



Situation: A Dated Homepage and Tough-To-Edit Database No Longer Met the Client’s Needs
The Reelcraft website did not reflect the latest branding or the company’s leadership in its industry. The homepage, in particular, displayed dated imagery, with confusing navigation that lacked a call to action. Opportunities to optimize SEO and capture leads were being lost.
Reelcraft had recently simplified their offerings by reducing the number of core products. The goal was to make it easier for users to find and select the right product and then customize it. Unfortunately, the process for updating the product database on the website was extremely cumbersome, as was the ability to update the homepage. Certain items had to be updated in the database of the website itself, rather than via the WordPress admin, risking the whole website breaking if something was entered incorrectly.
In addition, the service manuals page required users to navigate a long, confusing list, because there was no way to search for documentation by part number.
Solution: An Agile Approach Combining UX Visual Design with Strategic Backend Improvements
Windmill took an agile approach to the Reelcraft project, beginning with an investigation of the health of the existing site, and a strategy brief that outlined a four-phase plan. Edits were pushed live in stages as the work was completed.
To begin with, we updated the homepage visually so it would better represent Reelcraft’s brand and messaging. This included designing a new navigational structure that is more visually appealing and has a static CTA to capture leads. We cleaned up the main links (adding and removing pages) to focus on the most important areas of the website.
To build out the homepage, we created new styles, blocks, and elements that can be easily added or removed by the Reelcraft team to showcase sales, case studies, or other important information. We also created custom iconography for their product categories, replacing stock cartoon images and drawings that did not reflect the Reelcraft brand.
On the homepage and throughout the website, we cleaned up the hierarchy of headings (h1, h2, h3, etc.), which not only improves visual identification of sections for quick browsing but also improves SEO so that Google can easily identify the key information on the page.
In the product database, subtle changes made big improvements for website users. We utilized commonly recognized UX patterns found on e-commerce websites, such as filtering capabilities for product categories and a “related products & accessories” section. However, the majority of the work was on the backend, creating an easier, less stressful editing experience for the Reelcraft team. Items that once had to be updated within the website database were relocated so that they could be addressed through WordPress admin, eliminating the risk associated with going into the code itself and potentially crashing the whole website.
We also created a better experience for users in the resource archive. Instead of being confronted with one long list of service manuals, tech bulletins, catalogs, and other literature, users can now filter through resources or simply type in their product SKU to retrieve specific resources for their product. The new search functionality is able to search text within PDFs as well as HTML pages.
Services Utilized
- Messaging & Positioning
- UX Consulting
- Mood boards
- Copywriting
- Web Design & Development
- Client Training
- UX, Visual Design & Branding
Project Information
Client:
Reelcraft Industries
Location:
2842 E. Business Hwy. 30 Columbia City, IN 46725
Date:
February 20, 2020
Website:
https://www.reelcraft.com/