WebsiteDirect
WebsiteDirect is a web-based provider of an integrated suite of tools targeting small and medium sized businesses. These tools collectively provide the best-in-class capabilities for the creation, management and promotion of small and medium scale corporate websites. Conceived of in early 2004, WebsiteDirect’s toolset was built during 2004 and rolled out during in early 2005. The goal was to recognize that while there were a number of tools that had pioneered the website creation space for the smaller business, many focused too narrowly on the site creation tool, leaving room for both broader tools, and solutions that better responded to what is important to smaller enterprises.

The Business Benefit
Starting from the perspective of preserving a simple customer experience and a flexible management reporting structure, we created a toolset that unifies the tasks of website creation, website design (including instant visual design updating), content management, site promotion and on-going communications. We incorporated an administrative system capable of supporting a variety of both direct and indirect channel needs. We made available robust capabilities, but didn’t require them – either from the client or the channel partner. We recognized that for the modest scale website, intelligent organization and beautiful design are critical yet both are typically quite poorly handled. We designed a variety of stylish templates and a number of “Quick Start” documents designed to ensure that even a hastily assembled site will be professional looking, easy to manage, and appropriate for the user's business.

Our mini-focus groups reinforced that for the clients’ target audience, even the most elegant tool is ultimately limited by user understanding. Ease of use, ease of administration and ease of support are ultimately of more consequence than interesting features that the user doesn’t understand, and therefore ignores. Simple Elegance. Flexible Management. Efficient Administration and Management. A Successful Client.

The Technical Challenge
Through the course of a number of planning meetings covering both the target business' objectives and the technical requirements for their solution, WebsiteDirect and CodeLab personnel defined an appropriate technical platform to support WebsiteDirect's stated business objectives. As an early stage business, however, both teams recognized that no amount of brainstorming could ultimately replace marketplace feedback. As such, CodeLab built in a variety of flexible options into the application foundation – particularly within the back-end administrative systems. We recognized that with a fluid distribution channel, and an evolving set of requirements, the application would evolve through time.

By building in a great deal of technical flexibility, and drilling into questions that would significantly impact the application were they to change, we were able to create an ASP-delivered solution that provides both central and distributed management options.

“As an early-stage company, we needed more than hands to build our product. We needed a vendor to partner with us, refine our vision of the product, build it and support it. And that’s exactly what CodeLab did.”

Ron Brown, Founder, WebsiteDirect