Mid-Rivers Equine Centre Launches New Website

Mid-Rivers Equine Centre is a St. Louis-based equine hospital specializing in advanced emergency medical and surgical care for horses launched its new website on January 25th, 2012.

The project:

In addition to an updated design, jWeb made several modifications to the new website including:

-A Professionals Forum for veterinarians, trainers, breeders and other equine professionals to engage in conversation
-Horse Health Library and interactive FAQs with information on a variety of topics concerning equine health such as Alternative Therapies, Nutrition, and Dentistry
-Job posting section with online application process
-Success stories page for horse owners to share their experiences

These updates, inspired by the owner Dr. Tim Ellis, DMV, are intended to benefit horse owners and other veterinary professionals by providing ongoing education and resources concerning horse health.

The new website design and layout serves to streamline the site and enhance usability while staying simple, clean and approachable.

A healthy horse is a happy horse at Mid-Rivers Equine Centre!

Take a look: http://www.midriversequine.com/

What is a wireframe?

The plus side… 
Wireframing hammers out all the details of a website, the user experience, the bread and butter. It ensures the client and web agency are on the same page when it comes to functionality.  A pretty website is great, but if users can’t find what they’re looking for, what’s the point?

Usability vs. Design
“I wanted the sign-up form to be in the footer as well.”
“We need a page for testimonials.”
“What happens when I click ‘Submit’?”

These types of client questions and feedback are strictly usability and can be fixed before a drop of color hits the screen. This gray box template may not be gorgeous, but it can save a lot of time and headache down the line when it comes to site navigation and usability.

“I’d prefer a blue background to a green one.”
“That font is difficult to read.”

Aesthetic is important, but it’s also distracting. A wireframe strips the website of all its glitz and glamour and focuses on the nitty gritty of the user experience. It’s quick and easy to fine-tune a wireframe. Design? Not so much.

Development bonus: whoever is coding/building the site will have a much keener sense of what they’re doing if they have a wireframe to click through. Questions like “Where does this link take you?” and “What does this button do?” are crucial for usability and may not always be answered by the design alone.

What’s the catch?
There are some valid arguments against wireframing. One is that wireframes can end up restricting the design. Some feel that once a highly developed wireframe is in place that a designer’s role is reduced to paint by numbers.

However…the good thing about wireframes is that you can make them as detailed or as simple as you want. While you do have the ability to add color, content and images, a wireframe can also be condensed to plain gray boxes and Lorem Ipsum text. This way the designer has guidelines but still retains full creative control.

For some projects that are smaller and more straightforward, a wireframe may slow down the internal process. For an agency that produces more basic, template websites, a wireframe would be an unnecessary step in a process that has probably already been perfected.

However…a wireframe can easily be edited and re-used for similar websites with slight variations. You can recycle a generic wireframe and still retain the important information structure and workflows.

We see it like this:
Designing a website without a wireframe is kinda like constructing a building without blueprints…risky to say the least.

The client:

The DDRB provides funding to agencies for services like adult day programs, residential services and supported employment for individuals with developmental disabilities. Their mission is to ensure quality opportunities and choices for these people to be fully included in society.

The project:

Our primary goal with this site was enhancements. We added a robust events calendar to keep people informed of news, public notices and any other organization happenings.

We also added a new section to supplement the case management program with information on eligibility, how to access services and end of year case management reports.

Finally, we updated the workflow and navigation for improved usability, making it easy for users to find common resources, funding manuals and case management information.

“We are honored to have had the DDRB as clients for more than 10 years,” says Amy Comparato, Principal at jWeb. “We are pleased by the initial response they have received from their clients on the look, feel and usability of the new site.”

See for yourself! http://ddrb.org/

Julia Werner joins jWeb Media as SEO/SEM Manager and Content Developer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ST. LOUIS MO. Jan. 5, 2012- jWeb Media, an award-winning St. Louis-based website development firm, recently announced the appointment of Julia Werner, as SEO/SEM Manager and Content Developer. Werner will focus on managing search engine marketing campaigns and developing web content to build on the company’s search optimization strategies and services offered.

“Julia comes to us with experience in creative and goal oriented writing – along with a keen sense of traffic generation as it relates to content,” says jWeb SEO James Comparato. “These talents and her drive impressed us greatly here at jWeb. We are excited to see the benefits our clients will reap from her efforts as a jWeb team member.”

Werner was formerly a Content Strategist for a St. Louis-based interactive web agency where she worked on a wide range of client accounts in the healthcare, government and tourism sectors. She brings knowledge and experience in website copywriting, user experience design and SEO best practices.

“I’m so excited to be joining the jWeb team,” said Werner. “It’s clear that their SEO vertical has really taken off and I’m looking forward to applying my content development experience to help the company meet its goals and continue to grow.”

Werner is a graduate of Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a minor in English.

The client:

The Fabric Co. is a family-owned and operated business in the Chesterfield Valley that offers customers an extensive selection of decorative fabric, wallpaper and trim, among other products.

The project:

Our goal was to bring the comfort and professionalism of The Fabric Co. experience online, allowing customers a simple and secure way to explore the vast array of products and conveniently shop from home.

“jWeb has been honored to be a partner with The Fabric Co. for more than 4 years,” says jWeb CEO James Comparato. “We developed this system using the complex and intuitive Magento eCommerce platform with our homegrown customizations. The Fabric Co. now offers a full-featured online shopping experience with a dynamic new interface that will have The Fabric Co. customers flocking to the site for new fabric fun!”

A few of the features we’re REALLY proud of:

Complex search functionality- In addition to a general keyword search, there are also custom searches for wallpaper and trim by fields like color, price range and manufacturer.  Customers can browse the entire selection of merchandise with the click of a button.

Magento eCommerce platform- This user-friendly, open source system makes for a fast, easy and secure checkout with order history and status available for customers who register.

Mobile-friendliness- Touchscreen optimized for direct dialing capability.

It’s fabric-ulous!

Check it out for yourself: http://thefabricco.com/

Mike Schwartz joins jWeb Media as Account Consultant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ST. LOUIS MO. Jan. 11, 2012- Award-winning St. Louis-based website and application development firm, jWeb Media, recently named Mike Schwartz as their newest Account Consultant. He will focus on growing the business in different verticals and exploring new ways to market web services and software.

“Mike is a seasoned account representative and sales associate with well over 20 years in the field,” says James Comparato, jWeb CEO.  “Defining solutions for jWeb clients is a serious strength, and his friendly demeanor insures that all our clients, present and future, will love working with Mike as he helps them to realize their goals.”

Schwartz brings eight years of experience from the insurance industry where he averaged over a million dollars in revenue each year selling products on behalf of many major banks and dealer conglomerates. He also brings extensive marketing knowledge, having developed a direct marketing and sales program for the Saturn dealership where he started in sales and worked his way up.

“I decided to go in a different direction in sales, so when the chance came up to switch careers, I took it,” says Schwartz. “I am thrilled to be working for such a trustworthy and respected company, and I hope to bring new business in and help jWeb continue to flourish.”

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About jWeb Media

jWeb Media is a website and application development firm in St. Louis, Missouri. They specialize in custom web-based applications, content management systems and organic search engine optimization.

We suggest a website makeover. Clean up your copy, simplify workflows and if you’re feeling really ambitious, maybe a design re-skin? Nowadays your website is the probably the first impression you’ll make on your customers.  Why not make it a great one?

Resolution #1: Improve User Experience Design

This should be the easiest resolution to keep, but you’d be surprised how often we see websites that sacrifice a good user experience for flashy animation or superfluous content.

Users need to understand who you are, the services you offer and how to contact you. If your site is difficult to navigate, users will get frustrated and go somewhere else. Make your site as clean and simple as possible. Be straightforward; be predictable. Surprises are for birthday parties…not websites.

Resolution #2: Make the Most out of Content

We’ve all heard the phrase content is king. Well, we believe a king should be the voice of reason, a guiding force. Your web content should give users a clear, focused snapshot of your company: who you are, what you do, and how you can help. Too much content is overwhelming, even if it’s well written. However, too little content won’t give users enough information and they may not understand what it is you do. Users should be able to scan your pages and get a good sense of your brand and business identity.

And remember to optimize, optimize, optimize! A little research goes a long way when it comes to SEO. Find those golden keywords and get found by the people who are looking

Resolution #3: Don’t Forget About Design

There’s no getting around it, no matter how intuitive or informative your website, users will make their first impression based on what they see. An eye-catching, well designed website will inspire users to start reading and keep browsing.

In addition to suggesting your resolution…we’d like to help you keep it. Contact jWeb to fulfill your web wish list today!

We use Sproutcore to build out innovative interfaces delivered via the web.

 
jWeb – delivering Silicon Valley to St.Louis.

http://www.sproutcore.com/

Cappuccino is an open source framework that makes it easy to build desktop-caliber applications that run in a web browser.

We have been evaluating this tool for clients that need rich functionality delivered over the internet.  Makes for excellent browser based interfaces.

jWeb – delivering Silicon Valley to St.Louis.

http://cappuccino.org/

http://code.google.com/p/google-js-test/