How we approached a new website for a long-time client

A&L Shielding, a local manufacturer of radiation-shielded materials, is a longtime client of ours. We built a website for them many years ago, but over time it had gotten dated and wasn’t as useful as it once was. So this year, we worked with their team to make a new website that is both great-looking and makes it easy for their customers to find product information and specifications. Here’s how we did it:

Step 1: Content organization

When a company has a website that’s been around for a while, it’s likely that some of the information on the site is no longer needed, or important information is missing. We collaborated with A&L staff to review their existing site, deciding what we should keep, what needed to be added, and how to organize it in the new site structure.

Step 2: Functionality review

After deciding what information needed to be on the site, the next step was to decide how that information would be accessible to users. A&L offers a wide range of products, from doors and windows to building materials, and each product may have detailed technical specifications, options, accessories and downloadable documents. Together with A&L staff, we came up with a plan for an easy-to-navigate product list that includes the ability to categorize each product and add documents like cut sheets and installation instructions.

Step 3: Design

Manufacturing isn’t always the flashiest industry, but that doesn’t mean that a manufacturer’s website has to be boring. A&L staff wanted their website to stand out from their competitors while still being usable for customers. We focused on a simple layout to guide users to their desired products, but added interesting details like sections that animate in as you scroll down the page. Plus, an eye-catching video from KB Aerial Imaging that plays on the home page illustrates the manufacturing process.

Step 4: Development, feedback, and testing

After spending time coming up with a plan for content, functionality, and design, the final part of the project was actually building the site. We always want our clients to know what’s happening with their projects, so we shared a work-in-progress link with A&L Shielding. Their staff could give feedback and see how the project was progressing. As we built the site, we found there were areas where we needed to make some changes, which wouldn’t have been possible without their active review and participation. Once A&L staff signed off on the site and we tested it across various browsers and devices, we launched it on their domain.

The end result:

The staff at Romega Digital diligently considered all of the items we wanted and needed in our website redesign and came up with multiple prototypes for us to review. Ultimately, we have a final product that is a hybrid of all of those options, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the final result. The new site is polished, fresh, thorough and easy to navigate. We appreciate Sarah’s quick responsiveness with our communications all the way through this process and her continuing support now that the site is up and running.

— A&L Shielding Inc.