Thunderhead: customer-focused website design

Thunderhead's business is about customer communications. Their software, Thunderhead Now, makes multi-channel customer communication easy, manageable and more valuable to businesses. Despite rapid growth and penetration in certain sectors, the recognised their own online customer communications as not being fit for the digital world their customers explore every day.

Objectives

• Develop and nurture leads with existing and new customers
• Deliver a richer online experience that meets the needs of specific user interests and intentions
• Support company growth and global audience needs
• Create a flexible web presence that is adaptive, easier to maintain and future-proofed

Method

We used a two phased approach to the project. The first phase was to carry out research to understand the business more and identify the needs of users inside and outside the business. The second was the design and build phase, and involved scoping out the project, creating the information architecture, designing and building the website with the CMS and testing.

The initial research workshops were highly valuable, throwing up insight that informed design decisions taken much later on. The ideas and the role of different aspects of the website were discussed and developed using post-it notes and writeboards.

During further sessions with a core project team we identified the content and functions needed for the website and were able to check these against the different needs of their target audiences. We developed a content plan and made it clear that their existing content could not just be copied into the new site.

Solution

The design solution came about through collaboration with the client across most of the services Hoop provide: from research through strategy, content, IA, design, development and testing. It brought clarity to Thunderhead's offer, intuitive navigation to customers and offered relevant content at all stages of the user experience.

Results

Thunderhead now have a useful online tool that serves their business needs and objectives. Their digital strategy is to develop leads with the website as a key stage in the journey from prospect to sale. The online experience of the Thunderhead brand is more consistent, coherent and richer in content. As the site is built on our open source CMS, they can change and adapt their website as and when they see fit.

Hoop listened carefully, then delivered a design which marries ease of navigation through a wealth of technical content with an uncluttered, engaging look and feel. The elegant simplicity of the site belies the challenge of cross-referencing multi-layered audiences, industries and topics.

Rod Hirsch, VP Content & Brand, Thunderhead

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