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
Introduce online collaboration into the workflow and processes of a multi-service, consulting and advertising/marketing firm serving the education industry.

The Solutions
Based in Illinois, Norton Norris focuses on helping colleges, schools, and universities manage their admissions and marketing functions, and serves as consultant, trainer, business partner, and/or advertising agency, depending on the client’s needs.

The company manages a wide variety of projects in various stages often utilizing geographically dispersed contractors for certain skill sets. They had been considering creating an FTP area for file posting and revision management to get a better handle on submitted deliverables and version control. Molstad Consulting introduced greater potential for online collaboration by recommending a third-party tool, Basecamp.

After detailed discussions to understand the nature of the Norton Norris staff, network, and their responsibilities, Molstad Consulting set up and configured their Basecamp account and consulted on best practices. Workflow ground rules governing information posting and communication were defined and implemented. Over a period of two months, Molstad Consulting monitored the team’s usage of the system, led training sessions, and guided project collaboration.

Best practice consulting included:

• Definition and setup of user permissions and file upload settings
• Associating project Milestones with appropriate task (“To-Do”) lists
• Definition of “Messages” categories and rules for posting, file uploading and notification/privacy of team members
• Establishing of easily-located permanent links to finalized deliverables
• Task list formatting, arrangement, and staff/client notification methods
• Setup of a client content delivery and tracking system using a custom combination of task lists, “Messages” and file uploading
• Training on proper use of the “Writeboards” text versioning/approval tool
• Overall system usage monitoring

The Results
Norton Norris now have a central, secure place on the Web for all project details including communication, files, tasks and schedules. Effective Basecamp usage has coordinated both local and remote teams. Clients as well as internal staff have embraced it enthusiastically.

The managing partners both have busy travel schedules. The new system allows them to them to jump into projects quickly from anywhere and check status, offer archived feedback, access file repositories, and have the latest information ready for client meetings.

Expert Review, Web Project Management, Web Strategy Consulting Basecamp, Online Collaboration

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
Completely overhaul and improve the company’s online identity, both graphically and functionally, and enhance the home search experience.

The Solutions
HomeSale Realty’s previous site was quickly becoming too small to contain the content and functionality necessary to represent the fastest growing real estate brokerage in Wisconsin. The property search confused most users and was getting little traffic.

Molstad Consulting conducted a requirements analysis, fully documented the findings and prototypes and led a multi-disciplinary team in designing the new front-end and back-end interfaces.

Public site visitors now enjoy a much more robust and user-friendly property search of the entire Multiple Listing Service and can sign up to be automatically updated via email when properties that match their search criteria become available. A home search can begin right from the homepage by clicking on a county taking the user to a screen to see the number of listings available in each community. From there the search can be narrowed using extensive new search criteria options.

Each property allows a home buyer to view a dynamic notification of open houses, virtual tours and multiple property photos with a unique caption for each. They can also map the property, request a showing (sent directly to the listing agent) or click an agent’s photo or name to jump to that agent’s custom online vanity page.

The back-end automatically downloads all available MLS property data into the system on a nightly basis and allows the staff to manage the brokerage’s available properties, open houses, virtual tours, agent profiles and property update accounts. They enjoy instantaneous updates to the public site which previously had to be run through a separate agency.

Each agent has a separate login to manage their own properties, open houses and profile.

The public site also features an extensive “Newsroom” area giving the media and public easy access to notifications of HomeSale’s many and frequent accomplishments. These include HomeSale’s television commercials featuring Pat “Mr. Miyagi” Morita integrated into a custom-designed Flash video player.

The Response
“Without any extra clicks, the home buyer gets what they’re looking for the instant they land on our homepage.”

- Roy Scholtka, President of HomeSale Realty

Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Project Management Information Architecture, Market Research, User Interface Design, Web Project Management, Wireframes

The Challenge
Create an information space and central task area to bring together five offices, 200 agents, and piles of disparate documentation.

The Solutions
Along with HomeSale Realty’s impressive growth and success has come the challenge of maintaining efficient communication and uniformity of process and documents between multiple offices.

Molstad Consulting interviewed key decision makers, analyzed HomeSale’s methods and business practices and developed a portal-based, scalable information architecture to accommodate widely varied user needs, tasks and access levels.

A Web-based content management system was implemented giving particular staff members instant access to update the content they’re responsible for. With their agents constantly on the go, this content needed to be version-controlled, and immediately accessible. The role of publishing content has been shifted to its creator.

The intranet features a single sign-on gateway to essential real estate forms, listing data sheets, training and marketing materials, as well as their public site administration tool to manage listings, agent profiles, open houses and more.

Truly a company of friends and family, HomeSale wanted to create a closer bond with its community of staff and agents. The intranet helps accomplish this via a central area for discussion, social events and announcements.

The intranet has already taken on a life of its own and has the flexibility to grow in step with the ever-evolving HomeSale organization.

Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Project Management Information Architecture, Market Research, 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
TroyResearch is an Internet-focused consumer opinion market research firm. From online focus groups to custom surveys to hybrid Internet/traditional methodologies, they use Internet technology to help their clients stay in touch with their customers quickly and cost-effectively.

TroyResearch operates a massive back-end system to administrative their online services and client data. Maintaining and adding to this system was becoming more and more complex and difficult to manage resulting in higher costs and extended deadlines.

The Solutions
Molstad Consulting introduced new methods of documentation and project management, including functionality specifications and wireframes, serving as prototypes of interface elements as well as a context for decision making. This documentation became the blueprints for TroyResearch developers on multiple projects, giving them a clear picture of user needs and programming requirements.

Featured projects include:

General Market Research Tools

• Allows for expansion of Troy Research market research services into other industries
• Created multiple new online, dynamic reports, with expanded calculations, allowing radio stations and other clients to conduct a more efficient and detailed statistical analysis of their survey data with a focus on usability
• The new reports allow for crosstabbing, trending, frequency tables, participation reports and multi-filtering

Information Architecture, Molstad Consulting Case Studies, User Interface Design, Web Project Management Information Architecture, Market Research, User Interface Design, Wireframes

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