This website project revolved around three major functionalities that each had substantial user experience confusion in previous iterations of their website. The functional scope included a login-authenticated bidding portal; online, in-person, and private events with payment, registration, and notifications; and personalized content that allows the website experience to morph based on user role selections on the front end.

This project started with a Discovery phase before we built the full project quote. Because there was so much room for improvement, we wanted to take a data-driven approach to understanding how we should craft the functional scope of work. The main thing we found in our user experience research was confusion. Users didn’t know which parts of the old website applied to them or how to navigate to the sections that were relevant. Our first functional decision was to craft a website whose content and navigation would change depending on the type of user visiting the website. This functionality is a precursor to a full-fledged content personalization and conversion optimization software tool that our founders have been developing for the past two years.

The other key components of the site included event registrations and a bidding portal, each of which with particular requirements that rendered most “out of the box” solutions unfit for their purpose. Undeterred by these unique requirements, we strived to keep the budget at a reasonable level. Completely custom software for each of these features was not feasible, so instead, we heavily customized existing WordPress plugins using both backend and frontend techniques to modify the functionality and user experience.

The full features of the website are as follows:

• Personalized content and navigation
• Paid, free, and private event listings via WooCommerce with fallback CTAs when no events are forthcoming
• Vendor portal with registrations, profiles, and automated email notifications for new bid projects
• reCaptcha integrations for all registration, login, and contact forms
• MailChimp automation for grouping website visitors into email lists based on event interest and newsletter signups
• Customized backend WordPress interface for easier admin navigation
• Customized breadcrumb and permalink structure to match user experience flow rather than WordPress’s native approach
• Dynamic content for service pages, podcasts, technology tools, and more
• Optimization, security, and disaster recovery solutions