Podcasts remain one of the best ways to keep up with the latest trends and to learn new methods and approaches.  Whether listening while getting ready in the morning, during commutes or business travel, or even while working, there are more options than ever before as the medium has truly matured.  Even better, the vast majority are free.  Make the most of your downtime (in this economy, there may be more than usual), and never stop learning.

Below are some of the best podcasts that we “keep an ear” on: Read more…

Information Architecture, Interactive Industry News & Events, Internet Marketing, Social Media, User Interface Design, Web Analytics, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management, Web Strategy Consulting Information Architecture, Internet Marketing, Podcasting, Social Media

The Challenge
Lead the effort to overhaul the web presence for a major Milwaukee law firm with nearly 200 attorneys. Bring a fresh approach to the firms content and the site’s information architecture, and ensure the proper migration of thousands of publications, press releases and news features as well as extensive practice area content and attorney biographical information.

The Solutions
Godfrey and Kahn has been providing expert law services to major businesses and industries for over 50 years with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, Green Bay and Waukesha, Wis.; Washington, DC; and Shanghai, PRC. Over that time, their ranks have swelled along with their web content.

Molstad Consulting was brought in by regular partner, CI Design to design and define all information architectures and content requirements and act as liaison to Godfrey & Kahn and the firm’s external development resource. Initial meetings with Godfrey & Kahn focused on key audiences and user tasks as well as project logistics to ensure the varied and occasionally daunting committee structure within the firm didn’t slow the process down. An information architecture was designed to streamline access to key content as well as focus on the benefits of a career with the firm.

From there, interface specifications and wireframes served to bridge the gap between the new information architecture and legacy systems and content. Functions to be re-thought and adapted included a full content management system, robust attorney search, overall site search, practice area content database, career opportunity system, and an extensive news and publications resource area. Molstad Consulting worked closely with the development team mapping new pages and sections to key functions and enhancing overall usability.

The Careers section of the site features a unique brand designed to demonstrate a focus on the needs of this crucial audience. A custom Flash animation showcasing the profiles of successful attorneys and staff members was combined with a new web video and social media delivery system. All this was coordinated around a CI Design photo shoot for nearly 200 attorneys across multiple offices as well as multiple video production sessions.

Once key screen templates were confirmed, all content to be created, collected, and repurposed was outlined and Molstad Consulting led weekly status review meetings tracking each element and resolving issues through to launch.

Next Steps
Godfrey & Kahn enjoyed an enthusiastic response to the new site both internally and from its clients. Molstad Consulting and CI Design continue to collaborate to increase and enhance Godfrey & Kahn’s overall business intelligence and marketing ROI via a targeted web analytics methodology.

Flash, Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management, Web Strategy Consulting Flash, Information Architecture, User Interface Design, Video, Web Project Management

The Challenge
Establish a new website architecture, showcase product lines more attractively, and bring the Klement’s Sausage online presence up to speed with their offline marketing campaigns.

The Solutions
Klement’s Sausage is well known nationally and in the Milwaukee area especially for their delicious sausage products and their beloved Racing Sausages that entertain crowds at every Milwaukee Brewers home game.

Molstad Consulting worked closely with the Klement’s IT and Marketing departments, advising on content strategy and presentation as well as leading discussions on graphic design direction. The Molstad Consulting team analyzed the company’s existing and upcoming marketing materials and designed a look and feel that combines the “taste and fun” as well as the tradition of excellence Klement’s is famous for. Flash animations were created to showcase products and their popular “Patio Daddio” television commercials.

The Famous Klement’s Racing Sausages, were featured on the site complete with their history, bios, downloadable wallpapers and a custom-designed Flash video game. The game allows site visitors to race as their favorite sausage through the streets of Milwaukee to the Brewers opening day game.

The Response
“I’m extremely pleased with the way our web site project went from concept to completion. The Molstad team took the time to listen in order to make sure we got what we wanted. Their great service, knowledge and art talent is incomparable. They have assisted in driving our brand image by offering exceptional ideas and a unique design that has also translated into sales. I’ll definitely be calling Molstad Consulting the next time I’m in need of the services they provide.”
- Jim Westerman, Marketing Director for Klement’s Sausage

Ecommerce, Flash, Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management, Web Strategy Consulting Ecommerce, Flash, Information Architecture, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management, Wireframes

The Challenge
Create a new image befitting a high-end dermatology and skin care product center and allow them to offer and manage their products online.

The Solutions
Affiliated Dermatologists had recently expanded to open an aesthetics division and recognized the need for a quality online presence.

Molstad Consulting interviewed key stakeholders and laid out a plan for re-branding the enterprise and mapped out their site architecture and ecommerce strategy.

An elegant logo was designed and select images were matched with custom copywriting resulting in a new main company tagline.

The online branding has now been adopted throughout their existing print campaigns.

The site features a Flash branding area on the homepage as well as portal-based layout that highlights the company’s extensive service and product offerings. The Skin & Laser Center’s online store is adminstrated by its internal staff which uses a customized, dynamic ecommerce content management system. Orders are fully managed through to fulfillment and summarized via robust reporting options. Product details, photos and even entire brands can be easily and instantly added or modified.

With the staff in complete control of the site’s content for both products and services, the Skin & Laser Center enjoys both a visual and technical advantage in their local market and beyond.

The Response
“Molstad Consulting makes website development a process that truly works for your business. They are timely, organized and professional. They listen to the needs of the business and customer to develop a website that is uniquely your own and exceeds your expectations. Molstad Consulting is a great company to work with and they continue to communicate and serve us throughout the learning process of our website services.”
- Linda Gaertner, Manager

Ecommerce, Flash, Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management, Web Strategy Consulting Ecommerce, Information Architecture, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management

The Challenge
Create a new website presence that is worthy of the level of quality the Lynn Duncan name stands for. The company needed a soothing and beautiful design that was also easy to navigate.

The Solutions
An elegant new logo was designed that helped to guide the rest of the look and feel. A Flash intro was created that allows users access to all major areas of the site without forcing them to wait for the animation to finish. To give the homepage an element of motion, a Flash module was incorporated that gently progresses randomly through a directory of images.

Each page in the site features a different randomly displaying testimonial, keeping the content fresh and showcasing Lynn’s glowing customer, student and physician responses.

Lynn’s extensive photo gallery was overhauled to increase visual appeal and ease of navigation and is introduced by a Flash presentation of featured case studies. The site also features a contact form which is seeing many submissions weekly both from prospective customers and students as well as a “Share This Site” form allowing users to spread the word about Lynn’s top-notch services and training.

Many new pages were added to the scalable architecture. In particular, training pages were created allowing Lynn to promote her classes that are becoming increasingly popular.

The Response
“Brian Molstad has proven to be innovative, bright, conscientious and organized. He took a stressful complex project and transformed it into an aesthetically pleasing website for my business. Brian took charge and sailed us through it together with ease and timeliness.”
- Lynn Duncan, Owner

“I just want to say that I love your website. It is very informative, easy to navigate and the design is pleasing to the eye (just like makeup should be)! It reflects the professional that you are.”
- Kathy, Contact form submission

Flash, Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management Flash, Information Architecture, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management

The Challenge
Enable an up-and-coming new real estate brokerage to compete with the big boys on the Web.

The Solutions
Home Advisors, Inc., based out of St. Paul, MN is a forward-thinking real estate brokerage that embraces new technology to better serve its customers.

Molstad Consulting conducted a thorough discovery and analysis outlining a progressive plan for the company’s web presence and online services. The current site represents a fresh look and feel along with a new logo to reflect Home Advisors’ committment to provide value and build trust with their customers.

The custom-developed site features a variety of lead capturing forms as well as a portal to Home Advisor’s customer tools including transaction monitoring and showing management. A home search management tool will soon be added to the extensive service offering.

A system to promote the brokerage’s listings was also created featuring an adminstration area for quick and easy publishing. Next phase plans include an extensive real estate resource and lead-capturing website that will be entertaining as well as informative. Stay tuned…

The Response
“The concept behind developing the web presence for Home Advisors, Inc. was to create a fully customized interface from scratch that could present a simple, yet powerful communication tool for us and our clients.

We were able to successfully implement this concept because of some of the unique features of Molstad Consulting.

First, I was excited to work with Brian because of his genuine enthusiasm to truly understand me and my business. I never felt like it was simply “give me your stuff and I’ll slap together a site for you.” He took the time to understand what I was trying to accomplish from a strategic perspective and really worked to create an interface that supported all of my ideas.

Second, I was very impressed with Brian’s approach to viewing websites as a part of the overall business plan for a company. He thinks as much through a business mindset as he does from a technical perspective. What this did was create the feeling like he was working with me instead of for me. Being able to discuss the business implications of a technical decision was a refreshing feeling that I truly appreciated.

Overall, working with Molstad Consulting has been instrumental in helping me create the foundations for my business without compromise and I would recommend the company to anyone serious about creating a web presence for their business.”
- Mark Duquesnoy, Owner

Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management Information Architecture, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management

The Challenge
Bring the new Direct Mortgage Funding branding identity online.

The Solutions
DMF already had a new branding identity in place for their print materials, but needed to bridge the gap to the Internet.

Molstad Consulting conducted a competitive analysis of sites in their industry and others to lead the team to a consensus on layout and merging their marketing themes with global navigation options.

Flash was integrated into the navigation to create a tighter link with the branding elements highlighting each of DMF’s main service offerings.

Their customers were demanding fast access to DMF’s rates and so a password protected area was created to house the daily-updated data.

The Response
“The interface between Molstad, his production team, our in-house staff and our external partners was absolutely flawless. The end result was a website that is earning us praise from all of our clients both for its look and utility.”

- Todd Harple, Ph.D., Organization Anthropologist

Flash, Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management Flash, Information Architecture, Web Development, Web Graphic Design

The Challenge
Enable a medical optometrist to stay connected with her patients and provide them with valuable vision resources.

The Solutions
Dr. Haefs is a highly experienced and regularly published medical optometrist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dr. Haefs sees patients at multiple locations and needed to make it as easy as possible for them to find her.

Molstad Consulting developed an architecture and fresh design to help Dr. Haefs establish a unique presence showcasing her experience and extensive patient vision resources. The site also serves as a medium through which to feature her frequent publications including articles and a video segment on “Vision and Learning” from a recent local television news interview.

Dr. Haefs was also provided with and trained on a site editing tool putting her in control of her own content. The site is truly standing out in a local community of largely neglected and under-utilized optometrist websites.

The Response
“Molstad Consulting has created more than a beautiful website for my practice, they’ve created a means for me to easily provide vision health information and resources to my patients as well as a way to stay connected with them. The process of designing the site went smoothly and was even fun. They’ve exceeded my expectations in designing an accessible site that’s as easy to navigate as it is to look at.”
- Christina Haefs, OD

Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management Information Architecture, Physician Website, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management

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The Challenge
Enable a Family Medicine physician to stay connected with his patients.

The Solutions
Dr. Bonavia is a highly experienced Family Medicine physician in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A recent change in hosptial affiliations left Dr. Bonavia concerned that his network of patients, developed over decades, would have difficulty finding him.

Molstad Consulting developed an architecture and fresh design to help Dr. Bonavia establish a unique presence showcasing his experience and exceptional patient testimonials. The site also serves as a medium through which to feature news, announcements and valuable health resources for his patient base.

Dr. Bonavia has discovered that, with his own site, he is in control of his patient contacts, his professional image and how he wants to offer valuable resources to the public.

The Response
“As a Family Physician, my expertise does not lie with computers or
websites. When you are working with Brian Molstad of Molstad
Consulting, that is just fine. Brian walks you through the process and
in so doing discovers your goals for the website, likes and dislikes.
The final product will be extremely personalized for you, yet very
functional. I especially appreciate his cost-effective strategies in
producing my website and his continued interest in its success. I
highly recommend Molstad Consulting for your web design needs.”
- John P. Bonavia, MD

Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management Information Architecture, Physician Website, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management

The Challenge
Create a site with as much personality as the national comedian it features.

The Solutions
Mark Shilobrit is a hilarious and extremely versatile entertainer. His accomplishments include opening acts for comedy greats such as Jay Leno, Dana Carvey, Drew Carey and Dennis Miller.

His impressions are top-notch and Mark wanted his site to go a step above simply linking to video or audio links.

To accomplish this, the entire site was designed in Flash featuring custom illustration and animation work giving the site a cartoonish feel. Mark’s characters leap to life by giving the visitor the ability to swap Mark’s head with the personality he’s imitating resulting in a fun and creative twist on the online portfolio. Check out the site yourself, have fun and be sure to catch Mark at his next local performance!

Flash, Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Development, Web Graphic Design, Web Project Management ActionScript, Flash, Mark Shilobrit, Web Development, Web Graphic Design