case study for

payschools

the challenge

We helped create a better experience for school admins and parents when organizing and paying for school-related needs.

customer persona

school district administrators

they want easy and efficient tools to set up and manage the fees schools charge for meals, class costs, field trips, events, etc. 

customer persona

parents and guardians

the days of sending your kid off to school with lunch money are long gone. Parents add money to their kids’ school accounts and manage other fees through the school’s system.

our role

timing

specs

“It was a great pleasure of mine to work with shepx over the last couple of years. Their unique blend of design and functionality, creativity, and process gave us a user interface that our customers are very much enjoying. We first worked with shepx to help us with the UI/UX redesign of an existing end-user product. From that experience, we realized the outstanding mix of talents shepx brought. Dan and the shepx team asked great questions and really listened to who we were and what we needed. The process shepx uses is very clear. They did a brilliant job of setting our expectations about what was coming next, and our entire team was delighted with the end result. We will continue to ask Dan and his team to engage with us on more products, websites, and user experience initiatives. ”

Andy E. — payschools

user research and discovery

our process for creating better experiences is to start with the people who will use the product. we learn what their goals, motivations, blind spots, and challenges are. we then learn about the competitive landscape and what position our client brand holds. we then wireframe our ideas for each product to gain agreement on the overall experience.

PaySchools Marketplace

PaySchools Marketplace is a tablet-only app used by school staff in a variety of real-time scenarios where fees, merchandise, and more can be sold or managed.

PaySchools inventory

PaySchools Admin Inventory is a tool school districts use to manage all school fees and communication that parents and guardians receive. We have broken down a comprehensive suite of tools into smaller sub-products to provide a better user experience.

PaySchools dashboard

PaySchools admin is a massive suite of child products used by school admins for myriad tasks. our starting task was to create a unified, simple admin dashboard that served as a “lobby” for finding one’s way to the needed product.

PaySchools fees management

PaySchools fees management is part of the admin suite. Managing fees is the lifeblood of the entire operation. our task was to create an intuitive and efficient flow for the user to accomplish much with minimal time.

PaySchools reports

PaySchools reports is part of the admin suite and our task was to make a utilitarian tool into an efficient, intuitive resource.

PaySchools central

PaySchools Central is the primary public-facing app parents and guardians use to fund their children’s school experiences. During research and discovery, we learned that parents value apps like Central when the time required to use them is low. We redesigned the user experience to make it simple, efficient, and quickly in and out.

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case study for

jm burns steel supply

objective

The brand specializes in sourcing carbon based coil and sheet stock, and process all material at ISO certified processors prior to delivery. 

customer persona

buyers

Steel suppy is a business of relationships and jm burns steel supply wanted the website to give buyers a sense of the competency and personality they will be working with.

our role

timing

specs

“Dan and his team were great to work with. They were patient, insightful, and very creative in helping to achieve a more modern, and user friendly website that reaches a further base then the last web site. I highly recommend Dan!”

JUSTIN ROBBINS – CEO, JM BURNS STEEL SUPPLY

case study for

diversified steel trading

objective

Showcase a woman-owned steel trading business that has carved out a reputation of quality service.

customer persona

buyers

Steel trading is a business of relationships and DST wanted the website to give buyers a sense of the competency and personality they will be working with.

customer persona

credential agencies

As a woman-owned business, DST wanted the website to showcase the credentials awarded and by doing so, show new credentialing agencies of the brand’s trustworthy nature.

our role

timing

specs

“jane, the owner, has created a brand that is a force to be reckoned with in a heavily male-dominated industry. crafting her brand’s website was a true honor to see come to life.”

dan crask – shepx

case study for

benanova

objective

the website needed to be the handshake between academic scientific innovation and the capitalism marketplace. 

customer persona

investors

As a startup, BENANOVA needs investors. Investors want a website that showcases the brand’s expertise and reason to invest.

customer persona

Buyers/procurement

Benanova’s offerings are very niche and it was important that their solutions be attractive to the niche buyers who are looking for what they create.

our role

ux and ui design customer personas website development

timing

design: 4 weeks development: 3 weeks

specs

mobile, desktop, and tablet design wordpress optimized for speed and security

“building the benanova brand was rewarding because we were entrusted to first craft their visual brand identity and then apply it to a robust website.”

dan crask – shepx

case study for

half day cafe

objective

To eat at the half-day Cafe is a vibe unto itself. The goal was to give website visitors an experience consistent with what they’ll get during their meal.

customer persona

locals

The people of Cincinnati live and support their vast number of independent restaurants like Half Day Cafe.

customer persona

visitors

Those visiting Cincinnati either know in advance or find out quickly of the great food scene. Discovering new independent restaurants is a priority for them.

our role

timing

specs

“we have had the great honor of building, growing, and protecting the half day cafe website since 2008. the honor is double because their food is incredible!”

DANIEL CRASK – SHEPX

case study for

berkshire advisor resource

objective

create a website that insurance professionals in need of specific data via forms can access quickly and easily.

customer persona

insurance professional

berkshire advisor resource is a specific insurance professionals’ go-to resource for help, so long as all of the information is provided efficiently. this puts a lot of emphasis on how customers interact with the website.

customer persona

data specialist

the data the insurance professionals provide has to be accessible in a way that is not a time-drain on the overall process so that the specialists can get the data in the right hands.

customer persona

berkshire staff

berkshire staff need a website that is a living, breathing tool between their customers and the valuable information they rely on. everything hinges on how well the website can collect and provide data.

our role

timing

specs

“They key to success with the Berkshire website was in the design of the forms. We did a deep dive into their forms and redesigned their flow for the most efficiency for everyone.”

DANIEL CRASK – SHEPX

case study for

simple fix handyman

objective

Resonate with homeowners who do not enjoy the required maintenance for their home.

customer persona

home owner

homes require on-going maintenance to prevent costly repairs, yet many homeowners are either uninterested or unaware of every point of maintenance a home needs. simple fix handyman is a handyman service designed to make home maintenance easy and affordable for home owners.

customer persona

property owner

property owners are all too familiar with the many needs for maintenance that their properties require. simple fix handyman is a service for property owners to outsource those needs so property owners have one less thing to take care of.

our role

timing

specs

“I have never had anything less than an extraordinary experience. shepx are phenomenal. I will never work with anyone else when it comes to building a website!”

Adam Markesbery –  Simple fix handyman

case study for

propsera it

objective

create a website that sums up the it services prospera provides while also making access to support easy.

customer persona

SMB

This customer is an SMB that is big enough to require dedicated IT but doesn’t want to have an in-house team. They want an IT team on-call to take care of what they need and on the lookout for what is coming.

customer persona

Business owner

Business owners who see the need and value of a prospera’s quality are people who have tried to manage IT themselves but found out it is very challenging. They need to see expertise in a short period of time.

our role

timing

specs

“prospera went from an underperforming website with a lot of pages to a single-page website that surpassed expectations because we took time to understand what prospera’s customers would find most valuable from their website.”

DANIEL CRASK – SHEPX

case study for

emilie d’agostino

objective

A website experience for a top tier copywriter, without blasting the reader with verboseness.

customer persona

Brand manager

Emilie works with a lot of brand managers and so we learned from her experience that they are usually short on time. They want a copywriter who can get to the point and do so with absolute clarity.

customer persona

Business owner

Business owners who see the need and value of a copywriter of Emilie’s quality are people who have tried to write concise content but found out it is very challenging. They need to see expertise in a short period of time

our role

timing

specs

“Knowledgeable, outgoing and strategic, Brand Shepherd is always up to date on technology and important business-building trends.”

EMILIE D’AGOSTINO

case study for

premier title group

objective

create a website that evokes the true in-person brand experience for this one-of-a-kind title agency.

customer persona

home buyers and sellers

the knoxville, tennessee real estate market is hot and premier title group goes to great lengths to ensure home buyers and sellers feel right at home.

customer persona

knoxville realtors®

a hot real estate market is keeps its heat in large part to the realtors® who create the best deals for everyone.

customer persona

banks and lenders

ultimately, all parties involved need lenders who know what they’re doing and premier title group set out to attract partnerships with knoxville’s best lenders.

our role

timing

specs

“ptg’s website was such a breath of fresh air because they truly wanted to disrupt what real estate title agencies typically feel like and do so with warmth and authentic joy. this is how a brand stands out in a hot market.”

DAN CRASK – SHEPX