Problem:
Southeast AlabamaWorks' (SEALWorks), the workforce development arm of the Dothan Chamber of Commerce, website was cluttered with a misaligned layout and somewhat confusing navigation and architecture. They wanted a complete overhaul of their user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). The website was already using WordPress and Avada (a page-builder drag-and-drop wysiwyg theme) and was nomininally responsive, but the mobile appearance on different devices needed improvement, as well.
Action:
I began by assessing the state of the website, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then I ran several SEO and analytics processes as well as some technical diagnostics (e.g., site load speed). After presenting my findings to the client and helping to set the proper expectations regarding the scope of what the project would and would not cover, I got to work rebuilding the site.
Throughout the entire 3-month duration of the project I kept in good contact with customer even going beyond their expectations providing a weekly progress report including a sort of mini Agile retrospective. I also set up a project board on Asana and educated the client stakeholders in its use. By implementing the asana board, stakeholders were able to approve and comment on designs very quickly, thereby speeding up delivery time of the final product.
Result:
The client was very satisfied with my work, my depth of communication and concern about helping them understand technical concepts, teaching them WordPress website management techniques, and bring their vision for the site to life. I gave the site a much-needed facelift and recreated an outstanding performant user experience that appealed to their three target audiences: students, employers, and educators.
