SunWest Website Build + Launch

01. The Challenge

The old site was hard to read, difficult to navigate with redundant menus, and overall not aesthetically-pleasing or on-brand. We were limited in what we could control with the CMS platform powered by Fiserv, and we were unable to make any design changes; even adding a new promotional page warranted a help desk request. Our analytics were also an issue because the production site was not hidden from Google, causing a duplicate site to be read. Blog capabilities were another pain point. We desperately wanted to have a different blog targeting each youth account age group to help boost participation. We realized we needed a platform where we could not only control the content, but also the design and SEO elements to properly represent our digital brand.

02. The Strategy

After doing some serious web surfing, I came across Webflow and their university library of how-to videos, tips, and tricks, especially for custom interactions and engaging animations. I discovered that Webflow would allow us to design, maintain, and control every aspect of our site. Last-minute rate change? Easy. New promotional page for this season's personal loan campaign? Done. Multiple blogs and landing pages to better target youth account age groups? Finito. Now all I had to do was build the site...

The scope of work was daunting, but we were determined to tackle this challenge. I began taking UI/UX courses to beef up my expertise on digital design and best practices:

discovery

Research, Concept, Competitive Set Analysis

strategy

Information Architecture + Wire-framing, Digital Strategy, Brand Alignment

design

Mockups, UX/UI Design, Website Design, Blog Design

develop

Web Development, Quality Assurance: Test, test, + test again, Back-end Development, Front-end Development

launch

Web Hosting, Analytics Reporting, SEO Optimization, Launch Advertising Campaign, Online Banking Integration

maintain

Accuracy of Information, Current Promotions, Events, + Contests with Corresponding Landing Pages, Posts to 4 Blogs + Monitor Comments, Ask SunWest Video Series, Pounce Accounts Coloring Sheet Library, Form Results to Proper Channels, Enhance Accessibility

03. The Result

SunWest's new website design hit all our goals and then some. Not only does it have a clean and fresh look, it's functional beyond our wildest dreams. The new site is far more engaging with custom-made interactions and animations, and enhances the new written content's witty tone of voice. It's easy to use, gracefully responsive, and all the information is organized in a logical way. Our members don't wonder where to click next, and it shows! Our analytics are now accurate, so we can measure and track our audience. MySunWest.com is on-brand and sets the tone for the entire brand.