We’ve been getting lots of compliments and questions about the new NCover website (who designed it, who wrote the copy, etc.) and I wanted to share with you our mindset behind the redesign, and a little bit of insight into how we work. First though, I’d like to thank everyone who has sent us a message about the new site. It feels great knowing that our work has been appreciated, and that the site is more informative than ever.
The new site was designed internally by the web team at Gnoso, NCover’s parent company, with input and content from the entire NCover team. We started out with meetings about where we saw NCover as a product, what we really stood for, and how we could better inform our customers. It soon became obvious that NCover is about more than just code coverage, it’s about something much bigger, and that’s code quality. Once we knew what we stood for, we started making a list of what the site needed to accomplish:
- Make a bold stand about who we are and what we care about.
- Show off what we actually do/make.
- Be concise and to the point. Don’t waste time on marketing jargon.
- Be clear about how potential users can get started.
- Educate our uses with more documentation and learning content.
Having this list in mind made it easier to decide if a design element should stay or go. It focused all of the copy that was being written for the site, and it made clear what could be cut and what was a must have item.
The next step was to actually start designing and I had a blast laying out the entire site. Originally we tried to put new content on top of our old site design, but it became clear that a complete redesign was in order. This was a perfect opportunity to refocus our messaging, get back to our roots, and really show off all of the features NCover has to offer. Large text, big buttons, and an interactive screen shot, really helped the homepage come to life and drive our message home. We also added a brand new “Products” page that dives deep into what versions we offer, an interactive diagram that shows how NCover fits into your organization, and a vibrant list of NCover’s top features. Previously, our documentation was buried inside of our support section, but now the “Learn” section acts as a central hub for all the information you need to get going with NCover. With the inclusion of site search, a login tab, improved support ticket submission, and a host of other improvements, we’ve made ncover.com a more useable site.