Patterson Associates

The Challenge

Patterson Associates is a leading independent architectural practice in New Zealand with an established local and international client base. The practice has a strong track record of work in residential, commercial and civic projects but, as a growing firm, they felt their scope was not well known.Recognising their website needed updating for mobile access, to enable easy, regular content updates and to reflect their range of project expertise, the practice commissioned GoodSense to plan and project manage a new website for them.

A key requirement for the new website was to showcase the design strength and range of the portfolio, but to also be useful and easy to navigate for site visitors. Patterson Associates share the GoodSense view that functionality of design is vital online as well as in buildings.

GoodSense was known to Patterson Associates through a family connection and had previously updated online content for Andrew Patterson, the practice founder, demonstrating their digital skills and affinity with the brand.

How GoodSense helped

Working with Patterson Associates, GoodSense:

• Mapped the information needs of Pattersons different target audiences
• Planned the website requirements, based on audience needs
• Introduced web design and development suppliers with appropriate skills
• Project managed design execution and website development
• Structured content into web copy

A strong focus on the core target audiences enabled a user-centric approach to navigation and design from the outset. GoodSense introduced Inhouse for design and development, identifying both a technical and culture ‘fit’ with Patterson Associates. GoodSense project manager Natalie Guy wrote briefs for Inhouse and steered the project through every stage for Pattersons, including mapping content needs and imagery requirements.

“GoodSense helped us work out exactly what we needed from the website, at the start. They made the whole project much easier, ensuring we got both the supplier and the result we were looking for. They kept the project on track and brought their online marketing experience to every stage.”

Davor Popadich, Partner, Patterson Associates.

GoodSense organised content for the nine scrolling-page website, including 38 featured projects, and crafted this into web copy, adding search engine optimization to key pages. Once the site was built and the content loaded, GoodSense provided a Quality Assessment service, checking the site would go-live with all links and content working correctly.

A website that does justice to top quality work

The result is a website that the Pattersons team and founder feel does credit to the design strength of their work, showcasing it effectively while letting the architecture shine. This was particularly important given the nationwide and international traffic the site received with the opening of the esteemed Len Lye Centre just a few months after the new site went live.

Despite its high-end design approach, the site is easy for the Patterson Associates team to update with images and text, important for keeping it current and maximising its commercial utility.

“It’s great that we can upload our own images for new projects as they progress, and we were extremely pleased with the design and development company GoodSense introduced.” Davor Popadich, Partner, Patterson Associates.

The website presents Pattersons work visually, but in a context which also introduces visitors to the benefits of working with the practice and the approach taken to projects, so it also acts as an effective sales and marketing tool, not just an attractive display. In October 2015, the site won a Bronze Award for Large Scale Website at the Designers’ Institute Best design awards.

“We have been more than delighted with GoodSense’s work for us. Their work exceeded all our expectations and we have no hesitation in recommending them. ” Andrew Patterson, Director, Patterson Associates

http://www.pattersons.com

Find out more about how we can help you with planning your website or call Kath Dewar on 09 973 0960 or email us what you need.