Amie’s Community Care was overdue for a website redesign. The old website had served for years, but leadership wanted a new, modern design that reflected their elevated branding and expertise. As this small team looked to grow, they were concerned that the outdated website hampered their efforts to recruit top talent.
The Amie’s Community Care founders approached Studio Anansi for a new website to better serve their clients and attract quality employees.
We were honored to design a strategic new website utilizing our future planning website design process. The new website appeals to qualified prospects and simplifies the application process. The visitor-centered design also provides clear information about the organization’s service, plus a searchable database of resources.
↑ Web Traffic
↑ Page Views
↓ Bounce Rate
We needed an overhaul of our DIY website. We wanted a professional site that could be used primarily as a marketing tool to recruit new employees. I wasn’t sure if a designer would understand our company or our aesthetic style prior to our working together. Elliot took the time to really get to know our business, our company core values and our purpose. Her attention shows in the final product. I have really enjoyed pointing existing and new/prospective employees to the new website. Instead of feeling embarrassed about our former DIY site, I feel proud. The site really captures the essence of our company.
Shannon McCurry
Co-Founder of Amie’s Community Care
Like many small businesses, Amie’s Community Care faced challenges from “the Great Resignation.” This social services organization needed to attract quality employees in order to better fulfill its mission — helping people with disabilities grow and develop independence.
Co-founders Shannon McCurry and Amie Tyler wanted to attract compassionate, dedicated new team members.
They knew that their old website was no longer up to the job. The DIY design didn’t communicate the full range of services and employment opportunities. The website’s outdated content layout simply wasn’t attracting enough well-suited applicants.
Shannon and Amie needed a new website — one as thoughtful and welcoming as their services.
Shannon and Amie wanted prospective team members to easily understand the application steps and employment benefits. The website had to prominently feature information about employment opportunities and a simple application process.
These compassionate leaders also wanted the website to be a welcoming space for clients.
They knew that many people with disabilities and their family members struggle to find clear information online about services and resources. Shannon and Amie wanted to provide straightforward details about their services, examples of activities, and a simple way for prospective clients to join their waitlist.
The new Amie’s Community Care website had to align with their brand, welcome visitors, and support the organizational goals.
In other words, they needed Studio Anansi’s signature future planning website design principles.
From our first meeting, we were excited about this redesign. Like all our website projects, we started with a thorough discovery process.
During discovery, Studio Anansi uncovered a treasure trove of valuable information.
We learned that Shannon and Amie have two decades of experience working in the social services system. Their advocacy work has assisted in raising wages for Direct Support Professionals in Oregon. They have even helped increase benefits for other agency employees across the state.
Thanks to our thorough discovery process, we understood the unique history of the organization and their employee-forward policies. 46% of job seekers value company culture. We knew that incorporating details about this exceptional company history into the website design would attract new team members.
During the discovery phase, we also discovered that many employees deeply value the support and integrity of Amie’s Community Care. 86% of job seekers consider company reviews when applying for jobs. By adding quotes from employees, the new website would speak directly to prospective applicants.
Moving into the design phase, we developed an ideal applicant persona.
This persona represented the exact type of employee that Amie and Shannon wished to attract. Using this persona, we design the website to attract applicants by featuring the qualitative and quantitive benefits of working at Amie’s Community Care.
We also ensured mobile optimization.
By digging into their website traffic reports, we found that mobile traffic accounted for over 40% of Amie’s Community Care website visitors. Mobile percentages increase each year, and 57% of internet users won’t recommend businesses with poorly designed mobile websites. We knew it was especially important to design the new website for easy mobile usage.
We organized content to easily inform clients about services and resources.
Shannon and Amie envisioned their website as a resource hub for clients and families. Yet the old website simply listed their services without any details.
To improve the client experience, their new website explains each service and includes an activities calendar. Prospective clients can learn more and apply to join the waitlist right away, making the process simple and pleasant for everyone.
Furthering the website’s utility, we also developed a custom, searchable resource database. The new website includes nearly 70 resources organized into 9 categories.
Like the overall website, the new database is built with WordPress. As a result, it’s easy for employees to manage and update.
Other website features include:
- Clean, modern layout
- Strategic use of brand colors
- Customized icons
- Crisp, web-ready fonts
- Simple contact form
- Responsive design for smartphones and tablets
- Legal policies to protect the organization
Since launching, the new website has generated more monthly activity and fewer bounces.
Average monthly page views have increased 379%, and average website traffic has jumped 120%. These rates tell us that more people are viewing more web pages, indicating heightened engagement and interest.
Furthermore, the lower bounce rate tells us that fewer people are exiting (“bouncing”) after viewing a single page.
Amie and Shannon love their new website.
“Instead of feeling embarrassed about our former DIY site, I feel proud,” says Shannon. “The site really captures the essence of our company. I have really enjoyed pointing existing and new/prospective employees to the new website.”
Any questions she had about Studio Anansi’s website redesign process were quickly assuaged.
“I wasn’t sure if a designer would understand our company or our aesthetic style prior to our working together,” she explains. “[But] I love that Studio Anansi took the time to really get to know our business, our company core values and our purpose. The attention to this, as well as our aesthetic suggestions/input, really shows in the final product.”
“A joy to work with!”
Shannon and Amie enjoyed the straightforward design process and launch of their new website.
“Elliot [founder of Studio Anansi] was very organized and managed all the moving pieces and the details well,” Shannon says. “She is a consummate professional and a joy to work with!”
We say the same for you, Shannon! It was an honor to support a value-driven organization that’s improving lives every day. Thank you for trusting us with your website redesign.
