NJ Web Design Company | New Jersey Web Development | LFORM

Client:

Serving approximately 26,000 girls and 11,000 adult members in Hudson, Essex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon, Southern Warren, and parts of Middlesex counties, Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey is a council of the national organization, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), that is based in New York City. Through programs involving athletics, outdoor recreation, classes, pen pal writing, crafts, and other fun activities, GSHNJ helps girls acquire leadership skills, gain appreciation for other cultures, develop values that will permit active contribution to society, reach full individual promise, learn the enjoyments and navigational requirements of nature, and maintain healthy friendships.

Challenge:

An antiquated content management system (CMS) that turned simple tasks into laborious and cumbersome obstacles combined with cluttered content, visual anarchy, and lack of capacity for online shopping prompted a partnership with Lform.

Missing documentation and prerequisite HTML knowledge were some of the inadequacies of the former CMS that generated difficulties in changing photographs, making updates, locating items, differentiating between hierarchies/chronologies of events, drawing attention to specific/cancelled activities, among other problems. Nancy Zimmerman, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, shared that she and an IT employee used to be overwhelmed, being the only ones handling these non-automated challenges.

While the content's substance did not require alteration, a need for more accessibility and easier navigation through streamlining and better organization of haphazard information became apparent. Tabs used to open into a plethora of subtabs, and the site map into an array of visually nondescript links. Of paramount interest was the desire for a modern, fresher image to replace a narrow mousy layout with congested content giving rise to claustrophobia and sensations of being lost.

Limited features for shopping options included an online PDF catalog that allowed customers a few choices: place orders by calling, preorder online for pickup in a store, and order from the national site.

Solution:

The redesign project was led by GSHNJ's Communications Team with the participation of an interdisciplinary team. Applying the latest web design, e-commerce, and security technology, Lform addressed problem areas and realized GSHNJ's vision of a seamlessly integrated, comprehensive resource with more utility in the form of a communication tool for the council that is easy to use while enabling an enjoyable online shopping experience from the convenience of home.

Lform introduced a new content management system, the Adminical, that eradicated all the difficulties associated with the previous CMS. Uploading using FTP for file transfers is no longer necessary, and more access to the backend is allowed. A lister feature for press releases substitutes the outdated mode of alphabetical Excel spreadsheets. Before, a collage of events on the site undistinguished from one another prevented getting the message out about highlighted and cancelled events. Now, with a simple click, a featured event is automated and surfaces above all others in relevance. A new capability also lets photos in the slideshow be easily changed.

Equipped with documentation, training, and individual passwords, employees not in the IT department without computer savvy are able to intuitively approach the new user-friendly system and make updates. Nancy now delegates some work to her assistants, and responsibilities are spread over various departments beyond IT.

Revamping the former design, Lform introduced a whimsical quality, including more colors and drawings, along with a wider, more approachable layout that attractively presents easier to read information of greater accessibility. Sewn, threaded images appropriately match the characteristics of GSHNJ's feminine environment. Garrulous subtabs have been replaced by a neat row of links on the left column once a tab is clicked to enter a new page. Whereas links on the former site evinced stippled elusiveness, they now have an affirmative foothold. The old sitemap consisted of an encyclopedic list while the new incorporates an accordion page that streamlines for better navigation and reduces clutter.

Generally a more professional and less messy appearance reigns now, and rampant examples could be referenced. More sophistication is visible in the following areas: newsletter signup, email GSHNJ form, the calendar, PDF downloads.

While the Lform team did not create the online store, they did design the template to permit seamless navigation to another server for a centralized effect.

Results:

Launched in June 2011, the redesigned GSHNJ website has received numerous compliments, from the Board of Directors, employees, and site visitors. The e-commerce has been successful, generating a lot of online sales. Even sales from out of state have been transacted. Employees find aspects of their jobs involving use of the site easier to manage.

Reflecting on the experience of working with Lform, Nancy Zimmerman said the project was fun, helped along by the creativity, patience, sense of humor, and big learning curve of Ian and his team. She appreciated Ian's understanding of the huge monetary investment being made by a nonprofit that was out of their usual comfort zone and the way he personally spent a lot of time listening to GSHNJ's needs, giving them options.

"Ian and his team at Lform are extremely easy to work with, accommodating, and respectful. They established a professional chemistry and synergy with us, demonstrated flexibility through challenging times, and repeatedly devised better ways of doing things. We also wanted to work side-by-side with a local company and Lform was the perfect fit."

"The new website isn't just beautiful, functional and a great experience for our clients, it's saved us countless hours every month in website administration and maintenance. We hit a home run with Lform."

Lisa Minneci, VP of Marketing

Client:

Revelwood, an IBM Premier Business Partner and IBM Certified Solution Provider, specializes in consultancy services and performance management solutions to help Fortune 1000 and mid-market companies of diverse industries, who are in need of corrective strategizing throughout all levels within each organization, optimize their financial processes and make better decisions. Offering software, application products, implementation services, training, and support, consultants with dual expertise in finance and technology guide businesses in the direction of sound management and growth by focusing on innovative resource allocation within a set budget, increased speed, flexibility, and ease in areas such as enterprise planning, budgeting, forecasting, consolidation, reporting, and analytics. Proven methodologies, accelerators, and tools--including their BPM Suite™ that won the 2011 IBM Beacon Award for Outstanding Business Analytics Innovation--pave the foundation of Revelwood's approach in every project.

Challenge:

Revelwood's former site, built in 2002, and ran on an outmoded and static Microsoft Office FrontPage platform was disintegrating. That along with a driving desire for a redesign that not only properly reflects Revelwood's personality, growth, and mission but also engages site visitors through interactive attractive visuals, streamlined content organization, and navigational directness led to contact and partnership with Lform. Limited in functionality, without use of Flash, and requiring manually intensive plain HTML that turned simple tasks into hours of labor, the former site in symptomatic disarray started to stall. Pages ceased to work, and content shifted from right justified to left justified, or the reverse. Event registrations necessitated tedious Comma Separated Values (CSV) files to store external spreadsheets. More of a brochure and event registration utility, the old site had fallen behind and was no longer aligned with the actual entity of Revelwood.

Solution:

Through a business colleague's referral, Revelwood and Lform entered a creative brainstorming process. Armed with a Request for Proposal (RFP), a detailed utopian vision--down to pictures, fonts, and colors--that Lisa had written up for the new site in mind, Revelwood met with Lform in a design and analysis session. Of importance was the need to capture simultaneously the simplicity and complexity of Revelwood.

Addressing the outdated FrontPage platform, Lform created a customized content management system (CMS) for "behind-the-scene" management in replacement that exceeded all expectations which automates and simplifies what used to be several manual tasks into intuitive facility that are delegated to assistants and office managers, saving executives time for other priorities. Content reorganization removed certain pages, while adding others, ultimately streamlining navigation.

Inserting a slideshow on the initial page and photos throughout the site graphically enhances while visually engaging visitors with a stylized presentation that is easier to read as well. A prominent display that formerly did not exist on the first page also encourages purchase of the BPM Suite, yet another example of interactive advertising with client visitors. Quotes that previously resided clumped on one page have been turned into attention-focusing individual testimonials on the left hand side of numerous pages. The rudimentary mode of the former site has been overtaken by a more mature image, involving use of accordion pages that expand registration forms instead of ordering a new window to open. Integrative social media applications also have a presence on the redesigned site.

Results:

Upon launch near the beginning of this year, Revelwood has received enormous enthusiasm for feedback from internal staff, business partners, customers, and prospective clients. Site traffic peaked, and comparatively longer visits and more activity have been logged. Generally, a greater number of downloads, including those of whitepapers and data sheets, occur. Praises of easier and purpose-oriented navigation that subtracts digressions have been noted. What was once manually intensive, requiring for instance 20 hours/month, has become automated and reduced to approximately 5 hours/month thanks to the Adminical content management system.

Because Phase I had been so successful, Revelwood continues to partner with Lform in Phase II, a further advancement of functionality on the site. Lform is preparing tools that would permit a blog to be established, enabling Revelwood to select and input content of their choice. A micro site serving as a portal only for clients where they are able to receive upgrades, downloads, and other specials will be implemented. Further, a customer relationship management (CRM) tool is being installed that will transform the current method of manually updating event forms onto Salesforce.com from CMS into automatic uploads, in the ongoing process of introducing and integrating ease and convenience onto the newly designed site.

“Lform is a bona fide expert in creating websites. Our website project was multi-faceted, complicated and required a robust back-end system to handle complex event registrations. Lform was up for the challenge and delivered a visually engaging site as well the Adminical - a world-class content management system. What used to be a manual, time-intensive and arduous site to manage is now completely streamlined and automated. The Adminical is pure genius! It was a pleasure to work with every member of the Lform team and if I had to do it all over again, I'd call Lform in a hot second.”

Lisa Minneci, VP of Marketing

Client:

A nonprofit organization established in 1999, Roots & Wings Foundation, located in Mountain Lakes, empowers disadvantaged young adults aging out of the foster care system in New Jersey to transition from dependency to self-sufficiency by offering a multitude of services. The motivation behind their vision is to help build courage, confidence, and character in individuals and a nurturing environment that permits attainment of this vulnerable demographics’ success.

Challenge:

About a year ago, Roots & Wings sought Lform’s expertise to overhaul their skeletal former site that was dated. The site was disorganized, visually monotonous, rudimentary in navigation, and lacked a site-wide search function. The absence of content management system, otherwise known as CMS, prevented involvement from staff members and turned simple updates into ordeals that required weeks to complete.  Wayne Roth, Marketing Committee, had created a new logo that Roots & Wings wished to include in the redesign, and a resource area for aged-out foster youth was deemed necessary.  The desire was to have a new clean look that would remain current with Roots & Wings’ contemporary values and character.

Solution:

Initial meetings between Wayne Roth and Ian helped solidify understanding of Roots & Wings’ needs and vision for a new logo and look. Meanwhile, Executive Director, Kim Spangenberg, supplied contents to be included on the redesigned site. Basecamp, a project management and collaboration tool, facilitated communication during the architectural reconstruction, to ensure streamlined coherent teamwork between Lform and client party.

The new site that Lform worked on since December 2010, launched in May 2011, includes the following significant changes:

Introduction of content management system (CMS) eliminated the outmoded method of updating HTML code manually, permitting trained internal staff members with minimal prior web experience to fluidly handle details of Roots & Wings’ site. Simply using CMS, any internal staff is able to archive past events with a drop down menu or update the “In Their Own Words” page. Improved navigation now imparts a straightforward message, with navigational titles clean and to the point. A professional and elegant integrity, including a more sophisticated font, is the new image projected that helps to attract financial donors.

Addition of photos and video featuring people Roots & Wings serves and helps, displayed among the prominent slideshow on the home page for example, imbues an approachability that overturns the static dullness of the former site. The “Donate Today button” is front and center, where the eye goes first, zeroing in on grabbing the attention of financial donors.

Pages with content that did not previously exist have been inserted, such as the ones for donor recognition, the resource section, and the programs area. Reorganized succinct content kept in mind the need to avoid repetitive cluttered information while necessary descriptions have been placed under links, on the Professionals in the Field page for instance. Bypassing the stacking technique, contents are neatly separated into individual compartments, enhancing intuitive navigation. The accordion style, a well-nestled inhabitant on numerous pages (e.g., employment with Roots & Wings, request for donors’ feedback, contact), expands pages into convenient forms without requiring copy and pasting or convoluted new windows opening and spinning out of control. A site-wide search feature also has been implemented.

Results:

Roots & Wings has received positive feedback from supporters, and the general consensus reflects an appreciation for the new projected image and seamless navigation. Although some frustration was encountered at launch and occasionally afterwards, swift resolution of wrinkles (e.g., certain pages were not up and running) returned the site to normal.

Client:

Proceed, Inc., a non-profit organization in Elizabeth, NJ, provides an array of social, health, and energy conservation services to approximately 16,000 individuals and families throughout Union County. It also provides individual and group level, local and national capacity building assistance, training, curricula, program development, and service implementation. In the past year, Proceed has provided these services to over 100 organizations and 1,000 individuals in the HIV/AIDS and substance abuse fields.

Challenge:

Proceed approached Lform to design a new website to replace their previous website, which had been built in the early days of the organization. With basic functionality, dated design and features, Proceed's site no longer represented the organization's mission or character. A basic business card-style site, it limited Proceed's ability to connect with the community it serves and organizations seeking to learn from Proceed's success.

Among other challenges, the site was not search engine-friendly, the site architecture was confusing, and lacked a content management system, making the site unwieldy to manage and difficult to navigate.

Solution:

Following an extensive needs analysis Lform's design team crafted a new site architecture that addressed each of Proceed's objectives. The site is upon a flexible, proprietary content management system (CMS), which enables Proceed staff to maintain the site with timely updates, new programs and special events. New features include a site-wide search engine, connection to Facebook, and a newsletter creation and mail tool.

Proceed hosts an ongoing calendar of events providing workshops, lectures, and courses. Now, users can register for events by the use of the website's integration with EventBrite. Lform's design also allows Proceed to accept donations directly through the site.

Individuals seeking services can now anonymously make appointments for HIV tests—and through the site's integration with Outlook, have the appointment directly imported into their personal calendars.

Results:

Response to the new site has been overwhelming, from the staff, and volunteers to clients and members of the community. Site visitors now have easy access to dynamically updated information about Proceed events and services. Internally, staff members describe the new CMS as easy to use and the number of pre-event registrations has increased.

Client:

The Cornell Council for the Arts (CCA) supports the production of art, interdisciplinary creativity, and the synthesis between the University, Ithaca, and global locations. CCA is a conduit for this effort in the creative disciplines, including but not limited to visual arts, performing arts, creative writing and spatial, geographical aesthetics such as architecture and the landscape.

Challenge:

CCA required a new website design as part of a comprehensive strategy to improve their ability to promote arts events, grants, communicate with members, and showcase its art through clips and images of projects.

The previous website was slow to load, making exploration of the works of art tedious and frustrating. The navigation structure was caused confusion for its visitors, so information that should be quickly accessible was difficult to locate. For example, the previous site’s event listing format did not allow linking to websites within the project descriptions. It also restricted the CCA team regarding their ability to keep the content fresh—an important factor in SEO Rankings.

Solution:

Site Architecture & Navigation:

Site visitors looking for information on events, exhibitions, or contact information needed a direct route to the correct page, without getting caught up in a streaming FLASH piece. The new site serves various forms of multimedia – quality images, audio, video, etc. – quickly-- so the visitors can enjoy the art rather than get caught up in waiting for the video or image to download.

LForm developed a multi-level navigation and a site-wide search engine so all visitors can find information in a way that makes sense to them. Events by date are featured prominently on the homepage; images open quickly in a separate image window, ensuring that visitors will not lose their place within the site.

Content:

LForm organized the new site to be visually compelling, audience-driven, and highly interactive. The online gallery is more visually appealing, scales gracefully to include work from students, faculty, alumni, and various college exhibitions. It now allows for the inclusion of images with a wide range of aspect ratios—a limitation of the previous site. LForm constructed the site upon a flexible, proprietary content management system (CMS), which enables museum staff to easily manage the abundance of multimedia art work and update the site with art event information, promotions, and exhibitions.

Results:

Members report that they are thrilled they don't have to guess where something might be within the site by poking around...it's all plainly listed. They now comfortably navigate the site through uncomplicated drop down menus, the search option, and the sidebar menu that shows all the areas of the program clearly.

The CCA team can now load many more images, video, and audio clips so now viewers may get a glimpse of an event to help decide if they will attend. The site can now feature works from current and past projects because they can load without slowing down the viewing experience. In fact, the CCA team is building image galleries for their major projects from 2006 for archival purposes – something they would never have attempted with the old website.

Client:

Sigma Phi Rho Fraternity is a national fraternity chartered with the mission of aiding men in reaching their academic, spiritual and professional aspirations. Founded by thirteen brothers in 1979 at Wagner College, the organization how has 15 state regions and over 3,000 members.

Challenge:

Sigma Phi Rho Sigma Phi Rho Fraternity's old web site was dated and no longer accurately represented the organization's vibrant community and mission. Information was poorly organized, making the site hard to navigate for visitors as well as Fraternity brothers. Due to the dated design, simple operations such as member application and donation collection were arduous manual processes. Additionally, the old site made it difficult to update the web site content.

LForm's challenge was to alleviate these pains and to position Sigma Phi Rho on the web with the dignity and recognition inspired by its founders and members.

Solution:

Web site redesign and new content management system integration

Brand:

LForm prominently used photography of fraternity members on the homepage to showcase the unity, passion, and enthusiasm of the community.

Site architecture:

The Sigma Phi Rho redesign incorporates a clean and crisp look and feel with high contrast and little clutter. LForm worked closely with Sigma Phi Rho Fraternity president, Nyam Smith and his council to reorganize the information architecture, streamline the content, and build user-friendly navigation and reliable site-wide search. The homepage layout was designed to facilitate access to information specific to the interests of members and applicants, each with its own distinct entry point. A separate section was dedicated to former members seeking fraternity reinstatement.

Content Management:

LForm implemented a content management system (CMS) that enables staff to make changes to the site at any time, from any browser. They can post timely event information, publish announcements, add pages, swap photos, etc. Through the CMS, communication, record keeping, and payments were automated by integrating several new web forms with the Fraternity's database.

Results:

Since the web site's launch in August of 2009, it has been well received by Sigma Phi Rho Sigma Phi Rho Fraternity's members. Communication tools are consistently highlighted by members as a powerful and welcome upgrade to the site. Now, site visitors can request membership, begin the process for starting a new chapter, report chapter news to the national organization, network with other chapters and individual brothers, communicate with the national council, and apply for special programs. The new web site has also allowed Sigma Phi Rho Sigma Phi Rho Fraternity to increase visibility for the organization.

Users now have a much easier time finding key information for member support, joining the brotherhood, and reclaiming their membership in this elite Fraternity. The cohesive, brand-based look and feel received particular applause from members, many of whom stated that the site now clearly conveys who they are, where they've been, and what they're trying to do in the future.

The end result: A visually appealing and functionally dynamic web site that seamlessly combines Sigma Phi Rho's mission, communication with the active membership, fundraising, and recruitment of new members.

Client:

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) in Montclair, New Jersey is a community-based institution with an international reputation. The museum's American and Native American art collection includes more than 12,000 paintings, prints, and original works on paper, photographs, and sculpture. MAM's Yard School of Art is the leading regional art school, offering a multitude of comprehensive courses for children, teens, and adults, as well as professional artists.

Challenge:

MAM's old website did not reflect the museum's brand, mission, or meet its changing needs as it reached out to the community with exhibitions, special events, and art classes. The design was generic, the code was not search engine-friendly, and the site architecture was confusing. Staff could not easily update content on the site, which resulted in a homepage with a single static image and stale content.

Navigation was confusing and inconsistent in the old site due to issues with the organizational structure and lack of a site-wide search. It was structured to follow the organizational structure of the museum with little regard for providing visitors easiest access to information.

MAM relies heavily on the Yard School of Art, museum memberships, and donations for revenue, but the old website did not offer the ability to register for art classes, purchase memberships, make donations, or conduct online store purchases. Also, because MAM offers discounts to its members, museum management felt it was critical for the new site to recognize its members when they visit, so they would receive member discounts on their purchases for classes, tickets, etc.

Solution:

Brand: LForm redesigned the site to express MAM's culture and mission by bringing its vast visual art collection to the forefront and throughout the site. The consistent, clear design helps visitors find what they need fast, while the professional, elegant streamlined interface reflects the quality of the museum.

Site architecture:

Content was reorganized to reflect how visitors looked for information instead of how departments are organized. LForm developed four different types of navigation and a site-wide search engine so all visitors can find information in a way that makes sense to them.

Content:

The site was built upon a flexible, proprietary content management system (CMS), which enables museum staff to keep the site current with timely updates of special programs, events, and exhibitions. The redesign also allowed MAM to greatly expand site content. The new site describes classes, exhibitions, and special events in greater detail, and makes use of the substantial art collection image library to showcase the museum's assets.

Results:

The results from this highly creative website redesign were immediate. In two short months, traffic increased by 32%, with the unique visitor count averaging about 12,000 monthly. This upward trend has continued in subsequent months, resulting in the highest attendance ever for a special exhibition in March-July 2009 and a significant increase in class enrollment at the Yard School of Art. Not only has the class registration process become smoother for students, but also more efficient for staff.

Response to the redesign has been overwhelmingly positive, from the MAM board, staff, and volunteers to visitors, members, and art students. Site visitors now have easy access to dynamically updated information about every aspect of the museum. Internally, staff members responsible for maintaining sections of the site describe the new CMS as easy to use, making their tasks ultra-efficient. For example, when an art class has filled to capacity, the art school leaders can immediately add a notation to the class listing and close registration for that class.