McKnight + Partners. Inc
McKnight + Partners. Inc
Helping a small local business better market their company to sell.
(All while focusing on their users!)
My Role
When designing for a small Chicagoland business, I was responsible for the following:
Stakeholder interviews and management;
Client and potential user interviews;
First impression testing;
Rebranding logo and UI;
Responsive design wireframing.
Real Clients, Real Experiences
McKnight + Partners, Inc., a reputable small construction company, was just another outdated website online. When it comes to being attractive to a buyer, McKnight + Partners, Inc. isn’t there yet digitally.
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
Why Buy?
In order to be a desirable purchase (as defined by an investment firm) a small business should be:
Reputable — good reputation within the community
Recurring contracts
Desirable contracts
Strong management team
Populated geographical region
Broad client base
Who is McKnight + Partners, Inc?
McKnight + Partners, Inc. is a professional, high-quality business servicing the upper-middle-class residents of the Chicago North Shore. However, first-time website visitors see something very different.
McKnight + Partners, Inc's online presence to help broaden its client base is not accurate.
The Research Outcome
To target the final selling point — a broad client base — McKnight + Partners, Inc. needs to showcase its community reputation and company values to a new online clientele.
ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS
Who is the User?
There is a clear gap between who McKnight + Partners, Inc targets as a user and what actual users experience as a first impression of the company’s website. In order to engage and convert potential new customers, McKnight + Partners, Inc. needs a well-defined persona.
Catering to the User
McKnight + Partners, Inc. clients highly value the white glove experience — clean, organized, professional, pricey but worth it!
Jennifer’s Moodboard
A focus on imagery and a well-developed portfolio
Clean, professional text that appears high-class
Influenced by historic Chicago Architecture
Colors that target the user’s emotions and incorporate a connection to local design
SOLUTION
SOLUTION
Building a Brand
-
As noted in Jennifer’s mood board, we wanted to incorporate blues in the design to provide a feeling of professional, clean design work that also reminds a user of the beautiful city they live in — Chicago.
However, we know the financial investment Jennifer is putting into her home, so we want to assure her of the luxury service she will receive.
Therefore, we took the blue further into the purples to bring in a luxurious feel.
Now that we understand the user, Jennifer, we can work to meet her expectations and eliminate her frustrations through the user interface design.
-
With such an image-focused design, typography is a great way to further build and support the company’s character.
The Headers — a modern take on a classic serif font, channeling the historic Chicago architecture that users are looking for in their home remodels.
The Body — a clean, crisp, easy-to-read font that doesn’t distract from what the body text is supporting, the imagery.
Modernizing the Logo
McKnight + Partners, Inc.’s logo has one huge value — community recognition, creating constraints with a redesign:
Must include the “McKnight + Partners, Inc.”
Must include the sunray
Instead of completely rebranding the logo, modernizing the logo made it more brand-representative.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
THE FINAL PRODUCT
McKnight + Partners, Inc.
A responsive design for a “historic remodeling service” — as defined by 60% of users within the first 5 seconds of seeing the site.
Before
click for full design
-
No focus — the key elements (CTA, a hero image, details about the company/service, navigation) have no hierarchy.
-
First impressions testing resulted in 1/3 of users being “unsure” of what the company offered.
-
Branding (color and typography) misrepresent the actual values of the company.
After
click for full design
-
Clear hierarchy to ensure recognition, ease of use, and an easy path to CTAs — more clicks results in more potential clients.
-
Focus on images and improving the content as 60% of users noted that was key in their first impressions.
-
Rebranded to a modern and luxurious design to align with client feedback.
Explore the Entire Design
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Focus on Content
Content is king and the imagery should meet the branding guidelines.
Designing with less-than-ideal content was a challenge, but it was also a great opportunity to set expectations with stakeholders. It gave me a chance to test multiple ideas to “sell” to the client, as well as a learning experience for adjusting on the go.
Before
After
Supporting the Sale
Content is king, but it also has to align with the stakeholder’s goals. For this project, the goal is to make McKnight + Partners, Inc. desirable for a sale. A satisfied client validates the work and can provide a conclusion for the overall project.