Case Study: ZWaveWorld, Inc.

About the Client

ZWaveWorld, Inc. is the publisher of a new online magazine, launched September 15, 2006, that is dedicated to supporting the Z-Wave™ standard for the Home Automation industry. ZWaveWorld.com is the only information source dedicated to advancing Z-Wave technology throughout the rapidly expanding consumer market for better living - comfort, security, entertainment - through advanced home control automation.

Founded by a group of industry professionals with extensive credentials in technology publishing, consumer media, and digital technology, ZWaveWorld serves as a comprehensive source - news, products, and features - for all the information needs of Z-Wave users and integrators. ZWaveWorld is an autonomous entity, committed to independent journalism of the highest standards.

Abstract

The approval process for how the site was to be constructed and whom it would serve required the input and consideration of three separate committees; the founders, the investors, and the staff. After several meetings and conference calls it was determined that the functionality of the web site could be reduced to two possibilities. The initial design process, therefore, consisted of two compositions where only one was to be the final layout. A second, shorter design session then took place to accommodate the needs and concerns of the sales and marketing staff. The result was a composite of the first agreed upon design and the additional graphic elements that were considered necessary to draw advertising and readership. ZWaveWorld.com launched September 15, 2006 and took on their first advertisers two months later.

Identified Challenge

Overall – The site exists to generate revenue from advertising. There is also a need to develop cooperative relationships, even partnerships, with other sites and businesses that do the same. Providing information and services that are not already available or are underrepresented can best this goal.

Marketing – Convey to following message/concepts:

• The key source of information related to the Z-Wave technology standard
• An essential resource for home automation enthusiasts.
• "The" place for home automation professionals
• The industry center for information exchange

Resources Required by Client

• Prior to developing the actual project proposal the investors required a preliminary budget and timetable so that the sales team could project the feasibility of such a project.
• A substantial web host account with significant database capability and capacity for exchanging large volumes of information was mandatory.
• Two conference calls between the site design team, the principal founders and the chief representative of the investors was needed to narrow the scope of the project down to the two most likely business scenarios.
• Three additional conference calls were required between the web site project leader and the client CEO to finalize design elements, the content pages and timetable.
• Editorial staff required an HTML editor to make on-the-fly modifications as news and events changed.
  

Process

• Two initial design compositions of the prospective site were delivered for consideration and Design Phase I was completed after a single design was selected.
• Design Phase II consisted of strategic modifications were recommended and adopted by the sales and marketing team.
• The founding CEO signed off on the final design composition and the site framework was constructed.
• Construction Phase I consisted of the establishment of a staging server for progress checks by the CEO and staff.
• After the framework was approved Construction Phase II began by adding content.
• After content was approved, Construction Phase III began consisting of creation of the Forum, email accounts, and forms.
• Comments by select industry leaders.
• Construction Phases were signed off.
• Posted site live on September 15, 2006.
  

Observed Results

The enthusiasm by those who visited the site was immediate. To date, three other semi-competitive companies have expressed direct interest in partnering up with ZWaveWorld fulfilling one of the early goals of the founders being that of establishing cooperative relationships with similar sites.

Conclusion:

The early design process was complex at best. There are four distinctive categories of visitors: home owners, installers, manufacturers/OEM's, and resellers. The primary goal of the site is to be an information-rich resource that grows in proportion to the industry and be able to produce enough revenue to cover up to 40% of the site's operating expense. The real challenge, however, was to determine the best use of resources for the first six months. From this criteria came the decision to consider and compare only two site concepts: one that addresses all the visitor categories and one that only address the DIY's (Do-it-yourselfers/ home owners) and professional installers.

One composition for each site concept was produced and handed off to the ZWaveWorld sales and marketing team. After 3 days of deliberation it was decided to focus on the actual buyers and users of the Z-Wave technology and encourage the product manufacturers to glean relevant marketing information from the Forums and content being generated for the buyers. It also became clear that the chosen site design did not have the "color or flare" that one might expect in a consumer publication. Therefore, a new set of icons and a new logo was set in place to make the site stand out more.