The Big Shift: How to Redesign Content-Heavy Websites Without Losing Your Mind

Struggling with a content-heavy website redesign? Discover three proven strategies—including AI-assisted migration—to simplify the process and create a better user experience.

Struggling with a content-heavy website redesign? Discover three proven strategies—including AI-assisted migration—to simplify the process and create a better user experience.

Subcategories

What Does Being a “Top Workplace” Mean to Us?

Hansonites reflect on what being named to The Blade's Top Workplaces of 2015 means to them.

As you may have heard, Hanson was recently named to The Blade's Top Workplaces (for the second year in a row). Because this award is based on employee surveys, we wanted to hear what being named a top workplace means to our fellow Hansonites. (Spoiler alert: a lot of us feel lucky to be part of this team!)

Request for Proposal, or Request for Partner?

Rodney Kinn of Hanson Inc. explains why sometimes a Request for Partner results in greater benefits than a Request for Proposal.

As a digital agency, we’ve responded to our fair share of RFPs over the years. Some are well thought out and others… not so much. Previously, we've shared our reflections on the RFP process, offering some specific suggestions for how to make it more valuable for everyone. But another way companies can make the RFP process better is to ask themselves: are we looking for a vendor to complete a one-time job, or are we looking for a partner to provide solutions now and guidance into the future?

Client Partnership

7 Reasons to Define Your Solution First

Leslie Mohn of Hanson Inc. identifies seven reasons to start your project with a requirements definition and solution design phase.

When you’re creating a new website or app, it might be tempting to dream big and work out the details later. But it’s always wiser to start by defining your solution first. At Hanson, we call this Requirements Definition and Solution Design.

User Experience

Problem Solving

The User Experience of Live Events

Paul Molnar, Senior Onsite Technician at Hanson Inc., explains why user experience is the key to successfully managing live events.

A few weeks ago, a colleague wrote about how his work as a user experience architect is filtering down into his personal life and changing the way he relates to people. His story demonstrates that UX is not just for web architects and usability testers.

Event Management

User Experience

On Mobile Forms and Homer Simpson Fingers

Designing successful mobile forms is about removing as much data entry as possible and optimizing what remains so even Homer Simpson could fill them out.

There’s an old episode of The Simpsons where Homer, working from home, tries to call the nuclear plant to warn about a meltdown. As he dials, he hears the following recording: “The fingers you have used to dial are too fat. To obtain a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad with your palm now.”

Interactive Design

Why Trade Shows are Great Opportunities for Social Engagement

Steve Dwyer of Hanson Inc. explains why trade shows are great opportunities for social engagement.

Trade shows have long served as a breeding ground for innovations and relationships. And while many brands and industries have spent decades perfecting their trade show strategies, social media is a relatively new addition to these strategies. As more companies continue to develop an active social presence, many are realizing that trade shows are great opportunities for social engagement. Here are a few reasons why.

Kiosk / Trade Show

Behind the Magic of Live Events

Paul Molnar, Senior Onsite Manager at Hanson Inc., reveals some of the technical expertise behind live event management and event marketing.

The house lights dim. The crowd hushes. Music swells from an unseen source as the curtains part to reveal an actress, in a trio of spotlights, swooping down from the stars...

Event Management

Video Production

Why Niche Social Networks are Good for Business

Steve Dwyer, connection strategist at Hanson Inc., discusses the rise of niche social networks and why they are good for business.

The social web is huge, and it isn’t going away. But as social media fatigue sets in, a growing trend is emerging: some users are abandoning their larger networks in favor of smaller, interest-based social networks. Here’s why the rise of niche networks makes sense—and why they’re good for business.

Content Marketing

A Project Manager’s Principles for Effective Meetings

Darin Lockert, a project manager at Hanson Inc., blogs about her 6 principles for running effective meetings.

As a project manager, I admit I have a bit of a reputation around here. I’m known for getting people out of meetings early, earning me the nickname “Miss Bossypants.” (I’ve been assured this is an affectionate term.) Ending meetings on time seems like a basic tenet of business. But the dozens (hundreds?) of ineffective meetings we’ve all experienced in our careers indicates that it’s an acquired skill...

Project Management

Going Social with the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic

Steve Dwyer, Connection Strategist at Hanson Inc., blogs about his childhood connection to the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic and why he's excited about our social media partnership with them.

I once sold lemonade to Jamie Farr. Or, I tried to. I grew up across the street from Highland Meadows Golf Course, which—if you know anything about Toledo—has long been the home of the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic. It was a tradition of my childhood that every summer for one week, LPGA players and fans took over my neighborhood to have fun and raise money for local children’s charities...

Memes, Community and the Evolution of Communication

Steve Dwyer, Connection Strategist at Hanson Inc., reflects on how memes influence communication and community building in making people "close strangers."

Have you seen the latest Dos Equis commercial? It quips that the most interesting man in the world “has inside jokes with complete strangers.” Beyond the inherent funniness of the concept, it made me laugh for a different reason—the enormous irony that the Dos Equis guy has become one of the most popular memes ever, and the fact that memes are, indeed, an inside joke with complete strangers…

4 Reasons to Revise Your Content During a Redesign

Mindy Withrow, Content Strategist at Hanson Inc., offers 4 reasons you should revise your content during a site redesign.

Do you have dusty boxes in a closet or basement that you never unpacked last time you moved? You ran out of energy. Or you ran out of space. Maybe (gulp!) it’s been boxed up for decades and you just keep moving it with you. Now imagine that those boxes are the website content you haven’t updated in five years...

Content Strategy

Digital Marketing

5 Reasons Your PPC Campaigns Are Failing (and How to Improve Them)

Chris Kujawski of Hanson Inc. presents 5 reasons PPC campaigns fail and what you can do to start improving them now.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising has become a large part of corporate online media spending because it helps brands get more visibility in search engines than organic searches alone can provide. But some campaigns run into trouble due to lack of research and focus. Here are 5 reasons campaigns fail and what you can do to start improving them now...

What Being in a Band Taught Me About Social Media

After I hung up my professional musician hat, I realized how similar the marketing life is to the musician life. Here’s what being in a band has taught me about branded social media.

Musicians spend countless hours and dollars crafting their music and the vast---and I mean vast---majority of them fail. The good news is that like most things in life, some of the greatest learning comes from failure. After I hung up my professional musician hat, I realized how similar the marketing life is to the musician life. Here’s what being in a band has taught me about branded social media...

Digital Marketing

Websites and Trail Races: It’s All About the Navigation

Without clear and consistent navigational wayfinders, websites and forest trails are beautiful to look at, but they don’t get visitors where they need to be.

There is nothing to fear except fear itself. And also getting lost in the woods overnight. My husband and I are both runners. Yet I had long hesitated to run a trail race for one reason: my fear of getting hopelessly lost in the woods. Last summer my husband coaxed me into a series of XTERRA trail races. But as the date of our first race approached, I became almost panic stricken that I would never find my way out of the trees.

User Experience

4 Reasons to Keep Press Releases Out of Your Company Blog

Here are four reasons to get the press releases out of your branded company blog.

How many visits and comments does your company blog get? Is that a painful question to answer? Companies large and small have recognized the immense popularly of blogging and jumped on the bandwagon. But a tour of these brand blogs reveals that many still don’t know why to blog (other than “we should”) or how to blog (beyond the function of WordPress). Indicator number one? Their blogs are full of press releases. What’s wrong with that? Plenty. Here are four reasons to get the press releases out of your brand’s blog...

Content Strategy

6 Reasons Your Video Content Underperforms and How to Improve It

Too often branded videos online underperform. Here are a few common issues with online video content and how to improve it for your brand.

It’s no doubt that video content continues to soar in popularity for brands and marketers. It truly is one of the greatest mediums for communicating your companies products and offerings. However, all too often branded videos underperform and end up doing little of what they were intended to---provide value to current or potential customers. What follows are a few of the common issues found with branded videos online, especially ones that live on YouTube. Your video content may suck (or underperform) if it’s guilty of one or more of the following.

Content Strategy

How the VIMM Model can Improve Usability of Your Site or Application

The VIMM Model is a practical approach to improving usability. Learn how to use it to improve usability of your website or application.

There are many definitions of “usability,” but most of them are too general to be useful. The VIMM Model is different. It’s a practical approach to improving usability that can be applied by just about anyone.

User Experience