the site has increased significantly. Our new site is really oriented around our goals, which has helped us achieve them. The site also stands out from other political organizations, it’s not your standard red, white, and blue. Teal Media has a very in-depth research and discovery process which is exactly what we needed.

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Teal Media hit every deadline. It was very easy to work with them. Our teams communicated through Basecamp and they were very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Teal Media team is incredibly thoughtful, conducting thorough research to help create the best possible solution. They always kept our end goals in mind and clarified what they were doing each step of the way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we had a really good experience with Teal Media.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hire them for their research skills and trust the results they give you. They’re focused on helping achieve your goals and provide valuable advice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the digital director for the Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch division.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

We had a site with about 10,000 pages running on a CMS platform that was on its last legs and about to be downgraded. There were unique challenges with old content, disconnected links, and more.

We needed to upgrade the site, lifting it from its current platform and put it onto a new CMS so that it could function.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

This was a website redesign and development. We have no central webmaster. There are six people on our team who each run an online pipeline, and they coordinated with all of us.

First, they performed R&D. This included audience analysis, an SEO audit, and comparing competitors. They had to do this six times simultaneously for each of our pipelines.

Then they did design visualization, personalizing it per division while holistically maintaining a brand identity. This included a logo touchup, a color palette, and more. At the end of the process, they built the site.

They optimized the site for internal use, fixing PDF issues, and made it work for public-facing users. They worked on social and email integration, making lead generation an easier process.

What is the team composition?

We were working with three people at a time — seven in total. Jessica (Principal, Teal Media) worked throughout the process to ensure continuity. Liz (Director of Client Services, Teal Media) did most of the research and discovery. They had a graphic and UX designer, who gave us some great visual concepts. Finally, Jason (Chief Technology Officer, Teal Media) worked as a developer.

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

We fielded responses from numerous organizations and had about eight in-person interviews, settling on Teal Media.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial build was $95,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They began in June 2018 and we went live in April 2019. We went about a month over, and that was because the working groups we formed internally failed to deliver on time. The relationship is ongoing, as they continue to act as a brainstorming retainer for us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were hoping that the redesign would increase the average user’s time on our site. We wanted our readers to read our long-form content. They raised the average time spent on our website by 333%.

They did a great job paring down on broken links, allowing users to go down a rabbit hole. Clicking from article to article, they spend more time on our site.

The other metric we were looking to increase was our number of mobile users, and we wanted to do this without losing desktop users. We saw a spike in new mobile users after the redesign, without a decrease in our desktop audience.

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Liz and Jessica were fantastic at project management. The biggest benefit of having Jessica and Liz on the team is that they’re always going to be driving the project out of the gate and to the finish line. They’re unique with that ability.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very effective at making sure we kept to our timeline.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Equal Rights Advocates is a national civil rights organization primarily focused on fighting gender discrimination and protecting gender civil rights. I’m the deputy director, as well as the director of our strategic communications and branding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

We weren’t doing a great job with digital donors, our website was one of the biggest reasons for that. Users were also having trouble navigating our site to connect with us and meet their needs. 

We needed to find a way to keep our supporters engaged in our issues. Our site at the time just wasn’t a good channel for mobilization. That drove down engagement and interest. In turn, it was affecting our reach. We were beginning to do great on our other digital platforms, but our website was holding us back. Our team needed help to change that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We didn’t know where we existed in our market in relation to similarly-positioned organizations. Teal Media provided some critical market research, user information, and interviews that confirmed our areas for improvement. That also gave us a pretty good idea of what our values were as an organization, compared to others.

For instance, we knew that our base of supporters was of a certain type of demographic. We also suspected that, in order to keep growing, advancing, and pushing ourselves, we needed to begin to connect with other audiences. What that meant was that everything needed to change: our tone, our look and feel, and the functionality of the site. The site needed to become a lot more strategic, rather than reactive in its UI/UX.

Before the partnership, no one would want to engage with our brand. It was sad, boring, and old. We started partnering with Teal Media to update and refresh our visual brand. They updated our logo, bringing it into the 21st century. They brightened the colors and gave us a new brand guide to dictate how we create our collateral.

Teal Media gave us a refreshed palette. We kept the blue we had originally but brightened it up a little bit, and we added a bright pink and yellow, which was an interesting and counter-intuitive choice. It aligned us with human rights issues, but we stand apart from it. I think it’s because of the pink.

I knew that we had a legacy brand, and there was a lot of emotional investment in our digital presence from different audiences, primarily an older feminist audience that was very connected to our original founders. I needed to find a way to keep them without becoming stuck in the past. We accomplished this through the rebrand.

What is the team composition?

In the beginning, when we were scoping out the work, we worked with Jessica (Principal, Teal Media). She was my primary contact. Then, when the bulk of the work was going forward, Katy (Art Director, Teal Media) was our primary project manager. She shepherded us through going forward from there.

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

They’d done some one-off projects with my company before I got there. When it was time for me to think about a long-time partner, I put out an RFP. The brand refresh project was a way for me to test them out, and they had a great methodology.

When they submitted a proposal, they also submitted a list of references, and all of those said the same thing. Project management was really important to me. They had a sensible and strategic way forward for their clients, and they just built really smart websites that took content strategy and really innovated on it. 

How much have you invested with them?

The entire project cost $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in the fall of 2018 and ended in the fall of 2019. In an ideal world, this would’ve been a nine-month project. In reality, this typically takes 12 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having a website that communicates our visual brand very succinctly is amazing. Now, I can reinforce the brand in other places. Everything else makes more sense now. We’ve also had immense growth in traffic to the website, which is fantastic.

I wanted people to be able to find us, get help, and engage with us, and that’s happening with the website. Our analytics are showing that more people are coming to our site than ever before. Our SEO is great, working exactly the way it should.

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Basecamp as a project management tool, but we also had weekly or semi-weekly check-ins. They had a rigorous schedule. When they developed part of the project, we’d organize a video call.

They’re a distributed team, mostly on the East Coast, and we’re out here, on the West Coast. On our calls, we’d give our initial impressions, and then we’d collaborate on a feedback document.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Teal Media really does understand our mission and needs. They understand the pain points of an advocacy organization because they understand how advocacy works. Because of that, their strategic solutions are geared toward maximizing engagement.

In the nonprofit context, it's important to engage with the mission in a way that compels the person to either fund our efforts or assist with lobbying. In order to move people to take that level of action, we need to connect with them get them out of their comfort zone. They understand how to communicate in a new way.

Everything we put in our website now needs to have a purpose, or it doesn’t go up. They built that kind of pressure and strategy into the backend.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish they would upgrade to the new version of Basecamp; it’s a bit more flexible and has a better-looking interface. Actually, I do wish they’d use Slack for communication. We’re a Slack environment, and it makes it quicker for us to communicate with consultants. Other than that, Teal Media is a great team. They’re funny, progressive, and smart. That’s all I want.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients need to know what they want. If you're wishy-washy, you may waste time. Clients need to be focused, understanding their strategic direction.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of web strategy and technology at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit that addresses a range of issues in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

We were looking to redesign our website.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we had kick-off meetings where their team converged with our stakeholders. What followed was an extensive and in-depth discovery phase, which involved an in-person workshop and user surveys. After they collected information on our target audience, Teal Media delivered a deck that summarized all of our gatherings.

We then launched into building out an information architecture. They mapped out the new website, and working off these wireframes, they designed the necessary additions to the site. It wasn’t a complete redesign since there were several recycled assets.

We have an in-house technical team that’s currently building the site that they designed. They’re continuing to provide quality assurance to ensure that our implementations are consistent with their design offerings.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with four people from Teal Media. The team consisted of a project manager, a lead designer, a site architect, and principal strategist.

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

I sent an RFP to a couple dozen firms. Teal Media’s excellent proposal suggested that they were the right match for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our work in October 2018 and wrapped up in May 2019. However, they continue to provide ongoing support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their exceptional work, the website looks a lot better. I’ve worked with various designers and creative designers, and Teal Media is easily among my favorite. In addition to their extensive design know-how, they understood the internal dynamics of working for an organization like ours. It’s hard to reach a consensus when you have several stakeholders, but they were able to navigate that very skillfully.  

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

It was great having a design firm with both technical expertise and great project management skills. They used Basecamp for project management, and InVision as a file-sharing tool. We’d also have conferences over Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and management skills blew the other agencies I’ve worked with out of the water.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I would do the whole project with them again in a heartbeat.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re great listeners, and they do an excellent job of being inclusive. They’ll do a great job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior manager of digital communications for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I’m in charge of our digital experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

We wanted to make the experience of getting involved in our organization more streamlined and less overwhelming. Specifically, we wanted to hire a partner to redesign the UX/UI of that section of our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We isolated the places on our website where users have a two-way interaction with us, such as making donations, calling their senator, or volunteering. In total, we have about fifty different ways that people can get involved, but navigating through all those options was overwhelming our visitors. So, we did some internal interviews and focus groups with people who work in those different programs to determine their perspective on how to get people involved.

We also did surveys, interviews, and focus groups with people outside of our organization to figure out what they want to do, how they’d like to help, and what they’d expect on our website. Teal Media then pulled all that information together and came up with a few recommendations, such as eliminating jargon in certain places and rearranging the page navigation.

Beyond redesigning the UX/UI, they also ran tests and even did a card sort to determine the best organization. They designed a few prototypes of different page layouts and had test users explain what they were thinking while navigating them. It was an iterative process of testing and refining until we reached something we liked. Finally, they created the visual design, wrote the code, and connected everything to our CMS so that it was all uniform.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about seven people, including some UX professionals and designers. We had one main point of contact across all phases of the project.

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

We issued a formal RFP and got proposals from about six different companies. We then narrowed it down to three, and they came in to present some of their past work. We liked what Teal Media had done, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership lasted from May 2018–April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received good feedback from test users, who are impressed by how much more streamlined and intuitive the site is. It used to overwhelm people, but now it’s much easier to navigate, and people seem to be engaging with us more.

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly calls and sent emails throughout the week. They were proactive, timely, and flexible. For example, we initially started with personas, but Teal Media realized that card sorting would be a better fit, so they switched approaches to meet our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They took time to listen and understand our organization, audience, and goals. The kind of approach that works for other companies doesn’t necessarily work for us, and they realized that. But they still found a way to be innovative and accomplish what we wanted. They’re also great at onboarding new employees so that it’s a smooth transition.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any ways they could improve. I’d gladly work with them again.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Give them space to be creative and innovative. They’re experts in their field, so don’t micromanage. If you can, provide broad strokes for what you want to accomplish, and they’ll come up with some awesome ideas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the director of digital operations for Facing Addiction. We’re a nonprofit that focuses on political advocacy for addiction-related issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media? 

We use Teal Media for several tasks including our website infrastructure and design.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Teal Media has done a lot of API work for us in addition to more general website development. They developed our first website some years ago, as well as this more recent redesign. They built our website in WordPress on the backend. They work closely with us on the development of APIs for mapping technology. 

For the redevelopment of our website, they started with a couple of calls about what we were looking for. Teal Media actually came out to meet with us in person. They led creative mapping exercises to really understand all the different ways that we use the website. They looked at how the site was initially conceived and compared it to what it had become in the interim. 

What is the team composition? 

In total, I work with 2–4 people. Aruna (creative director, Teal Media) is our project manager and my main contact. I also work with their CTO on the more technical aspects. 

How did you come to work with Teal Media? 

I wasn’t involved in that process. I think it was word of mouth from someone that had worked with them previously. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent more than $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working together in June 2015, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They've done a great job. We're able to have an outsized impact in our field because of the new website. For example, Teal Media helped us develop a system for getting people to take online quizzes to see whether or not they have an addiction. Over 16,000 people have taken the quizzes. That's a direct result of the infrastructure they put in place to modernize the flow and layout of the website. The site is more accessible now. More people are searching for us on Google, so our overall traffic has gone up as well. 

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint? 

Their team performs admirably. They’re very thoughtful and organized throughout the entire process. They stay on top of everything and set consistent deadlines. If they fall behind, they're responsive when we ask them about it. We primarily communicate via phone and email, and they use Basecamp to manage tasks. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their responsiveness and overall communication set them apart. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

In general, no. The only thing I’d mention is that I’d prefer if they switched to a new project management system. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Have a solid idea of what you want. They're going to ask you a lot of questions. The more information you have, the more it helps them to understand your project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing communications for Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

Our brand was outdated because we hadn’t addressed it in several years. We wanted to modernize our brand, solidify messaging, and refresh our visual identity. The branding needed to translate on our new website and comply with our current definition of the organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Teal Media talked with internal and external stakeholders to research assessments of our organization. The team then leveraged that data to build out test messaging for our identity and mission. From there, they facilitated staff meetings, which complemented key focus group testing with external stakeholders. The latter group included law students, law school stakeholders, and representatives from the legal community. We used these groups to ensure our message was accurately disseminated and received. Next, Teal Media consolidated the focus group data and provided recommendations that also incorporated internal feedback. Our leadership provided that feedback and the team refined the drafts until we had a finalized brand and visual identity.

In addition, we worked pro bono with a design firm in New York that was doing a university honors class. The students created different logo options for us to consider. Teal Media helped us select designs and then refined the color palette, typography, and style sheet. With a new logo, we then created a brand style and distributed it to our staff. The guide outlined our key and core messaging, as well as our values. What’s more, we created guidelines for templates and visuals, which we incorporated into the web development and design processes. The website launched in October 2018.

What is the team composition?

Jessica (Principal, Teal Media) and Liz (Project Manager, Teal Media) focused on audience research and messaging development. Katy (Senior Designer, Teal Media) headed the design team and Jason (CTO, Teal Media) worked on development.

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

We issued an RFP and Teal Media submitted a proposal. After a competitive interview process, we hired them due to their expertise and estimated timeline and budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and the partnership ended in October 2018. We now have Teal Media on a retainer basis.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The rebrand received positive feedback from a significant number of external stakeholders. The brand now feels fresher. Unlike its previous iterations, the current messaging speaks to the fullest value that our organization offers—and better reflects our vision. The language is easier to remember.

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was organized and transparent with product management. We knew what to expect and by which date. Likewise, Teal Media managed expectations well, which helped us be a good partner and maintain a working schedule. We used Basecamp to keep everything organized and on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team’s overall competence stood out. Often, vendors have expertise but lack the common sense to apply that knowledge to real-world parameters. Conversely, agencies with practical skills but minimal expertise do not provide value. Teal Media had a great combination of both qualities. Their insightful recommendations were realistic and the subsequent implementations were executed pragmatically.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, because we intentionally cut back our budget on services such as copywriting and editing. Our project would have benefitted from such services and Teal Media would have executed those items had we requested them. As a nonprofit, we didn’t want to spend extra money on things we didn’t absolutely need.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients should be proactive and realistic partners. They can lean on Teal Media to help clarify the vision, but should also collaborate on any challenges. Both teams should be completed aligned from day one.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the deputy director of global communications, which is a digital marketing function, for the Council on Foreign Relations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

We were in need of digital design and digital marketing strategy expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do a variety of work for us and focus on a lot of ongoing design tasks. It includes social media assets, online advertisements, and they recently created a Snapchat filter and a printed coaster for us. It is a pretty wide range. We do our own ads, but they help us with the design and some of the targeting strategies.

We outline our needs and specifications for the different assets and deadlines we need. We sometimes ask them to think creatively, but our needs are often more formulaic. We go back and forth iterating on the deliverables until we all agree.

What is the team composition?

We mostly deal with their lead designer, Jonah Goodman. When he is away, he subs in another designer. Jessica Teal (Principal, Teal Media), attends the high-level meetings and is always available for strategy consults.

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

There was some internal restructuring that created an opening to hire a new digital design firm to replace them. We sent out an RFP and did a competitive bid process with three finalists. Teal was the winner as they really understood our organization and our unique needs. They understood our space very well and the fact that they’re also in Washington D.C. is very helpful.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in the fall of 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our social media assets are now much more professional and aesthetically pleasing. They’ve also set up a templating system that makes producing the social media assets we design in-house much more efficient. They’ve helped us reach new audiences by more thoughtfully honing our messaging, as well as improving the designs that we present to those audiences.

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They're great. They have been really efficient and on the ball. We communicate often through Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to listen has been impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're great and any future client would be lucky to have them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Reproaction is a direct access organization for increased access to abortion and reproductive justice. I am a co-founder and co-director of the organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

We’re a two-year-old organization, and, as goes with a startup, it took us a while to have a professional website. We were trying to give ourselves a full organizational-level professional presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a pretty stripped down site without much functionality and reduced design. We wanted to show who we are and how we stand on reproductive justice issues, highlighting both our impact and our scope. We needed a number of functional pieces that we didn't have before.

They broke the project into six phases. The first phase was discovery and requirements gathering; we worked together with the Teal Media team to talk through a variety of requirements including strategy, content, structure, visual and functional maintenance. Then, they also conducted some additional research, and we had follow-up conversations on the basis of that came up with that was the first phase.

The second phase was an architecture and user experience phase. They came up with a map of wireframes and we had a couple of rounds of feedback on that. From there we moved into the visual design phase. They started with style tiles and they presented multiple options for the look and feel of the site. Once we chose a style tile, we went into designing a home page, and various landing pages for the different sections. After the design phase, we went into the development phase where they did all of the technical things that I'm not qualified to speak on.

Next, they set up the CMS. In combination with our team, they migrated our content over to the new platform. They provided support along the way, answered our questions, and identified bugs. The last phase prior to launch was final testing and quality assurance. Their team went through and reviewed display and functionality. Subsequently, our team reviewed display and functionality, and we worked out all the kinks. We went to launch; we had three days of free support for any questions we had or things that came up along the way. We only had to reach out a couple of months after that.

As a direct-action organization, we want to amplify our actions and inspire other actions. We want to make it easy for people to follow along. They integrated Facebook live into the site. For example, if we have a live breaking video, people can stream it from our site. They also created a resources section, since we host webinars that are free and open to the public. It houses our YouTube videos that we put together and we can upload PDF or JPEGs or factsheets. It was really nice to have that type of repository. We wanted to highlight our press work in a better way, they put together is a featured quotes repository for our newest press hit. The quotes are available on the home page and link back to the press piece.

What is the team dynamic?

We personally worked with at least five people, but we had one primary contact. We were in regular contact with them and they were extremely responsive to our messages. They put together a clear schedule with milestones and who was responsible for them, either from our team or from their team. It was very helpful.  It was so clear what was needed when and from whom. Some days we may speak three or four times a day on a specific issue. Other times, we would go without speaking because it was clear when the next thing was coming.

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

We put together an RFP for our new website design. However, we've worked with Teal Media previously on a microsite project. My introduction to Teal Media came through their work on the Rewire website redesign and in that project they actually gathered some focus groups that I was a participant in. I was able to meet Jessica [Founder, Teal Media],  as well as one of their designers,  and I was very impressed with what I saw. I liked their collaborative process and I thought they were smart.

How much have you invested with them?

This project was  $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially initiated it in February of 2017, and the website launched in July.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our supporters and activists are excited about the new site. Prospective funders who found the site, they noticed the changes and were happy about the new look.

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

A+. They are incredibly easy to work with. They create clear lines of authority. Everything was delivered on time and within our budget. When we wanted to shift the deadline for our own convenience, they did that without complaints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From top to bottom they are professionals. They built great designs. They're highly responsive, and they're easy to follow. Not only are they highly professional, but they're fun to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think so. The fact that we've signed up for a third round says it all.

BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the website editor of a lab nonprofit. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Teal Media?

We have worked with them on several projects, including a branding project for our organization. We had a number of different looks and wordmarks; yet there was no consistency, so we brought in Teal Media to help us with that. One goal was to make the information architecture on the site more streamlined and more focused. We hadn’t worked with a branding and design agency before Teal Media.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Teal Media’s work led to a branding and style guide, which was done in advance of a website redesign. We used their team for a lot of the mockups, wireframing and compositions. They were valuable partners in that project, and have also built a couple of microsites for us.

We had multiple menu categories, and had to define what users were coming to the site for, so that we could address their needs. This was done by looking at analytics and working through some user profiles. It had been 4-5 years since we did a redesign;  the site was old and moldy at that point.

We went through a lot of discovery in-house. Going in, we knew that we’d need the most help on doing the wireframing for the site. We provided the comps for the desktop and mobile versions.

I had worked with Teal Media on a couple of projects before this one. I knew that their work was solid, and that they were easy to work with. We brought them in for the branding project, which carried over to the wireframing and comps for the website.

We had discussions about some of the new categories of pages. There was more of a narrative flow to them, and a parallax design. Teal Media helped with the imagery, and with thinking through the narrative piece.

What is the team dynamic?

There were 2-4 primary resources, as well as a couple of others, as we ramped up the project. We generally had a single point of contact. We used a project management tool, and most of the communication was done via email. Jessica Teal would come in from time to time, to get a sense of how the project was going, and to make sure our needs were met.

How did you come to work with Teal Media?

Much of it was based on my previous experience of working with them, and their familiarity with Drupal, which is what we were going to use as the platform. Teal Media had knowledge and experience with other progressive organizations, which was a big factor. They’ve consistently done good work, and we liked their style.

How much have you invested with them?

Confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial project started in May or April 2013. We don’t have ongoing work on the website, but we have built another microsite with Teal Media, which will be launched shortly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Just having a new website was a success. Anecdotally, people have liked it. We have a new feature which connects users to organizers, and have generated hundreds of leads through that piece. There is not much correlation between the metrics of the old site and the new one, just because we’ve streamlined content. Side-to-side pageviews don’t really matter, and they’re vanity metrics anyway. We’re not a for-profit institution; we’re not selling ads, so time-on-site matters more to us. It has improved by about 33%.

Much of the development was done in-house, and there were 2 different streams for taking the design and implementing it. The backend has been simplified, as was the frontend, in terms of site focus and depth. There were many layers on the old site; getting to a piece of content required clicking through 5 menu items. We can now get to it with a couple of clicks.

How did Teal Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered what they said they would, in the timeframe promised. Our organization is fairly big, and there are multiple layers, so many of the delays were due to us waiting for approval and reviewing the work done by Teal Media. In general, they were great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to take a project brief, listen to the stakeholders, and synthesize work into something beautiful and useful. Teal Media completely understood what we were going after, and delivered on that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The project management tool we used wasn’t the best, although we’ve used it forever. Teal Media may have used different software with other clients. It could have been better, but it’s not really on them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I highly recommend them, but I don’t have any specific advice.