Unintuitive Navigation

The previous PDR website proved unintuitive to navigate for many users. Visitors and staff expressed frustration in finding information and moving between sections of the site. 

Ambiguous Content

PDR also received feedback from many of its users that they couldn’t quickly understand what they did through the content on their website. While the services pages and portfolio gave a general explanation of PDR’s offerings, they did not explain the immense value PDR creates for their clients.

Lack of Brand Cohesion

Though the website’s header and hero image prominently featured PDR’s logo, the rest of the site either missed or underutilized critical branding opportunities. Because of this, their website didn’t feel unique to PDR as a brand.

Our effort centered on ensuring PDR’s website told a cohesive story – communicating their brand value, highlighting their vibrant culture, and creating a great user experience for their audiences. Aside from showcasing PDR’s capabilities and portfolio, the new site would highlight the firm’s differentiators through a mix of proof points and thought leadership. 

Their revamped website would better communicate PDR’s value to visitors through clearly outlined service offerings, allowing visitors to quickly and easily understand how the firm can address their specific challenges and why they’re uniquely positioned to do so. Additionally, we wanted to ensure that the new site was built with flexibility in mind, so additions or changes could be made quickly without recoding or a significant design overhaul.

Actionable Objectives

Simplify The Browsing Experience

Browsing PDR’s website needed to feel more intuitive. By focusing on a simplified user experience, we could create a website that mirrored the firm’s people-driven design ethos while guiding their visitors toward the most pertinent information.

Create Value-Driven Content

PDR’s expertise wasn’t clearly outlined or evident in their previous site. We wanted to help them tell the stories behind their work in a way that resonates with audiences, allowing them to feel engaged while highlighting how PDR approaches each challenge through a human-centric perspective.

Create a Cohesive PDR Design

Each page needed to feel like PDR, creating a sense of the firm’s personality and values throughout the entire browsing experience.

Immersion With Key PDR Leadership

To ensure the new PDR website accurately represented the brand and addressed the needs of its users, we conducted a series of in-depth interviews with personnel, focusing on the specific challenges experienced by the team as they navigated their site. 

An Overhauled Browsing Experience

We overhauled the site journey, leveraging current user experience (UX) principles, with a focus on site navigation. We approached the design from a client’s perspective, asking what information they would need first and where they would expect to find it. Next, we developed a structure for presenting the most pertinent information on PDR’s homepage before mapping several “paths” a visitor might take to other desired content. The inclusion of global searchability also provides more accessible ways to find specific information. To enhance the searchability further, we created search criteria at the top of the most navigated pages, with nods to PDR’s unique process. For instance, if a potential client has a specific project goal, like collaboration or wellness in the workplace, clicking on either term in the Project Goals dropdown menu will take them to any past PDR project that matches those goals.

Clearer Brand Values and Differentiators

From the firm’s new value proposition on the homepage to a more cohesive presentation of PDR’s distinct yet integrated services, PDR’s value can now be felt throughout the site. We added three pages to address the individual nuances of their Houston, Dallas, and Austin offices, focusing on each location’s culture and local footprint while connecting back to the overall firm’s vision and purpose. We leveraged storytelling tactics in their portfolio—speaking to client pain points and showing how PDR helped alleviate them—and used call-to-actions (CTAs) to encourage their visitors to linger on the site. Their web content now articulates how PDR stands out from other, similar organizations. By doing so, PDR is better positioned as an industry leader.

A Visual Brand Story for Every Page

Each page was designed to reflect PDR's approachable, passionate, and creative attributes. Their photography takes center stage with a mix of projects and staff, highlighting their commitment to their work and culture. An intentional blend of brand colors, icons, and infographics is used throughout the site to draw visitor’s eyes to important information, break up longer blocks of text, and further aid in navigation. But most importantly, the visual design was strategically connected to the messaging, as visitors can grasp a sense of PDR’s value wherever they are on the website.

The following figures represent a promising change in PDR’s audience growth and engagement. By refining their content strategy and website’s user experience, the organization has seen a massive increase in traffic and engagement. As web traffic has increased, so has the average time a visitor spends on the site, with increased time browsing critical pages like service offerings, the firm’s project portfolio, career opportunities, and team biographies.