From the Google Analytics charts below you can see that we had a massive improvement in bounce rates. The new design reduced bounce rates from an average of around 50% to around 5%.

Here are the specific changes we made:

1. Remove the search bar from the navigation
2. Make the positioning statement clearer and more focused
3. Increase the size of the portfolio area to give more attention to the design work we do for your clients
4. Make the contact form more accessible and give it a friendly face to make it feel more personal
5. Reduce the complexity of the blog and twitter feeds so the content is not overwhelming

Now, to get to the “juicy” stuff you’ve all been waiting for…

Shout Digital:

(image source)

Finch:

(image source)

Interim Furnishings:

(image source)

Flavors.me:

(image source)

Fatburgr:

(image source)

Apple:

(image source)

Kristine:

(image source)

Nest Living:

(image source)

Coca Cola:

(image source)

Posterous:

(image source)

Fluid Book:

(image source)

Sortfolio:

(image source)

Rankin:

(image source)

A123 Systems:

(image source)

WordPress:

Design is subjective, but when it comes to login forms there are some fundamental elements that are staples. The design seems simple enough but there are some vital questions you need to ask yourself when building out a login form. How will the login look? Will you call the page a “login” or “sign-in” page? Will the login page have graphics/text? Will it be an extension of the existing site or it’s own page? etc…

Without further adieu, take a look at these inspiring login pages…

Mint:

(image source)

NikePlus:

(image source)

Threadless:

(image source)

MobileMe:

(image source)

Campaign Monitor:

(image source)

Vimeo:

(image source)

Posterous:

(image source)

Sortfolio:

(image source)

Polldaddy:

(image source)

Enernoc:

(image source)

Tumblr:

(image source)

Four Square:

(image source)

Scribd:

(image source)

Harvest:

(image source)

Blueleaf:

(image source)

Delicious:

(image source)

Mailchimp:

(image source)

Netflix:

(image source)

Skype:

(image source)

LinkedIn:

(image source)

Uber: (one more for good measure)

(image source)

Here’s the ‘before’ design:

Before

After 20-minutes,and a few much needed tweaks we were able to make a significant difference to the website.

1. Users expect to find their profile or shopping cart information in the top right hand corner. Keeping the commonly used elements in the place where users will find them reduces anxiety.
2. Add a search bar helps your audience find the things they need quickly. This doesn’t mean you can be lazy about the rest of the sites design. It’s important that the products and services that you are selling are easy to find even when search is not available.
3. We didn’t need to change the navigation much but we brought the design in line with the simplified and more elegant aesthetic of the new design.
4. Creating a strong call to action on the extreme right of the page is essential to all sites that solicit an action from their audience. Using the large red font we are immediately giving action related instructions to the user. Research suggests that the more specific the instructions the higher your conversion rates.
5. We’ve chosen to create a functional call to action that helps the user sort through the options available to them before they even need to leave the home page.
6. Using a rotating set of images on the home page we can advertise a few different products or offers without having to clutter up the premium real estate.
7. We’ve selected to create a secondary set of product offers under the main image area. These are offers that we believe the company should highlight for promotional reasons. Bringing the high value offers to the front with simple content and calls to action helps sell these items better.
8. Creating credibility with the use of the carriers logos and matching that with the overall look and feel of the site makes this design feel more professional.

After

I couldn’t resist myself and I had to compile a list of infographics that are, in my book, bad a$$. I’ll waste more words for a later post and get straight to the point: Check out these visually stunning and informational infographics…

1) The Grand Slam Champ
Roger Federer’s 10 year grand slam history :

(image source)

2) Tick Tock on the Clock
Co-workers tardiness tracked while boss on vacation:
(image source)

3) Money, Money, Money…. MONEY
Top-paid CEO salaries compared to minimum-wage earners:

(image source)

4) 1 Combo, 2 Combo, 3 Combo, 4
Visual combination and components of the Rubiks Cube:

(image source)

5) Laughing all the Way Home
What one person thinks about their dads jokes:
(image source)

6) What it Means to be “Italian”
Elements that make up Italy:
(image source)

7) Old McDonald Had a Farm
Local organic farm Lone Oak has advantage in terms of distance way from the city:
(image source)

Staying Connected
How many days it took Apple’s ipad to reach 50 million users compared to other products:

(image source)

9) One-Stop Shop
This company provides customers with complete package, while their competitors only do bits and pieces:
(image source)

10) Be Sure to Stay on the Trail
How one park with walking trails keeps their visitors on the proper path, avoiding a zoo and prison:
(image source)