Atomic Object Website UX, IA & Branding Redesign
How do we communicate a high-tech company’s geek value minus the geek user experience?
Backstory
Atomic Object builds ridiculously good software. The company was founded in 2001; I joined in 2004 as a vice president and software developer. This high-tech company had developed a national reputation as an expert in Agile practices and Test-Driven Development and had developed a following of satisfied customers. But its website did not effectively communicate its ability or success and was woefully lacking in usability and overall appeal to potential customers and new hires alike. Though the original site highlighted a wealth of valuable technical content, it was not maximizing the benefit of this potential exposure. The site sorely needed a graphic design, User Experience (UX), and Information Architecture (IA) overhaul.
Work
To remedy the situation, I initiated and led a significant project to completely replace the existing website with one possessing good design, a compelling voice, a concentration on the human elements of the company, and good search engine optimization (i.e. “Google juice”). In addition, I later created a blog named Atomic Spin to give further voice to the new online presence.
I wrote the majority of the copy, managed the design process, developed the information architecture, conceptualized several of the most popular features (e.g. employees as a periodic table of elements), aided in the development of the content management system, and instrumented the site for analysis.
Results
Atomic Object reaches the first page of search results for a variety of software development related topics and our site is often cited as an example of a well-designed site for technology providers. A significant portion of Atomic Object’s new business is derived from contacts made through the new and improved website.