Ontario Realty Corporation
Original ORC website
Need
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A framework that integrated with the head office corporate initiative
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A defined policy for site development, publishing and content management (policy, templates, etc.)
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Strategic directives including governance model, mission, objectives and measurable goals (metrics)
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An understanding of the director level requirements
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The incorporation of relevant and leading best practices
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A functional plan that defined exactly what the site offers and how
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An information architecture that incorporated all of the above findings into an effective site navigation schema
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Design concepts to illustrate the look and feel of a new ORC Internet website
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Recommendations and implementation plan for a new Content Management System
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Launch and marketing of the completed website
Solution
Assessment
- Internet Evaluation – using Prescient’s six-point methodology, evaluated the existing Internet site to determine its current strengths and weaknesses.
- Business Requirements Analysis – analysis of the business requirements and priorities of key content providers and stakeholders.
- Stakeholder Interviews – we interviewed 10 key stakeholders to gather their requirements and gain insight into site usage
- User Survey – engaged ORC users in a two-way dialogue through a user survey to pinpoint their particular expectations and requirements while leveraging existing or previous user research.
- User Focus Groups – conducted several focus groups in order to build an even greater qualitative understanding of user requirements and expectations
- Benchmarking - formal identification, scoring and documentation of relevant industry best practices from similar organizations.
- Strategic Planning – SWOT analysis, mission, goals, and performance measures.
- Governance Recommendations – utilized content requirements analysis and existing governance model to make additional recommendations for optimizing the ORC site’s ownership and future decision-making process.
- Functional Plan - plan detailing the site’s form and function with an accompanying information architecture and wireframes (page layouts).
- Design - design development that built on the existing ORC brand guidelines, accounted for all identified requirements, and was tested with users in focus groups.
- Content Management Plan – ORC began developing and organizing content, processes and guidelines in advance of the site build and selection of an appropriate Content Management System.
- Marketing and Promotion Plan – provided an overview of recommended tactics and activities for marketing the site prior to and subsequent to launch.
- Blueprint – final, all-encompassing plan and report with design concepts.
Prescient also conducted a CMS evaluation/recommendation/implementation phase which involved:
- Defining CMS feature specifications
- Drafting and distributing an RFQ
- Vendor evaluation and scoring
- Creation of a purchase order
- Development of an implementation plan
- Development and set up of a prototype and testing environment
- Content migration plan development
- Content conversion oversight through usability and acceptance testing
- Coordination of staff training
- Coordination of final release








