Case Studies

The Client: Civic Center

The Need: The Civic Center was in need of an update to both the look and operations of their site. Antiquated administrative features limited the control to apply the Civic Center brand to their content. The design was in need of a make-over as the colors and layout didn't communicate the vibrance and energy found at the Civic Center.

The Result: Building off of the Site OnCall content management system, Diligent IS built an easy-to-use back end system which allows the marketing department control over events, media resources (audio, video, photos), tickets sales, group tickets, job openings/applicants, educational programs, and more.
Brand Movement handled the design work and did a magnificant job of building an effective and impressive online brand.
The home page layout provided opportunities to highlight the current shows, and showcased the 'featured event' by allowing an integrated flash video area.

The Site: http://www.civiccenter.org

The Client: The Downtown Community Alliance

The Need: This web site makeover was unique in that the brand of the DCA was also being made-over. Moving from the "Know Downtown" campaing, the DCA worked with ZLR Ignition to create the look and feel of the new web site, which was to be identified and referenced as www.DowntownDesMoines.com.

Diligent IS was tasked with organizing the data for the DCA into a usable structure so end-users could quickly find the resources they needed to get involved with downtown events and businesses.

The Result: The finished DCA web site quickly became the go-to resource for people looking for downtown information. The site navigation was organized into human-readable categories such as "I'm hungry" and "I'm looking for something to do" which made it very intuitive to find information. The calendar was improved by organizing events into categorized lists which helped the audience find appropriate events with little effort. Downtown businesses are represented with an explanation of their business, phone/address/map link, icon, and a link to their site.

Soon after the site launch, the DCA added the ability to buy Gift Cards online. This proved to be a popular addition to the web site.

Diligent IS's comprehensive back-end site management system, Site OnCall, was implemented allowing the entire site to be easily updated and to allow program administrators to process completed applications. For a demo of Diligent IS's Site OnCall, please contact us.

The Site: http://www.downtowndesmoines.com

The Client: Environmental Design Group

The Need: Environmental Design Group was in need of a new look and an efficient way to display their past work. The architectural firm had been in business for nearly 35 years and had a depth of existing photography and past projects which weren't being highlighted. To keep up with traditional design/architect web sites, the element of animation was requested to give the site more style.

The Result: The new design for this web site takes on a contemporary look; simple and effective. The project categories are easily accessible throughout the site. The projects were updated with new content and the images for each project are accessed via a custom photo gallery which has its own navigation menu.

Flash animation was incorporated in the form of a brief introduction.

Diligent IS's comprehensive back-end site management system, Site OnCall, was implemented allowing the entire site to be easily updated and to keep project listings and their photography fresh. For a demo of Diligent IS's Site OnCall, please contact us.

The Site: http://www.environmentaldesigngroup.com

The Client: The Iowa Able Foundation

The Need: The goal of Iowa Able is to help put assistive technology and home modifications within the reach of Iowans who need it. The program needed an web site that could guide an applicant through the application process easily, while also offering 508 Compliance.

Completed applications needed to be accessed by the program administrators to process them as quickly as possible. The client recognized that most applicants would not complete the application in one sitting, so the application was built such that it could be resumed later.

Security was a major concern given the amount of personal information which is collected in the application.

The Result: The Iowa Able web site was announced in April of 2004. The site used directives from the 508 Compliance web site (http://www.section508.gov) to guide development such that the site is as compliant as possible.

Security for the application uses a 128-bit SSL certificate to encrypt transmitted data as well as session cookies to autheniticate the applicant. By creating a username and password on the first step of the process, an account is created which allows the applicant to resume the application as many times as needed.

Diligent IS's comprehensive back-end site management system, Site OnCall, was implemented allowing the entire site to be easily updated and to allow program administrators to process completed applications. For a demo of Diligent IS's Site OnCall, please contact us.

The Site: http://www.iowaable.org

The Client: Temple For Performing Arts

The Need: Billed as one of Iowa's most historic buildings, the Temple For Performing Arts opened with a newly renovated interior and exterior in late September 2002. To compliment musical and theatrical performances as well as some very unique restaurant and retail shops, this project required a classic look that would fit an "Urban Lifestyle" of an architecturally rich building.

The Director of the building needed easy access to control content and schedule upcoming events. Due to the various types of events the Temple hosts, the calendar had to be robust.

The Result: TempleForPerformingArts.com launched in mid-October with a graphical layout fit for such a building. Accommodating the needs of the building, the layout and design captured the essence of the Temple.

A calendar control panel capable of managing various types of events was molded into Diligent IS's Site OnCall; which allows the Temple staff to control and update the web site themselves. For a demo of Site OnCall, please contact us.

The Site: http://www.templeforperformingarts.com

The Client: Consumer Credit of Des Moines

The Need: Consumer Credit of Des Moines needed a new image to present its audience with a more professional looking web site than what was previously available. Aimed at attracting new clients, the new site utilizes internal banners to promote its own services and organizes information to be easily accessible. The registration/application form found on the site was integrated with the look and feel of the site to give their audience security that they were not being handed off to another site.

The Result: The new web site saw immediate results. They collected as many online applications in two days as they typically saw in one month. The web site had achieved its goal and now represented Consumer Credit of Des Moines in a professional manner.

Diligent IS's comprehensive back-end site management system, Site OnCall, was implemented allowing Consumer Credit to update their entire site themselves. The completed registration/application forms are accessed through the tool, making it extremely easy for their internal staff to access new client enrollments. Photos can be uploaded and removed at any time and be placed anywhere within the web site, and text changes are made simple through a web form. For a demo of Diligent IS's Site OnCall, please contact us.

The Site: http://www.consumercredit-dm.com

The Client: Consumer Credit of America

The Need: A new web site design was needed to give Consumer Credit of Des Moines a National appeal, reaching clients outside the Greater Des Moines area and Iowa. Web site applications built into the existing web site would need to integrate with the new design as to not increase the back end work load.

The Result: Consumer Credit of Des Moines created a d/b/a called Consumer Credit of America allowing them to market to a broader audience. The new web site was created to be clean and simple to navigate. Considering 15 years of credit counseling success, the message didn't need to change much, and most of the content stayed consistent with the original web site.

Diligent IS's web site management system, Site OnCall, was integrated with the existing Consumer Credit of Des Moines web site. This meant all the processes used to keep their original web site up to date could be reused here. Also built into Site OnCall were custom tracking modules which allows Consumer Credit of Des Moines to research their marketing initiatives and eventually assist more clients.

The Site: http://www.ccofamerica.com

The Client: Des Moines Arts Festival

The Need: The Des Moines Arts Festival has been recognized as the 4th best fine arts festival in the nation! The Des Moines Arts Festival needed to be able to update their site year after year with new artists applications, art displays from the previous year and the schedule of events for the upcoming year. Considering the site was for an arts festival, it didn't hurt to have something that looked artistic, either.

The Result: Diligent IS's Site OnCall was implemented along with a new graphical look that coordinates with the current year's artist application. News releases, artists applications and the artists gallery are all driven by the site management system, which makes it extremely easy for the Des Moines Arts Festival's staff to make changes or updates to the site.

For a demo of Diligent IS's site administration tool, please contact us.

The Site: http://www.desmoinesartsfestival.org