web designing case study

A Space for Creative Growth

6 Web Design Case Studies We Can Learn From

Convey your thought processes and skills - and show future clients who you are as a designer

• Apr 11, 2019

We all know the importance of having a good online design portfolio. It’s your opportunity to show off your masterpieces to the world, while having full control over all aspects, from the layout, to animations, navigation and more. This way, you can have an impact on the way your work is perceived and experienced by potential clients or employers.

That’s all very well, but when it comes to web design projects, why not simply add a link to the website itself and let your visitors browse freely over there? Sure – you should link to any websites you’ve designed, but there are many ways to effectively showcase your web design projects on your portfolio.

Creating a case study that explains your work process and final results can elevate your projects to a whole other level. It can help your site visitors gain a better understanding of who you are, the way you work, your decision-making processes and more. Just like any other design project, a case study should tell a story. It should take your site visitors on a journey through your process, from color palette choices, to icons created specifically for the project, ‘before and after’ pics and more.

We’ve gathered six designers who have chosen diverse ways to expertly showcase their web design projects on their Wix portfolios. Dive in for some inspiration:

1. Brown Owl Creative for Creative House Group

> Showcasing custom-made icons and full-length screenshots

Multidisciplinary design company, Brown Owl Creative, chose to place a fullscreen gif on the top fold of this project page, instantly setting the tone. Directly beneath, a brief sentence introduces the client they were working with, plus the discipline involved and a link to the final result: the website itself. A generous use of white space helps put the focus on the text.

Scrolling down, you’ll find full-length screenshots of their website design, with a simple non-obtrusive gray border. They’ve also chosen to display a section of the client’s website on a laptop, offering an alternative perspective. Another nice touch is the emphasis they’ve put on three animated icons that are featured on the final site. And let’s not forget some basic UX principles they’ve taken care of: a ‘Back to top’ button and a ‘Next project’ button to ensure fluid navigation.

2. Miki Twersky for Nosta Fragrances

> Merging video screenshots with atmospheric photos

There are many subtle additions to NYC-based designer Miki Twersky’s portfolio that make it such a success. The comic footer, delightfully honest ‘ About ’ page and spacious layout make for a browsing experience that is both smooth and entertaining.

It comes as no surprise that her inner project pages are crafted with just as much care and attention to detail. This web design case study starts with a mood-setting image, followed by a brief explanation of the brand and some additional basic details, such as the date, her roles within the project and any other contributors. A slider invites you to scroll through to view the various stages involved in the logo design process.

Further down, Miki has seamlessly integrated video screenshots of the website, enabling her to choose which aspects of her design to put a spotlight on. The page ends with a few product photos that help strengthen the look-and-feel and tie everything together, while presenting more of her branding work.

3. Adelaide Wang for Humm.ly

> Thorough case study incorporating texts, images and videos

San Francisco-based product designer, Adelaide Wang, definitely knows the ins and outs of creating an intriguing and comprehensive case study. Having worked on many aspects of this project for Humm.ly , a music healthcare platform and app, she was able to share her and her team’s full work process.

The long-scrolling page takes you on a journey through some of the major stages of any design project. It starts by presenting their search for a defined visual identity. It then moves on to the details of the app’s various screens and navigation, putting an emphasis on the accessibility of the website’s design . Lastly, Adelaide presents the website itself on various devices, including a video screenshot of the website on mobile.

A consistent layout is used throughout the page, with titles, subtitles and paragraph text all retaining the same style. Two alternating shades of gray make up the website’s background, creating a clear, but subtle, separation between folds, and ultimately contributing to a successful user experience.

Learn more about how to nail your website’s UX design with these professional examples.

4. Studio&more for Din7

> Presenting color choices, logo design and more

Here’s another example of a detailed web design case study, by graphic design studio, Studio&more. In this project for industrial design company, Din7, they worked on both branding and UX. As a result, they had the material necessary to cover everything from color palette and typography choices, to the development of the company’s logo design, illustration style, website and various applications of the visual identity.

Each section of the case study is numbered and presented with a succinct selection of images. They’ve also used the visual language they came up with for the brand in the background, creating a strong and clearly defined tone of voice. Lastly, the studio has picked out a few of their website design’s screens to showcase separately, drawing attention to them.

5. Ariel Sun for her wedding website

> Telling a story through text and images

NYC-based artist and designer, Ariel Sun, created this web design case study for her own wedding website. There are many ways to write copy for your design portfolio – and here, Ariel’s gone for a friendly and personal tone of voice to provide site visitors with an inviting summary of the project. She also clearly explained what she and her partner’s different roles were in the process, giving everyone the credit they deserve.

Two simple, static screenshots of the website design follow, presenting the most prominent pages of the site. These are accompanied by an illustration of the couple and an image of the wedding invitation, helping us get a feel for the vibe they were going for. All of this is presented in a highly aesthetic way, using a clean grid, plus a fixed menu at the top for comfortable navigation.

6. Liron Ashkenazi for The-Artery

> Including mobile and tablet view, process, and more

Multidisciplinary design director, Liron Ashkenazi, worked with a team of 3D artists, designers and developers to come up with the award-winning design for The-Artery ’s website. Liron’s case study of the project is made up of a selection of beautifully designed screenshot videos, short explanatory titles, the 3D model design process and accompanying text. The layout is concise, while including all the relevant details.

A thin column on the left provides us with background information on the client, The-Artery, as well as a breakdown of the various roles and the people involved. It also includes a list of links where the website has been featured.

Scrolling down the page, you see the development of the 3D animated models that appear on the final website. There’s also an image that showcases the website on three different devices. Incorporating elements from the design outside of the screenshots, makes for an intriguing visual representation of the overall project. The text above and on each image clarifies which page you’re looking at and who’s responsible for which elements, while not distracting from the design itself. Finally, Liron has included the design for a 404 page – a welcome addition, especially when it looks this good.

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5 inspiring web design case studies

A good case study makes for a top calling card; check out these examples.

The reality of web design is that once you've finished a project, you hopefully move straight onto the next one. However, every site you deliver is an essential portfolio piece that demonstrates your skills and abilities, and while you'll usually want to link to your recent work on your site, it pays to do the job properly.

Rather than simply grabbing a screenshot of a landing page and a link and adding it to your online portfolio, writing up an engaging case study on your work can be a lot more worthwhile. Case studies don't need to be lengthy essays; they just need to give readers a taste of your process and provide some insight into the challenges you've faced over the course of a web build and how you solved them. 

They're a great way to let potential clients know how you work, and they can also provide inspiration for other designers and developers; here are five of our favourite recent examples. Make sure you also check out our top web design tips .

• How to write engaging case studies for your portfolio

01. Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago

For a really inspiring case study, it's hard to beat DogStudio's extensive piece chronicling its work for the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago. The museum is a vast and highly respected American institution, and you can't help but get the impression that DogStudio was punching well above its weight when it won the commission to rethink and revamp its web platform, but as this case study reveals, it carried the job off with aplomb.

Packed with revealing wireframes, imagery and animations, it's a fascinating insight into a massive and challenging build that had to cater for more than five million online visitors wanting to do everything from buy tickets through to figuring out where to park and finding information about individual exhibits. 

02. National Geographic: A Bear's-Eye View of Yellowstone

Sometimes it's better to show rather than tell. For this captivating look at Yellowstone National Park as seen by four bears fitted with camera collars and GPS, Hello Monday had a wealth of footage, data and expert analysis to work with. And rather than go into dry details of how it fitted everything together, it keeps things brief in its case study , providing a short outline of the project and deliverables before moving on to an entirely visual essay that demonstrates just how much work went into creating this digital feature.

As well as a good helping of footage and screenshots showcasing what the site's all about, what we really love about this study is a section dedicated to how Hello Monday stamped its own personality on the project, breathing extra life into the feature with animation, watercolour illustrations and pencil-drawn portraits of each bear.

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03. Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood

Currently doing big business at the box office, Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood is a love letter to 1960's cinema that recreates its era with Tarantino's typical attention to detail. And to create an online presence that captured the feel of 1969 Hollywood as well as the film, LA agency Watson went the extra mile to create a digital magazine that feels like it could have come off a newsstand 50 years ago.

In this case study the Watson team explain not only the thinking behind the magazine and its pitch-perfect adverts, but also how they create a physical print run of the mag that got handed out at the premiere and first-night screenings, creating a whole other social buzz as movie fans posted shots of their magazine to prove that they were there. If you're looking for ideas on how to run a strong social campaign, there's some great material here. 

04. British Red Cross

Kota's case study on its recent work with the British Red Cross is a clear and concise piece that provides valuable insight on the challenges – and opportunities – of working on a campaign with an institution with clear-cut brand guidelines that need to be adhered to. In the case of the British Red Cross's OneKindThing campaign, Kota had to create a platform that stood out from previous campaigns while staying within the society's pretty epic brand guidelines.

With a handful of images and a couple of paragraphs, Kota outlines how it managed just that, and also covers some of the technical hurdles that had to be overcome to deliver the finished site. The end result was well worth the effort, as the British Red Cross testimonial at the end of the case study reveals.

05. Stonewall Forever

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, an event that helped bring about the Pride movement, Stink Digital partnered with The LGBT Community Center to create Stonewall Forever, an immersive digital experience that features key narratives and previously unheard stories from LGBTQ+ history. 

Stink Digital's case study explains how it built a living monument to 50 years of Pride, based in Christopher Park, New York, but accessible anywhere through a website or AR app, and goes into some detail of the challenges of creating a WebGL monument that consists of over 10,000 individual shards with post-processing effects, but still runs at 60fps, even on low-end devices. 

Beyond the technical challenges, though, this is an absorbing and insightful piece on a project that explores life before, during and after the Stonewall Riots.

Related articles:

• The hottest web design trends of 2019
• How to refine your design portfolio
• Get the perfect website layout in 27 steps

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Jim McCauley is a writer, performer and cat-wrangler who started writing professionally way back in 1995 on PC Format magazine, and has been covering technology-related subjects ever since, whether it's hardware, software or videogames. A chance call in 2005 led to Jim taking charge of Computer Arts' website and developing an interest in the world of graphic design, and eventually led to a move over to the freshly-launched Creative Bloq in 2012. Jim now works as a freelance writer for sites including Creative Bloq, T3 and PetsRadar, specialising in design, technology, wellness and cats, while doing the occasional pantomime and street performance in Bath and designing posters for a local drama group on the side.

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8 Minute Read

Web Design Case Studies

Real-world examples.

Web design case studies offer a detailed analysis of successful web design projects, showcasing the challenges faced, the strategies employed, and the results achieved.

In this article, I'll explore several web design case studies for companies based in the United States, highlighting the unique aspects and outcomes of each project.

These case studies will cover various industries, from e-commerce and tech startups to healthcare and financial services, providing valuable insights for web designers, developers, and business owners alike.

Table of Contents

• E-commerce Redesign: Wayfair
• Startup Success: Airbnb
• Healthcare Portal: WebMD
• Educational Transformation: Khan Academy
• Tech Industry Excellence: Google
• Financial Services Redesign: American Express
• Tech Startup Excellence: Slack
• Retail Revolution: Walmart
• Automotive Industry: Tesla
• Fashion Retail Redesign: Nordstrom

E-commerce Redesign- Wayfair

• Company : Wayfair
• Industry : E-commerce
• Challenge : Improving user experience, navigation, and site performance
• Key Success Metrics : Increased conversion rates, reduced bounce rates, improved page load times

The Challenge

Wayfair is a prominent e-commerce company in the United States specializing in home goods and furniture. In 2020, they faced several challenges that prompted a complete website redesign. The existing website had usability issues, slow page load times, and a high bounce rate. The challenge was to overhaul the website, enhancing user experience, and ultimately driving more sales.

Strategies and Solutions

• User-Centered Design : Wayfair conducted extensive user research to understand customer preferences, pain points, and expectations. The design team used this data to create a user-centered design that focused on improving navigation and product discovery.
• Performance Optimization : They optimized the website's performance by reducing image sizes, utilizing content delivery networks (CDNs), and implementing lazy loading for images. This significantly improved page load times.
• Mobile Responsiveness : With a growing number of users accessing the site on mobile devices, Wayfair made sure the website was fully responsive. This involved designing a mobile-first experience to ensure a seamless transition between desktop and mobile.
• Clear Call to Action (CTA) : They redesigned the product pages with clear and compelling call-to-action , making it easier for users to add items to their cart and proceed to checkout.
• Personalization : Wayfair implemented personalization features, such as product recommendations based on user preferences and previous purchases, enhancing the user's shopping experience.
• Conversion rates increased by 8%, leading to a significant boost in revenue.
• Bounce rates decreased by 12%, indicating improved user engagement.
• Page load times were reduced by 30%, resulting in better overall site performance.

Startup Success- Airbnb

• Company: Airbnb
• Industry : Travel and Accommodation
• Challenge : Creating a user-friendly platform for hosts and guests
• Key Success Metrics : Increased listings, user satisfaction, and bookings

Airbnb is a well-known startup based in the United States that disrupted the travel and accommodation industry. In the early stages, Airbnb faced the challenge of creating a user-friendly platform that could attract hosts to list their properties and provide a seamless experience for guests looking to book accommodations.

• User-Generated Content : Airbnb focused on user-generated content, allowing hosts to create detailed listings with photos and descriptions. This not only empowered hosts but also provided valuable information for potential guests.
• Trust and Safety : To address concerns about safety, Airbnb implemented a robust identity verification system, reviews and ratings, and secure payment processing, ensuring a level of trust on the platform which in turn increased branding recognition.
• Responsive Design : Airbnb invested heavily in responsive web design to provide a consistent and intuitive experience on desktop and mobile devices. This approach enabled users to browse and book accommodations from any device.
• Local Insights : They introduced a feature that provided local insights, tips, and recommendations from hosts to enhance the guest experience.
• Continuous Iteration : Airbnb continuously gathered user feedback and iterated on its design and functionality, adapting to changing user needs and preferences.
• Airbnb became a global success, with millions of listings and users in various countries.
• The platform has a high level of user satisfaction, with a strong community of hosts and guests.
• Airbnb is a household name and has transformed the travel and accommodation industry.
• The design style of Airbnb has also help to create a new type of web design trend .

Healthcare Portal- WebMD

• Company : WebMD
• Industry : Healthcare
• Challenge : Creating a reliable and trustworthy healthcare portal
• Key Success Metrics : Increased user engagement, trust, and information accuracy

WebMD is a popular healthcare information portal in the United States, offering a wide range of medical content. The challenge was to design a website that could be trusted as a reliable source of medical information and engage users in their health and wellness journey.

• Expert Content : WebMD invested in a team of medical experts and writers to create accurate, evidence-based content. They made sure to provide clear citations and references for all medical information while using a clean typography .
• Interactive Tools : To engage users, WebMD developed interactive tools, such as symptom checkers, BMI calculators, and medication trackers, to empower users to take control of their health.
• User-Friendly Layout : A user-friendly layout design was implemented with intuitive and effective navigation menus , making it easy for visitors to find the information they were looking for.
• Community and Forums : WebMD incorporated community features, such as forums and discussion boards, to encourage users to connect, share experiences, and seek advice from others.
• Mobile Accessibility : Recognizing that people often search for health information on their mobile devices, WebMD ensured that the website was mobile-responsive and provided a seamless experience across devices.
• WebMD is a trusted source of medical information for millions of users.
• The website sees high levels of user engagement, with users regularly accessing the site for health-related queries and information.
• WebMD has maintained its reputation for providing accurate and reliable medical content.

Educational Transformation- Khan Academy

• Organization: Khan Academy
• Industry : Education
• Challenge : Providing free, accessible, and high-quality educational content
• Key Success Metrics : Increased user engagement, reach, and educational impact

Khan Academy, a non-profit educational organization, aimed to make high-quality education accessible to anyone, anywhere. They needed to create a website that not only provided free educational content but also engaged users effectively.

• Vast Content Library : Khan Academy created a vast library of educational content, covering various subjects and grade levels, making it a one-stop destination for learners of all ages.
• Adaptive Learning : They integrated adaptive learning features, where the website could assess a learner's proficiency and recommend appropriate content to match their skill level.
• Progress Tracking : Khan Academy introduced tools for users to track their progress, complete exercises, and earn badges and certificates, providing motivation for continued learning.
• Community Interaction : They fostered a sense of community by incorporating forums, discussion boards, and the ability for users to ask questions and help each other.
• Mobile Accessibility : Recognizing the importance of mobile access, Khan Academy ensured that their website was fully responsive, allowing users to learn on any device.
• Khan Academy's website has reached millions of learners worldwide, making a significant impact on education accessibility.
• The organization's adaptive learning approach has led to higher engagement and improved learning outcomes.
• Khan Academy's online community has become a valuable resource for learners, facilitating peer-to-peer support and collaboration.

Tech Industry Excellence- Google

• Company : Google
• Industry : Technology
• Challenge : Improving search engine user experience and expanding services
• Key Success Metrics : Increased search engine market share, user satisfaction, and service offerings

Google, a tech giant based in the United States, has consistently faced the challenge of improving its core product, the search engine, while also expanding into new services and products. This case study focuses on their core search engine.

• User-Centered Design : Google's design philosophy has always been user-centered. They have continually improved the search engine's user interface, making it clean, simple, and efficient.
• Algorithm Innovation : Google invests heavily in search algorithms to provide more relevant search results and a better user experience. This involves understanding user intent, content quality, and mobile-friendliness.
• Localization : Google offers localized versions of its search engine in numerous languages and regions, ensuring that users worldwide have access to information in their preferred language.
• Voice Search : As voice search became more popular, Google developed voice search capabilities, enabling users to search by voice commands.
• Instant Answers : Google introduced instant answers and featured snippets, providing users with quick and direct responses to common queries.
• Google maintains its dominant position as the leading search engine globally, with a market share of over 90%.
• The company's commitment to user experience and innovation has led to high user satisfaction.
• Google has successfully expanded its services beyond search into areas such as cloud computing, mobile operating systems, and artificial intelligence.

Financial Services Redesign- American Express

• Company : American Express
• Industry : Financial Services
• Challenge : Enhancing online banking and credit card management experience
• Key Success Metrics : Improved user engagement, increased online transactions, and customer satisfaction

American Express is a major player in the financial services industry. They faced the challenge of modernizing their online banking and credit card management platform to offer a seamless and user-friendly experience to their customers. The existing platform had become outdated and required a significant redesign.

• User-Friendly Interface : American Express focused on creating a user-friendly interface, making it easy for customers to manage their accounts, track expenses, and perform online transactions.
• Mobile App Integration : Recognizing the shift towards mobile banking, they integrated their website with a mobile app, allowing customers to access their accounts on the go.
• Personalized Dashboard : After conducting A/B testing research, they introduced a personalized dashboard that displayed essential account information, transaction history, and spending patterns to provide users with actionable insights.
• Enhanced Security : American Express implemented advanced security features, including multi-factor authentication and real-time transaction monitoring, to ensure customer data remained secure.
• Customer Support Integration : They integrated customer support features, such as live chat and a comprehensive knowledge base, to assist customers with their inquiries and issues.
• American Express witnessed an increase in online transactions, with more customers using their online platform for payments and account management.
• User engagement improved significantly, with customers spending more time on the website and mobile app.
• Customer satisfaction ratings rose as a result of the improved user experience and security measures.

Tech Startup Excellence- Slack

• Company : Slack
• Challenge : Creating a collaborative and user-friendly messaging platform
• Key Success Metrics : Increased user adoption, team collaboration, and business growth

Slack is a popular communication and collaboration platform for businesses. In its early stages, it faced the challenge of designing a user-friendly and efficient messaging platform that could facilitate seamless team communication and productivity.

• Simplified Messaging : Slack introduced a user-friendly chat interface with features like channels, direct messaging, and integrations to simplify team communication.
• Third-Party Integrations : They allowed seamless integration with a wide range of third-party apps, enabling teams to work efficiently and access all their tools within Slack.
• Mobile Accessibility : Recognizing the importance of real-time communication on mobile devices, Slack developed a robust mobile app to ensure users could stay connected on the go.
• Customization and Personalization : Slack provided customization options for users to personalize their workspace, choose notification preferences, and integrate apps that best suit their workflow.
• Community and Support : They built a strong community and provided comprehensive support resources, including a help center and user forums.
• Slack has become a go-to communication platform for businesses, with millions of users and numerous organizations adopting it for team collaboration.
• The platform's ease of use and third-party integrations have enhanced business productivity and efficiency.
• Slack's success has led to business growth, making it a prominent tech startup.

Retail Revolution- Walmart

• Company : Walmart
• Industry : Retail
• Challenge : Expanding e-commerce and enhancing the online shopping experience
• Key Success Metrics : Increased online sales, customer satisfaction, and mobile accessibility

Walmart, one of the largest retailers in the world, faced the challenge of expanding its e-commerce presence and providing a seamless online shopping experience for customers while also providing a stronger visual hierarchy . The company needed to compete effectively in the online retail space.

• E-commerce Expansion : Walmart invested in expanding its e-commerce infrastructure, including online product listings, inventory management, and shipping logistics.
• Mobile-First Approach : Recognizing the growing importance of mobile shopping, they adopted a mobile-first approach to ensure a smooth shopping experience on smartphones and tablets.
• Personalized Shopping : Walmart introduced personalized shopping recommendations, based on user browsing and purchase history, to encourage customers to discover new products.
• Online Grocery Shopping : They facilitated online grocery shopping with features like curbside pickup and home delivery to meet the evolving needs of customers.
• Customer Service : Walmart improved customer service with features like live chat support and an easily accessible customer support hotline.
• Walmart's e-commerce platform has experienced significant growth, with increased online sales and a broader customer base.
• The company's mobile-first approach has contributed to high mobile accessibility and a seamless shopping experience on smartphones and tablets.
• Walmart remains a retail giant, successfully competing in the online retail space.

Automotive Industry- Tesla

• Company : Tesla
• Industry : Automotive
• Challenge : Designing a user-friendly electric vehicle configurator
• Key Success Metrics : Increased customer engagement, conversion rates, and lead generation

Tesla, a leading electric vehicle manufacturer, faced the challenge of creating a user-friendly online configurator for their electric cars. The configurator needed to provide a seamless and informative experience for potential customers, allowing them to customize and order their vehicles online.

• Intuitive Configuration : Using aspects of web design psychology , Tesla designed a highly intuitive configurator that guided users through various options, such as model selection, color choices, and features, using a step-by-step process.
• Real-time Pricing Updates : The configurator provided real-time price updates as users made selections, allowing them to see the cost implications of their choices immediately.
• Visual Customization : Users could see a visual representation of their custom vehicle, complete with 3D models, interactive panoramas, and interior views.
• Educational Content : Tesla included educational content about electric vehicle benefits and features, ensuring users were well-informed during the configuration process.
• Lead Generation Forms : The configurator seamlessly transitioned users to lead generation forms, enabling potential customers to submit their configured vehicles for further information or purchase.
• Tesla's configurator significantly improved customer engagement and conversion rates, with many users completing the configuration process.
• The real-time pricing updates gave users confidence in their choices and pricing transparency.
• The configurator served as an effective lead generation tool, helping Tesla capture potential buyers' information.

Fashion Retail Redesign- Nordstrom

• Company : Nordstrom
• Industry : Fashion Retail
• Challenge : Updating the e-commerce website for modern shoppers
• Key Success Metrics : Increased online sales, improved user experience, and mobile accessibility

Nordstrom, a well-established fashion retailer, faced the challenge of updating their e-commerce website to meet the evolving needs and expectations of modern online shoppers. This involved creating a more engaging and user-friendly online shopping experience.

• Modern Design Aesthetics : Nordstrom adopted modern design elements and color tones, including a clean and elegant layout, high-quality product images and graphics , and a focus on user experience.
• Mobile Optimization : They ensured the website was fully optimized for mobile devices, with responsive design and a user-friendly mobile app for seamless shopping on smartphones and tablets.
• Personalization and Recommendations : Nordstrom implemented personalized shopping recommendations based on user browsing and purchase history, helping customers discover new products.
• Product Search and Filtering : The website featured advanced product search and filtering options, allowing customers to quickly find products by category, size, brand, and price.
• User Reviews and Ratings : Nordstrom incorporated user reviews and ratings, providing valuable social proof and assisting customers in making informed decisions.
• Nordstrom's website redesign led to increased online sales and customer engagement, with customers spending more time on the site and making more purchases.
• The mobile optimization efforts significantly improved the user experience for mobile shoppers.
• Personalized shopping recommendations enhanced product discovery and customer satisfaction.

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Matthew McWaters is the owner of LUCID and has over 15 years of experience in web design, web development, and digital marketing. 

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• Melanie Lang
• Jul 19, 2013

75 Instructive Design Case Studies

• 20 min read
• Inspiration , Web Design , Graphic Design , Case Studies
• Share on Twitter ,  LinkedIn

About The Author

Former Smashing Editor Melanie completed her degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Otago University, and is now freelancer and part-time politician. … More about Melanie ↬

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Not only are case studies a great way to explain the design process of an agency, but they also help designers and developers to learn from each other. Seeing how designers work, create, build and play is great, and furthermore, you can learn how to write a great case study yourself and how to use one to spice up your portfolio .

In this overview of useful case studies, we’ve featured studies that have recounted decisions made about particular design elements, as well as studies of full overhauls and their accompanying technical challenges. Most of them provide interesting insights into failures and successes , stories, workflows and design decisions made and rejected.

We must admit that this post is quite a long one, so we’ve decided to divide it into two parts to make it easier for you to navigate. Now you should be well prepared for a couple of late reading sessions over the next weekends!

Illustration, Graphics And Logo Design

“ Illustrator Full Spectrum Spirograph ,” Veerle Pieters Pieters talks about her experimentation process with spirographs, inspired by the work of Andy Gilmore.

“ The Design Process of my Infographic About Women Cycling for Grinta! ,” Veerle Pieters Pieters shares her experience of the design process behind the infographic on women’s cycling that she produced for Grinta magazine.

“ A Systematic Approach to Logo Design ,” Adham Dannaway Icon design can be time-consuming. Dannaway shows how to systematically approach a new logo design.

“ (Re)building a Simplified Firefox Logo ,” Sean Martell Learn how Firefox’s logo was simplified to better fit its extended usage beyond a desktop web browser.

“ Five Details ,” Jon Hicks Jon Hicks shares the design process behind the Five Details Logo, including the design and choice of typography.

“ Iconfinder Logo ,” SoftFacade SoftFacade completely reimagined Iconfinder’s existing identity and came up with a shiny and modern robot character. View the detailed design process.

“The Great Gatsby” Like Minded Studio collaborated on the branding of “The Great Gatsby“. The aim was to develop a bespoke Deco styled logo reflective of the roaring 20s and Fitzgerald’s masterpiece. They also created a display typeface to acompany the main branding. Additionally read more about it following this link.

“ Whitney Graphic Identity ,” Experimental Jetset In this case study of the Whitney Museum of Art’s logo, Experimental Jetset discusses the impact that a responsive logo can have on branding.

“My ‘Tour de France’ posters,” Veerle Pieters Pieters created posters for the 100th edition of the Tour of France. She mainly used the French landscape which she had used for the ‘Tour de France Infographic’ as a starting point.

“ Designing Type Systems ,” Peter Bil’ak To create truly useful designs, typographers need to examine not only how characters relate to each other within a style, but also how different styles relate to each other within a family. Peter Bil’ak discusses how to achieve this.

“ Novel Constructions: The Making of a Typeface ,” Christopher Dunst Dunst shares the process behind the creation of the “Novel” typeface.

“ The Development of the Signage Typeface Wayfinding Sans Pro ,” Ralf Herrmann Herrmann describes the development of the Wayfinding Sans Pro, a signage typeface that can be read from a long distance.

“ The Making of FF Tundra ,” Ludwig Übele Übele shares the process behing making the FF Tundra typeface, which was highly inspired by nature.

“ The Making of Magasin ,” Laura Meseguer Meseguer writes how she created Magasin, a typefaces inspired by fluid handwriting.

“Type Study” series, Adobe Typekit Typekit features a whole series of case studies of typography:

• “ Hi-DPI Web Typography ,” David Demaree
• “ Typographic Hierarchy ,” Frank Chimero
• “ Pairing Typefaces ,” Aura Seltzer
• “ Sizing the Legible Letter ,” Ethan Marcotte
• “ Stereo-Typography ,” Dan Mall
• “ Choosing Fallback Fonts ,” Josh Brewer
• “ Techniques for Using Novelty Fonts ,” Meagan Fisher

“ Social Login Buttons Aren’t Worth It ,” MailChimp Social login buttons are used by many apps today. MailChimp shares its own experience and considerations in using social login buttons.

“Usability in Icons,” Peter Steen Høgenhaug Icons are used to illustrate a particular function, anything from information to actions. This article explains what needs to be considered when designing them.

“iOS Icon Design: A Designer’s Exploration,” iOS icon design is not only difficult, but requires a lot of experimentation. David Killoy shares his experience of designing the icon for his note-taking app Notorious.

“ The Making of Octicons ,” GitHub Octicons is a icon font made by GitHub. Five designers collaborated on the project, and they share how they built Octicons and what they learned along the way.

“ Designing Facebook Home ,” Julie Zhuo On May 8th, the designers behind Facebook Home (Justin Stahl, Francis Luu, Joey Flynn and Mac Tyler) presented a behind-the-scenes look at their work at the Bluxome Street Winery for a small crowd.

Advertising, Promotion And E-Commerce

“ How to Make Your Own App Promo Cards ,” Mike Swanson Swanson was inspired by Starbuck’s promo cards for giving away free apps and decided to make his own for an upcoming event. Learn how you can do one, too!

“ The Art of Launching an App ,” John Casey You’ve made your first app! Now what? This study covers some tactics and lessons learned during one process of launching an app.

“ How to Launch Anything ,” Nathan Barry Barry has launched five products in fewer than nine months. Read about the strategy that helped him generate over $200,000 in revenue from online products, starting from scratch.

“ Selling My E-Book on Amazon ,” Jonathan Snook Several people predicted that 2013 would be the year of self-publishing. Snook shares insight into his eBook sales on Amazon.

“ Increase Online Sales on Your Ecommerce Website ,” Headscape increased sales on Wiltshire Farmfoods’ e-commerce website by over 10,000% in only five years. What makes it even more special, the target audience is over 50 years old. Paul Boag shares his experience.

“ Twitter Promoted Tweets ,” MailChimp MailChimp has made use of Twitter’s promoted tweets and shares insight into this experience.

Redesigning Elements And Features

“ Visual Exploration Behind Signal vs. Noise ,” Mig Reyes 37signals share the process behind making its blog special. This study is about how the company visualized noise and styled its blog categories in a unique way.

“ Reinventing Our Default Profile Pictures ,” Jamie Jamie talks about the process of finding the right default profile pictures for the 37signals website. It’s a great new approach to a very basic element.

“ Login Screen Design: Behind the Scenes ,” Simon Tabor Good UX is not just about the main content, but also about little details such as log-in (and error) pages. GoSquared shares how it made its log-in experience exceptional.

“ Save for Later ,” Brian Groudan All browsers support two functions: searching and revisiting. Groudan worked closely with Mozilla’s user experience researchers and designers to rethink how Firefox could better offer “saving for later” functionality in the browser.

“A Closer Look at Zoom,” FiftyThree FiftyThree shares the design process behind the new zoom feature in its Paper app.

“Reinventing the Investment Calculator ,” Alex Bendiken Drawing from the book Money for Something , Alex Bendiken built a tool that lets users experiment and create a unique investment plan. It’s a UX study in turning a boring financial calculator into something you’d actually want to use.

“ Getting Down to Business ,” Teenhan+Lax The Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper of record. It serves millions of readers everyday with in-depth journalism and informed comment. Learn how Teenhan+Lax helped refresh and enrich the way users experience and engage with the news today.

“ Olympics: User Experience and Design ,” Nick Haley Nick Haley shares the BBC’s design process of delivering the Olympics across desktop, tablet, mobile and connected TV.

“ How We Built the Responsive Olympics Site ,” Matt Clark Matt Clark writes about MSN UK’s approach to delivering the Olympics digitally, from the brief to the finished design.

“ The Anatomy Of A Successful Logo Redesign ,” Belinda Lanks Lanks summarizes how Jessica Hische had freshened up the new logo for MailChimp with a slight facelift. The new logo now looks new and fresh — more refined but just as playful.

“ What I Want Out of Facebook ,” Keenan Cummings Cummings explains why Facebook fails him and what he wants to get out of it that would make it useful for his personal life.

“ In Praise of Lost Time ,” Dan Hill Dan Hill talks about Facebook’s Timeline as an exemplary bit of interaction design that does little to advance the timeline formally. Yet it might alter the nature of human memory itself.

“Designing the new, fully responsive Wired.co.uk article pages,” Javier Ghaemi This article is about redesigning the Wired.co.uk article website to provide a more content-first and immersive experience.

Complete (Re)branding And (Re)design

“How to Approach a Responsive Design,” Tito Bottitta This article shows the design process behind The Boston Globe’s website, one of the most famous examples of responsive designs. Read about how Upstatement approached its first responsive design.

“Responsive Design Case Study,” Matt Berridge This case study outlines the entire process of constructing the South Tees Hospitals’ website, a large responsive design containing over a thousand pages.

“ Rebuilding a University Homepage to Be Responsive. Twice. In Less Than a Year ,” Erik Runyon This slideshow discusses how and why Notre Dame University’s home page was rebuilt twice in less than a year. You will find a recording of the talk below the slides.

“Yes, You Really Can Make Complex Web Apps Responsive,” Daniel Wearne Wearne shares his experience in creating Adioso’s web app, a complex yet accessible project. He covers the framework, responsive mixins, tables and future challenges.

“Designing a New Playground Brand,” Ryan Bannon This case study shows the design process of Playground’s new brand. It covers the logo, overall website and vector animation process, as well as the core values and personality of the company. The extensive study comes in three parts.

“ How House Parties Helped Us Design Potluck ,” Cemre Güngör The team at Potluck describes how it took inspiration from reality to design a “house party on the Internet.”

“ Colorado Identity ,” Berger & Föhr Imagine someone hiring you to define your own identity. Berger & Föhr was hired to help create the new identity and visual brand of Colorado, the place they call home. Have a look at the work and logo they came up with.

“ Building the New Financial Times Web App ,” Wilson Page Page talks about building the Financial Times’ new app, a challenge that many on his team believed to be impossible. He covers device support, fixed-height layouts, truncation, modularization, reusable components, Retina support, native-like scrolling, offline support and the topic of ever-evolving apps.

“ Google Treasure Maps ,” Alex Griendling Griendling writes about the design process behind Google Maps’ treasure mode.

“ Find Your Way to Oz ,” HTML5 Rocks This very detailed case study looks at the “Find Your Way to Oz” demo, a Google Chrome experiment by Disney. It covers sprite sheets, Retina support, 3-D content and more.

“ The Making of the Moscow Metro Map 2.0 ,” Art Lebedev Studio This study is about the design process behind the Moscow Metro map, a complex project that needed to meet the requirements of both Web and print.

“ Skinny Ties and Responsive eCommerce ,” Brendan Falkowski Read and learn how GravDept redesigned Skinny Ties’ creative and technical direction to propel shopping on every device.

“ The Design Thinking Behind the New Disney.com ,” Bobby Solomon Solomon shares the process of creating a Disney website that is flexible enough to showcase the widest range of offerings imaginable — in other words, a website that can do everything.

“Say Hello to the New ISO,” Andy Clarke Clarke and David Roessli redesigned the website of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and share their experience.

“ A Responsive Design Case Study ,” David Bushell The redesign of Passenger Focus takes advantage of the Web as an unique medium.

“ BBC News: Responsive Web Design and Mustard ,” Kaelig Deloumeau-Prigent These slides address the core principles and the “cutting the mustard” technique behind the BBC News’ responsive website.

“The Trello Tech Stack,” Brett Kiefer Read the process behind the Trello app, from initial mockup to a solid server and maintainable client.

“ Responsibly Responsive: Developing the Greenbelt Website ,” Rachel Andrew Andrew writes about her front-end design decisions in rebuilding the Greenbelt Festival’s website.

“ The Digital-Physical: On Building Flipboard for iPhone and Finding the Edges of Our Digital Narratives ,” Craig Mod Mod walks through the process of building the Flipboard app for iPhone and of finding the edges of its digital narratives.

“ Page-Flip Effect From 20 Things I Learned ,” Hakim El Hattab This study shows how this team found the best way to achieve the feeling of a real-world book, while leveraging the benefits of the digital realm in areas such as navigation.

“ Six Key Lessons From a Design Legend ,” Kapil Kale The GiftRocket team eventually recruited Mike Kus as a designer. This article shows why that decision took their website to the next level.

“ Breaking The Rules: A UX Case Study ,” Laura Klein Klein shows how she broke all rules to create the great UX for Outright.

“ 7 UX Considerations When Designing Lens Hawk ,” Christian Holst Lens Hawk is a massive DSLR lens database. This article shares seven UX considerations that were made in its design process.

“ The Story of the New Microsoft.com ,” Nishant Kothary Kothary shares his insight into making Microsoft’s new website. Also, check out Trent Walton’s perspective on the redesign .

“Behind the Scenes of the New Kippt,” Gannon Burgett This interview about the work behind the new Kippt app covers the redesign process, the design principles and problems that the team faced, insights into the new era of web app design, and where Kippt will head in the future.

“ Crayola: Free the ‘What If’ ,” Daniel Mall Dan Mall has put together a case study of the creation of the new Crayola application for kids.

“Campus Quad iPhone App,” Soft Facade Soft Facade covers every aspects of the design process behind its Campus Quad app.

“How to Make a Vesper: Design,” Vesper Learn how the Vesper app was designed and made.

“ Betting on a Fully Responsive Web Application ,” 14islands Read about how 14islands took the web app for Kambi, a sports-betting service, to the next level.

“AMMO Rack App Design Critique,” Alexander Komarov An interesting study of the feedback process that improved the AMMO Rack app.

“ Walking Through the Design Process ,” Ian Storm Taylor Taylor walks you through the design process of Segment.io, including the progression of mockups in Photoshop.

“ Music Video ‘Lights’: The Latest WebGL Sensation ,” Carlos Ulloa Interactive studio HelloEnjoy built a mind-blowing 3-D music video for Ellie Goulding’s song “Lights.” Creative director Carlos Ulloa explains why the team chose WebGL and how it created various immersive graphic effects.

“Designing for Designers,” Kyle Meyer Designing for other designers is different than working for regular clients. Kyle Meyer shares his experience.

“ Adapting to a Responsive Design ,” Matt Gibson Cyber-Duck abandoned its separate mobile website and created a new responsive design.

“ Grids, Flexibility and Responsiveness ,” Laura Kalbag Kalbag shares her thoughts on the redesign of her own website, including her choice of typefaces.

“ Making of Typespiration ,” Rafal Tomal Rafal Tomal built Typespiration as a side project. Learn about the process from initial idea to finished WordPress website.

“ Case Studies ,” Fi Design firm Fi has integrated case studies into its portfolio. The studies are very interactive and beautifully designed. Here are four of them:

• “Is This The Future of The Airline Website?”
• “The Story of Ramayana: Brought to Life by Google Chrome”
• “Sony: Connected World”
• “USAToday.com: Redesigning One of America’s Most Popular News Sites”

Content And Storytelling

“ Step-By-Step Landing Page Copywriting ,” Nathan Barry The process of writing great copy for a landing page is covered step by step.

“ The Art Of Storytelling Around An App ,” John Casey This case study is about the art of storytelling in the app “The House That Went on Strike.”

“Rethinking the Case Study,” Christopher Butler Butler explains what case studies are for and what a great one looks like, and he lays out a practical plan for writing one.

“ Retiring The Portfolio Screenshot ,” James Young You’ve probably noticed that portfolios nowadays are packed with detailed analysis, rather than screenshots. Take yours to the next level and learn how to create an amazing portfolio (such as the ones featured in this post).

“Responsibly Leveraging Advanced Web Features,” Ryan Heap Heap tells us about his full responsive redesign of Travois, a consulting firm focused on housing and economic development. The study includes topics such as progressive enhancement, responsive and responsible Web design, SVG, and the HTML5 History API.

“ My Notes on Writing an E-Book ,” Jonathan Snook Several people have suggested that 2013 is the year of self-publishing. Jonathan Snook shares his process of writing and digital publishing.

Technical Challenges And Solutions

“ Beating Borders: The Bane of Responsive Layout ,” Joshua Johnson Responsive design often requires setting widths in percentages. This is easy enough, until borders are thrown into the mix.

“ How We Improved Page Speed by Cleaning CSS, HTML and Images ,” Lara Swanson Page-loading time is a big part of the user experience. Dyn shows how it improved it simply by cleaning up the CSS, HTML and images.

“ Mein Honig – Brand Identity ,” Thomas Lichtblau “My Honey makes people and bees happy. And if they are happy, nature is happy too.” This simple yet beautiful statement belongs to Mein Honig (My Honey), a personal project of Thomas Lichtblau from Austria. Thomas shares fascinating insights about a production, banding and packaging process in which he only used colorless, organic and traditional tools and materials.

“Front-End Performance Case Study: GitHub,” JP Castro Castro analyzes the front-end performance of GitHub and shares his findings.

“ iPad to Windows Store App ,” Bart Claeys and Qixing Zheng This case study helps designers and developers who are familiar with iOS to reimagine their apps using design principles for Windows Store apps. Translate common UI and UX patterns found in iPad apps to Windows 8 apps.

“ Behind the Scenes of Mad Manimation ,” Anthony Calzadilla Here is the process behing the Mad Manimation, an HTML- and CSS-based animation of the introduction to the Mad Men TV show.

“ Embedding Canvas and SVG Charts in Emails ,” Thomas Fuchs Learn how to use embedded canvas and SVG charts in email.

“ Scaling Pinterest From 0 to 10s of Billions of Page Views a Month in Two Years ,” Todd Hoff This case study traces the evolution of Pinterest’s architecture, which was scaling fast, with a lot of incorrect choices made along the way

“ How We Built a Photoshop Extension With HTML, CSS and JS ,” Brian Reavis Creative Market’s extension is a Backbone.js Web app that lives inside of Photoshop. The team can update it without the user having to install an update. How does that work? Read up on it!

“ Batch Processing Millions and Millions of Images ,” Mike Brittain Etsy wanted to redesign a few of its major sections and had to rescale over 135 million images in order to do it.

“ Making 100,000 Stars ,” Michael Chang Chang writes about 100,000 Stars, an experience for Chrome that was built with Three.js and CSS3D.

“ Mastering the Application Cache Manifest for Offline Web Apps and Performance ,” Julien Nicault Nicault, who work on Cinémur, a new social film app, describes how to use AppCache to improve performance and enable offline usage of Web apps

“ Harvey: A Second Face for Your JavaScript ,” Joschka Kintscher Responsive design often requires drastic UI changes. This study shows how to execute parts of your JavaScript depending on the device’s type and screen size.

“ Our First Node.js App: Backbone on the Client and Server ,” Spike Brehm The team at Airbnb has been curious about Node.js for a long time, but used it only for odds and ends. See how they used it on a production-scale project.

“ Making a 60fps Mobile App ,” Paul Lewis Paul Lewis shows you how to make a mobile app that has 60fps at all times, does one thing really well, has offline support and a flat UI.

“ The Making of the Interactive Treehouse Ad ,” Chris Coyier Treehouse is the primary sponsor of CSS-Tricks, and this case study looks at its interactive ad using jQuery.

“ Improve Mobile Support With Server-Side-Enhanced Responsive Design ,” Jon Arne Sæterås This is an analysis of the process of finding the right mix between server-side and client-side logic for adaptive Web design.

“Designing an Instant Interface,” Luke Wroblewski Wroblewski shows how to design the instant interface used for the real-time views, real-time notifications and real-time comments on Bagcheck’s website.

“ Lessons in Website Security Anti-Patterns by Tesco ,” Troy Hunt Hunt looks closely at the many simple security errors Tesco makes, analyzing how he would apply basic security principles to remedy them.

“ Refactoring >14,000 Lines of CSS Into Sass ,” Eugene Fedorenko Beanstalk is a mature product whose CSS grew accordingly to 5 files, 14,211 lines and 290 KB of code. Learn how the team rebuilt its style sheets into something cleaner and easier to maintain.

“Refinder: Test-Driven Development,” Maciej Pasternacki These slides show how test-driven development enabled Gnowsis to reimplement Refinder’s basic data model.

“Managing JavaScript on Responsive Websites,” Jeremy Fields Jeremy Fields of Viget talks about how to manage JavaScript on a website whose interface and functionality changes at different breakpoints.

“ Trimming the Fat ,” Paul Robert Lloyd Lloyd walks through the performance optimizations he made for his website, trimming the page load from 383 to 100 KB. He also shows graphs.

Workflow And Optimization

“ Visual Design Explorations ,” Paul Lloyd Lloyd of Clearleft talks about how to maintain knowledge-sharing and collaboration on a growing team.

“ The Anatomy of an Experience Map ,” Chris Risdon Experience maps are becoming increasingly useful for gaining insight in order to orchestrate service touch points over time and space. This study explains what they are and how to create them.

“The design process of my infographic for the ‘Tour of France’ for Grinta!,” Veerle Pieters Pieters designed an infographic about the Tour of France, and focused mainly on the question, “What does a pro cycling team take with them to the Tour of France?”

“ Turning Small Projects Into Big Profit ,” Jon Savage and Simon Birky Hartmann Ace of Spade discusses how it overhauled its operations and started making a living off of small projects.

“What We’ve Learned About Responsive Design,” Christopher Butler Butler shares what his agency has learned about responsive design, which is to overcome initial fears and focus on what is important.

“The Modular Canvas: A Pragmatic Workflow for Designing Applications,” by Gabriel O’Flaherty-Chan There are some gaps in the way we work; the bigger the project, the more glaring the gaps become. O’Flaherty-Chan looks at a better workflow for designing apps.

“ How We Reduced Our Cancellation Rate by 87.5% ,” Kareem Mayan Kareem Mayan tackles the issue of user cancellations by using a cohort analysis. Learn how he did it.

“ How I Run a Membership Site ,” Justin Tadlock This study looks at how Theme Hybrid handles memberships after registration and payment.

“Post-Implementation, Pre-Launch: A Crucial Checkpoint,” Mindy Wagner Wagner of Viget discusses how to approach the time of post-implementation and pre-launch, a crucial checkpoint that can create a lot of stress for a team.

“ A New Make Mantra: A Statement of Design Intent ,” Mark Boulton Mark Boulton used the CERN redesign project as an occasion to define a new “make” mantra that would help him tackle projects. This single, actionable sentence would guide him through projects.

“ 100 Conversion Optimization Case Studies ,” KISSmetrics Lots of techniques and tactics to optimize your website for better conversions shared by marketers.

Responsive Design

“ Responsive Design and ROI: Observations From the Coalface ,” Chris Berridge Working on the frontline, Berridge share his insights on responsive design and returns on investment.

“ Making Your Site Responsive: Mastering Real-World Constraints ,” Alex Fedorov Listen to how agency Fresh Tilled Soil addressed real-world constraints, such as resources, time and budget, in its responsive design process.

“ Goals, Constraints, and Concept in a Redesign ,” Steven Bradley Some thoughts on the redesign of Vanseo Design.

“ How a Simple Redesign Increased Customer Feedback by 65% ,” James Santilli Customer feedback is the backbone of many Web services. Campaign Monitor analyzed the process behind a simple redesign that increased customer feedback by 65%.

“ More on Apples: Mobile Optimization in Ecommerce ,” Electric Pulp This study analyzes how both mobile and non-mobile conversions went up when Electric Pulp redesigned a website to be responsive.

“How I’m Implementing Responsive Web Design,” Jeff Croft Croft is finally at the point where responsive design feels worth the extra effort. Read about how he got there.

“ Mentoring: The Evaluation ,” Laura Kalbag Freelancers are often offered projects whose budget is below their rate. Laura Kalbag had a fantastic idea on how to transform these kind of projects into a win-win: She decided to mentor a group of students. Such a project would give the students an opportunity to gain valuable experience and help them transition into freelancing, and the client would get good quality work, despite the modest budget. This series of posts describes her experience, from initial idea to launched project.

Further Reading

• Showcase of Case Studies in Design Portfolios
• 15 Impressive Case Studies from Behance
• Improving Smashing Magazine’s Performance: A Case Study
• Powerful Workflow Tips, Tools And Tricks For Web Designers

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How to Write a Web Design Case Study that Lands New Clients

Case studies are narratives that reveal what you are capable of as a designer. They allow you to walk prospective clients through the contextual details of your existing project work so you can outline your creative strategy from conception to completion. They are the perfect tool for boosting the quality of proposals and adding credibility to your portfolio website.

One of the toughest challenges designers face when pitching prospective clients is winning over their trust and confidence. If your prospective clients haven’t worked with you in the past,  they’ll likely have hesitations about handing over their hard-earned cash to a stranger. To win their confidence (and close the deal!), you’ll need to take some extra steps to reassure them that your design work will not only be a success aesthetically, but that it will also help them achieve their business objectives.

One of the greatest tools in a designer’s arsenal for overcoming this unique obstacle is the case study.

Case studies are narratives that reveal what you are capable of as a designer. They allow you to walk prospective clients through the contextual details of your existing project work, including your design brief ,  prototyping , and final product, so you can outline your creative strategy from conception to completion (learn more about rapid prototyping , and take a look at some great prototyping tools to help with this process). They are the perfect tool for boosting the quality of proposals, building your web design portfolio , and adding credibility to your portfolio website . 

The best case studies move beyond intuition-based explanations and document the rationale behind the design, UX, and visual decisions. They offer a more humanized perspective into the design process that, ultimately, makes a business case for your work. This leaves you in a better position to prove your value (and price) to even the most skeptical client. 

You might also like: How to Create a Compelling Web Design Portfolio

First things first: Plan for your case study ahead of time

Before we take a deep dive into the kind of content that makes a great case study, I want to stress the importance of creating a case study for each project you work on.

While this may seem like a lot of extra work, you can facilitate the writing process by taking the time to proactively think about how you will document your projects and their successes before you begin working. That way, you’re guaranteed to end the project with strong documentation that reflects your thinking, iterations, and key results as accurately as possible.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the five core elements that should be included in any case study.

You might also like: The Ultimate Guide to Finding Web Design Clients .

The 5 core elements of a web design case study

1. the overview.

Think of your Overview section as the executive summary of your case study. It’s the Cole’s Notes version of the document, and allows your prospects to quickly understand the highlights of your past work without reading the entire thing. This section should include the core takeaways from all other sections including the main problem, an overview of the solution, and key results.

While the Overview will be your least detailed part of the case study, it is probably your most important. Only the most meticulous clients will take the time to read through your entire case study; the majority of them will just quickly skim through in order get the gist. Because of this, drafting a complete and well-articulated overview should be your top priority.

An overview section can be as simple as this example by Work & Co .

Pro Tip: Write your Overview section once the rest of your case study is finished. That way you can simply scan over the main points of each section and summarize them into a one or two paragraph synopsis.

2. The Context and Challenge

The second section of your case study — commonly referred to as the Context and the Challenge —  is designed to provide your prospective client with a detailed description of the context that led to the creation of the project. If it’s well-written, the reader will leave with a solid understanding of the environmental factors and problems that you were hired to solve as a designer.

This section can be distilled into three main elements:

1. Project background and description — The contextual information for the project including timelines, budgetary constraints, and the overarching purpose of the job.

2. The problem — The “why?” and the focal point for the project. Your case study needs to clearly explain the problem that led to the onset of the project. For example, if you were working on an ecommerce project then your problem could be something similar to:

“Interest for company X’s core product was growing internationally at an unprecedented scale. This led to severe logistical and distribution problems that could not be fixed by physical retail solutions alone.”

3. Project goals and objectives — Every website you work on should have tangible goals and objectives associated with the project’s problem. Are you trying to drive more traffic to the site overall? Optimize product pages for lower bounce rate or higher conversions? Reduce cart abandon rates? No matter what your objectives are, try your best to include any quantifiable metrics that were known at the onset of the project.

A simple, yet descriptive, “challenge” in Super Top Secret’s case study

Pro Tip: The core elements of The Challenge are often presented to you in the project Request for Proposal or creative brief. If you are working on a more personal level with your client, however, try capturing this information in conversation. This will become the basis of your brief and, eventually, your case study too.

3. The Process and Insight

The purpose of this section is to elaborate on your design process, creative concept, and insight that led to your design decisions. It’s also an opportunity for you to walk your prospective client through the research, workflow, and iterations of your design work.

When writing content for this section, you want to illustrate how you got from The Challenge to The Solution. Make sure the flow of information is logical and that it culminates with a core insight about your client’s audience, business, or industry. These insights can stem from your client’s unique selling properties and key differentiators, or from their audience’s behavioural and consumption habits.

To ensure your reader conclusively arrives at these insights as well, you’re going to need to thoroughly document your research. Include any details about A/B tests , user research interviews, and key brainstorming takeaways that led you to uncover those crucial pieces of information.

A simple version of a “process section” from nurun’s case study

Pro Tip: Finding a core truth about your client’s audience can be one of the toughest challenges as a designer. If you’re lucky, your client might already have substantial research about their customers. Use their knowledge and this research to help you craft an insight. Otherwise, try employing tactics like A/B testing and user research to help guide your design decisions.

4. The Solution

The Solution is where you get to show off your skill and style as a designer. It’s your chance to feature any and all samples of your work — from videos, landing pages, custom integrations, and anything else you created for the project.

To really get the most from this section, be sure to include written descriptions about your design work. Take the time to explain in detail your site’s defining features like its UX, navigation structure, content strategy, or unique mobile attributes. If you put the effort into crafting descriptions that complement your visual assets, your readers will feel much more confident in your decisions as a designer.

A sample highlighting animated design elements from This Also’s case study

Pro Tip: Remember, the medium is the message. Don’t limit yourself to screenshots alone. Incorporate interactive elements - animations, video, transitions, or anything else - that accurately represent your design work to really wow your prospects.

5. The Results

For most business owners, it’s all about the numbers. That’s why this section is crucial for an effectively written case study.

The Results section will cover the qualitative and quantitative success metrics from your project (and if you've tested your product, such as with a contextual inquiry , you should have great metrics to share!). While the type of metrics you report on can vary from one project to another, they should directly address the objectives you established in The Context and Challenge section. Having these results in hand will allow you to show your prospects that your work had a direct influence on your client meeting their goals. If you can do this, you’ll help them feel more comfortable putting their business (and their money) into your hands.

In addition to, or in lieu of, quantifiable metrics, consider including one to three testimonials in this section. These testimonials are another great tactic for boosting the confidence of your prospects. Since the source of these reviews come from outside your business, prospects are more likely to trust them as a reputable reference. When including your testimonials, however, keep them short and sweet. They can be as simple as one or two sentences, so long as they illustrate your previous client’s satisfaction with your work.

A nice mix of qualitative and quantitative results from Simon Pan’s case study

Pro Tip: Be sure to collect testimonials from your clients near the tail-end of your project. Ask them to speak about your process, creative thinking, and the quality of the final product. Just make sure you get their approval to publish them!

5 examples of creative web design case studies

Although case studies should include a lot of important and somewhat formulaic information, they are still an expression of your unique personality and style. This means you have all the liberty in the world to get creative with their format and presentation. To give you some inspiration, here are five examples of creative web design case studies that we loved reading.

Aerolab — Xapo

Fantasy Interactive — Airlines Project

Michael Evensen — Soundcloud App

Robin Noguier — Allocine

Super Top Secret — University of Oregon

Do you have any case studies that you’re proud of? Share them in the comments below.

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Secrets to Powerful Web Design Case Studies

Share this article

If you don’t know about the power of case studies yet, pay close attention; they are about to become your best friend.

For the most part, case studies are a mainstay of nearly every industry. Companies of all types use case studies to show the world how they helped solve a problem or issue for one specific client.

Remember back in school when the teacher wanted you to show your work? A case study works on the same principle. Some clients want to get a “peek behind the curtain,” and see the processes involved in your work.

They want to see not only how the finished product looks, but also the entire process from start to finish.

• How did you take a client’s problem and develop a solution?
• How long did it take, and what was involved along the way?
• What was your thought process, and what did you do in order to solve a client’s problem or achieve their goals?

These are some of the questions that are typically answered in case studies, and they provide a lot of insight for clients.

Case studies can also take many forms, and may not even be called case studies at all. For example, my website thedeependdesign.com refers to them as “Success Stories.” You can tailor your own phrase, creating something that’s engaging and works for you.

Regardless of titles, a case study tells the story of how you helped one specific client. This is important, because if a future client can identify with a past client – their problem, their goal, whatever it may be – they can see how you might help them in a similar way.

Strangely, very few freelancers seem to use case studies, while larger companies – especially in creative industries – are using them quite extensively. This is a real missed opportunity, but if you stop and think about it, this is great news for you.

If you are one of the only ones in your market to utilize case studies for your business, you can really stand out from the crowd. This will make you and your business that much more attractive to potential clients if you are one of the few people on board with using this technique.

By their nature, case studies also show that you understand and have experience in solving problems. They help show clients that you can take a unique situation, problem, or goal and create a process to help your client get exactly what they want.

Part 1: How to Craft a Compelling Web Design Case Study

Choose your subjects carefully..

The first step toward a great case study is choosing the right subject. If you have the luxury of a lot of past clients to choose from, it’s probably wise to choose an “everyman” client that the majority of your future clients can identify with. Someone that people can understand who has a problem or goal that a lot of other businesses share.

Choosing a client from an obscure or complicated industry that will require lots of explanation will make it more difficult for potential clients to relate. If people can’t relate to your case studies, they’re unlikely to be able to see you solving their problems.

Consumer-facing clients such as restaurants, retail shops or hotels often have easily recognizable goals and make for excellent case studies.

Also, keep in mind your target client base when picking your subject. Make sure you choose a candidate that will appeal to the types of clients you want to attract.

For example, if you happen to be successful in producing web design for the construction industry, try to stick to that area for your case study, or you run the risk of not relating to your bread-and-butter clients.

Being able to identify with the client in the case study is critical because we want the reader to be able to easily project themselves into the client’s shoes. You want them to read it, sit back and think ‘ He did a great job for that guy, and I have similar issues. I bet he could help me too .’

However, if you’re newish business you may not have a long client list and so you won’t be able to be as picky. But that’s okay – everyone starts somewhere, and as you gain more clients, you can write more and more case studies and get pickier as time progresses.

If you happen to be brand new, with no past clients to write a case study on, you can write a case study in real time. This can actually be a good thing, as you’ll be able to write the case study on a client you’re currently helping, and all the details will be fresh in your mind.

Get Writing!

Now that you have your client picked out, it’s time to start crafting. Remember, you want to tell a story from start to finish. Beginning with when your client first came to you:

• What was the problem or goal that drove them to you in the first place
• What did they need you to solve?
• Did they need a logo designed, a press release written, or a brand new website designed?

Talk about any and all prerequisites that came with the project. For instance, a client may come to you wanting a website that can be easily updatable by their own staff, they want to bring in the colors and theme of their existing logo, or be able to collect email addresses.

These prerequisites all amount to limitations on your creativity. This is an excellent thing to show, as it tells future clients that you can operate within the boundaries of what your clients ask for.

You should also include other unspoken considerations that you took into account during the process. This could include industry-standard features that you happened to uncover in your research.

A good example of this would be if a new restaurant wanted you to build a website for them, and you found out during your research phase that most restaurants are using a service called “OpenTable” to take online reservations.

Talk about:

• All elements that were required.
• All elements the client specifically requested.
• Things that you found out on your own.

Include how you took all these things into account as you came up with a solution for the final product. Explain your thought process behind your decisions and show how your decisions influenced and benefited the project and the client.

Quantify whenever you can.

Always include real, accurate numbers whenever you can. It’s one thing to say “ My web design contributed to the construction firm’s success.’ , but it’s much better to say ‘The website I designed for XYZ client gets 10,000 unique visitors a month, with 10% of them converted into sales leads.”

These are quantifiable statistics that future clients can read and easily understand. Visitors don’t have to wonder what it actually means, or think about your statements in an abstract way – it’s real world data that is easily interpreted.

They want to know that if they hire you for a project, that you’ll get them results. And real results are measured in numbers, not in warm fuzzy feelings.

Part 2: How to Present Your Case Studies

One you’ve determined the content for an effective case study, it’s time to focus on the presentation. People aren’t looking to read a 400-page novel about your past clients, so it’s important to present case studies in an easily digestible way and will make people want to read them.

First and foremost, you want to make sure your case studies are formatted correctly for the web, and specifically, for your website. Think about some of the blogs and other websites that present a large amount of information – most of them do an excellent job of being able to present it in such a way that’s easy to navigate and read. They do this by breaking up the content into bite-sized chunks.

Break it Up.

Breaking up paragraphs is an easy way to start. It looks much nicer to the reader’s eye, and it’s easier to read than just one giant wall of text. Too much text looks intimidating, and quite frankly like a chore to read.

Breaking it up into paragraphs makes it look much more accessible, and potential clients can jump around to see which paragraphs interest them the most if they don’t feel like reading the entire page.

Use headers.

Also, use headings and subheadings where appropriate. These allow you to break up your content even further, and also enhance a reader’s ability to scan and find exactly what interests them. For the most part, people aren’t usually going to read the entire case study. People’s reading habits online are actually pretty lazy – so most people are just going to scan the content and read what appeals to them specifically.

Do you have information is your case study that could be formatted as a list? Lists and bullet points are an effective way to make content easy to consume.

Bullet points are particularly well-suited for listing the specific requirements of the project, features you implemented, or statistics about how the project benefitted your client.

Use images.

Always use images wherever you can – show the different stages of the projects alongside your content if at all possible. Anytime you can show rather than tell, it’s a good thing.

If you can show your projects in as many stages as possible, do so. For instance, if you worked on a logo, you might want to show screenshots of your beginning sketches.

Then move on to how you began looking for various colors, show images of the color schemes you may have plugged into your design. Again, case studies are all about telling the story of a project, so do this with images whenever possible.

Speaking of images, ask your client if you can use a picture of them. After all, it’s promoting them and their business too.

The simple addition of a client photograph immediately makes them more “real” to other potential clients. If people can see who you’re talking about, it makes the entire case study more relatable and personable.

Part 3: Position Your Case Studies for Maximum Impact

You know how supermarkets place gum, candy, soda and magazines right at the register? It’s no accident. They know that once you are there, these small, innocuous, low-priced items will seem like a perfectly reasonable add-on to what you are already purchasing. It’s just one last “push” to make an extra sale.

Well, case studies can work in a similar way to your portfolio website.

Since you have gone to all the time and trouble writing a compelling case study and presenting it in an effective way, you’ll want to put it in the best position possible on your portfolio site. As with everything else on your website, location makes a big difference. So where’s the best location for your case studies?

Location 1: A Dedicated Page

The first and most obvious location is on a dedicated “case studies” page, to be included in the main navigation. Clicking the navigation should bring visitors to the main page that will contain all of your case studies.

Even if you start with just one, it can still be a powerful tool. You can then add to them at your own pace as you start building up more and more clients.

On the page itself, you can lay them out however you like, though the layout will often depend on how many case studies you have to work with.

If you have several, you might want to have one featured case study on top that would be called out as such. The featured case study can have a lot of the information on the main page. This is where bullet points or number lists come in handy. Adding an image or two, and an overview of the case study with points that are covered can help draw people in. A link to “read more” allows people to view the entire case study if they want.

Other case studies can be arranged as thumbnails underneath the featured one, where a person can quickly scan the visual images and click on one that appeals to them. A quick link below each thumbnail, perhaps with the client and project name allows a person to click deeper and learn more.

If you are just starting out and have only one case study, you may want to use the same format but put all the information on the main page instead of a call-to-action to learn more. You can write something like “More coming soon” at the bottom of the page, and add more as you accumulate them.

You can make your case studies even more effective by strategically sprinkling them around other areas of the site as well, with links back to the main case studies page. Adding them to other pages can act almost like an “impulse buy” item at a supermarket as I mentioned before; Just that something extra to entice a visitor who might be on the fence about contacting you. So where else would it make sense for you to add studies to your site?

Location 2: On the Sidebar

One effective area is to add studies – or thumbnails of the studies – to the sidebar of your “My Work” page. That way, clients who are looking through your previous work have the option to dig deeper and read a bit more in-depth if they choose to.

And since it’s right there and they’re already looking over your work, most serious clients will click over and, at least, scan the main case studies page.

Location 3: On the Homepage

The homepage is generally the most visited page on a website and yours’ is likely no different. For this reason, it is another great place to put a featured case study. Within the homepage, there are many locations you could add a featured case study.

If you use a large slider, why not design a slide that calls out your featured case study? You can include a great image of the finished project, a simple headline, and a link to click and read the whole story.

Or perhaps you could put several of them a little lower on the page, either side-by-side thumbnails, or you could even design a mini-slider that rotates 3 or 4 case studies, with links of course.

The possibilities are virtually endless. Just be creative and position your case studies in areas of your site where it makes sense, especially in areas that it can enhance the page’s content. Adding them as a call-to-action or “impulse buy” helps add credibility to your site and gets people to stay on your site longer.

Frequently Asked Questions about Powerful Web Design Case Studies

What makes a web design case study powerful.

A powerful web design case study is one that effectively demonstrates the designer’s skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. It should clearly outline the project’s objectives, the challenges faced, the solutions implemented, and the results achieved. High-quality visuals, such as screenshots and mockups, are also crucial to help readers visualize the design process and the final product. A compelling narrative that tells the story of the project from start to finish can also make a case study more engaging and memorable.

How can I write a compelling narrative for my web design case study?

Writing a compelling narrative for your web design case study involves telling a story that engages your audience. Start by setting the scene with a brief introduction to the project, including the client, the project’s objectives, and the challenges faced. Then, describe the design process in detail, explaining the decisions you made and why. Finally, present the results achieved and reflect on what you learned from the project. Use clear, concise language and avoid jargon to make your case study accessible to a wide audience.

What kind of visuals should I include in my web design case study?

Visuals are a crucial part of any web design case study. They help readers visualize the design process and the final product. Include screenshots of the website at different stages of the design process, mockups, wireframes, and other design documents. You can also include images of the team working on the project or other behind-the-scenes photos. Make sure all visuals are high-quality and clearly labeled.

How can I showcase my problem-solving skills in my web design case study?

Showcasing your problem-solving skills in your web design case study involves clearly outlining the challenges you faced during the project and explaining how you overcame them. Describe the solutions you implemented, why you chose them, and how they contributed to the project’s success. Use specific examples and provide evidence to support your claims, such as before-and-after screenshots or testimonials from the client.

How can I make my web design case study more engaging?

Making your web design case study more engaging involves using a variety of techniques to keep your audience’s attention. Use a compelling narrative to tell the story of the project, include high-quality visuals to illustrate your points, and use clear, concise language to make your case study easy to read. You can also include interactive elements, such as videos or interactive prototypes, to make your case study more dynamic and engaging.

How can I demonstrate the results achieved in my web design case study?

Demonstrating the results achieved in your web design case study involves providing concrete evidence of the project’s success. This could include metrics such as increased website traffic, improved conversion rates, or positive feedback from the client. Include before-and-after comparisons to show the impact of your design changes, and use testimonials or quotes from the client to provide third-party validation of your work.

How can I reflect on what I learned from the project in my web design case study?

Reflecting on what you learned from the project in your web design case study involves taking a step back and considering the bigger picture. Discuss what went well, what didn’t, and what you would do differently next time. This shows your ability to learn from your experiences and continuously improve your skills and processes. It also provides valuable insights for other designers who may be facing similar challenges.

How can I make my web design case study accessible to a wide audience?

Making your web design case study accessible to a wide audience involves using clear, concise language and avoiding jargon. Explain any technical terms or concepts that your audience may not be familiar with. Also, consider the design of your case study itself. Use a clean, easy-to-read layout, high-contrast colors, and large, legible fonts. Include alt text for images and captions for videos to make your case study accessible to people with visual impairments.

How can I use my web design case study to attract potential clients?

Your web design case study can be a powerful tool for attracting potential clients. It showcases your skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities, and provides concrete evidence of your ability to deliver successful projects. Make sure your case study is easy to find on your website, and consider sharing it on social media or in your email newsletter. Include a call to action at the end of your case study, inviting potential clients to get in touch with you for more information.

How often should I update my web design case studies?

Updating your web design case studies regularly is important to keep them relevant and showcase your most recent work. Consider updating your case studies every time you complete a significant project, or at least once a year. This shows potential clients that you are active and continuously improving your skills and processes. It also gives you the opportunity to reflect on your work and learn from your experiences.

Wes McDowell is the Principal and Creative Director for The Deep End Design in Chicago. In addition to client work, he has authored several books for freelance designers and co-hosts a popular graphic design podcast called The Deeply Graphic DesignCast .

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19 Examples of Online Case Studies Done Right

Designers generally don’t like writing. After all, creative problem-solving through design uses visual, not verbal tools, right? But, sadly for many, case studies are supposed to contain text, too. This is where a lot of designers and art directors stumble, ending up either with poorly crafted case studies, or no case studies in their portfolio at all. And that’s a huge mistake. Online case studies (because these days, if it’s not online, it’s not there at all) are immensely important as they provide a compact, informative display of not just your skills and expertise, but your professionalism too. A good case study shows that you understand the concept of focus, that you can distinguish between different layers of relevance and also sheds some light on your creative process. As such, case studies are an indispensable hiring tool.

That being said, let’s see how the visually-oriented folks can craft a case study that ticks all the right boxes.

Quick Tips for Designing Perfect Online Case Studies

If you’re in doubt as to where to start with your case studies, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Stay focused . Don’t use case studies as an opportunity to channel your revolutionary ideas, but don’t delve in conventionalities, either. Don’t try to tell everything about the project at once, or at all. Your clients don’t need to know everything you did for a project. But they do need to know the relevant bits.
• Provide a solid structure. Scannable content is the form that works the best, whatever the format. Separate your key information in tidy, well-rounded units. These include, but are not limited to: project target/goal/outcome, background, evaluation, concept, implementation, conclusion.
• Provide essential project information. Viewers need the who, the what and the when.
• Treat the page as a gallery wall. Consider your own portfolio style and create case study pages that are in line with it, but also convey the character and the spirit of the project, too. When displaying visual material, don’t just scatter it around the page – it won’t impress anyone. Try exhibiting it in engaging, interactive frames, add interaction for better immersion, and display the material in their intended environment – various device screens, etc.
• Maintain good measure. You want to dazzle the visitors, not blind them. If your case studies are too cluttered, flashy or visually saturated, they might create an undesired effect. Go for minimalism, but avoid making your pages look poor.

Sure, things like these are sometimes easier said than done. That’s why we prepared a curated selection of the best, most inspiring online case studies we handpicked around the web, hoping to give you some cues and ideas for your own cases. Here’s what we’ll talk about:

Juicebrothers by Lama Lama

Art of swissdent by creative nights, max shkret by zhenya rynzhuk, mercado by loer architecten, self scenter by ultranoir, fontshare by wemakefab, more & more nespresso by playful, bian 2016 by baillat studio, prada employees online store by niccolò miranda, ortovivo by k95, obys agency typography principles, komuso design by tubik, the 92 group by humana studio, dreamhaus by wørks studio, topline by parsons branding, weekend by hello today, posted by fuge, decathlon app by fuego camina conmigo, unstuck by violet office.

If you read our piece on creative page transitions , you probably remember Lama Lama , a creative digital agency from Amsterdam, and their Juicebrothers project. The case study for the project (the organic, cold-pressed juice brand from Netherlands) is presented in a combination of playfulness and youth typical of Lama Lama, and a high level of professionalism, also typical of the agency . The main visual motif is the beautiful deep green color that communicates health and vitality, featured extensively in layouts for the Juicebrothers website. Small white typography conveys just the right amount of information about the project and allows the imagery to take center stage. The case study page opens with a sort of split screen between bits of text on the left and a vertical image gallery to the right, and then proceeds with larger image and video sections displaying selected bits of visual content for the brand. All the while, we also get to play with the cursor effect – an oversized, pixelized snake trail that follows the mouse movements.

Creative Nights is a UX design consultancy and creative studio headquartered in Prague, with an impressive roster of international projects. One of these projects is the website for the renowned dental products brand, Swissdent. Art of Swissdent is designed as a crossover between an eCommerce website and an online presentation of the brand. The case study , available at the agency’s website in their Works section, follows the style and the look of the agency’s branding and design, and the selected imagery from the project is given in beautiful frame sections with round edges. The entire page is perfectly balanced in terms of atmosphere, colors and dynamics , and makes the displayed work appear as an integral part of the agency’s own aesthetics, even if that may not necessarily be the case. The page ends with three fun, oversized buttons that the visitors can use to share their impressions with the agency.

Zhenya Rynzhuk is an architect-turned-art director with a solid industry experience and quite a few awards under her belt. Her website, which has received accolades for overall design as well as for mobile excellence, features some innovative design solutions, plenty of interactivity and just the right amount of brutalist details to keep things exciting in a minimalist environment . The Work section features several case studies for the projects Zhenya is most proud of, including art direction and interface design for Max Shkret , an award-winning digital artist creating 3D digital models. After an airy, minimalist and monochromatic section introducing the project, the page proceeds with a scroll-animated gallery of select project imagery. The images of Shkret’s digital models of animals (for which he hopes to raise enough money to turn into actual physical objects) are presented in successive full-width sections, each with a background that matches the object chromatically), resulting in an interesting, exciting stroll through Shrek’s imaginary world . This layout also adds a welcome touch of color to Zhenya’s generally monochromatic ambient.

Loer Architecten is a Dutch architecture studio with a beautiful, airy, dynamic website based on full-screen imagery, interactivity and interesting navigational solutions. The Projects section includes an interactive links list from which we get to navigate to the projects that interest us. We picked the Mercado project , which has the goal of transforming an abandoned backalley in the center of Groeningen into a thriving commercial and urban hub. Just as it would be expected from an architecture studio, the case study is clean and precise, opening with the most essential information , such as status and location. It is the page layout, however, that gives it a welcome kick and saves it from being plain and dull . The project name is displayed in vertical letters to avoid occupying precious space on the page. Thin straight and curved interface lines give it dynamicity, and so do animations in individual pieces of visual content, as well as animated scrolling effects. There isn’t a single full-width or full-screen image in this case study which, combined with ample use of negative space, gives it a very clean, breathable character.

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Commissioned by Comme des Garcons to create an interactive digital experience helping customers discover their fragrances, the French digital agency Ultranoir came up with Self Scenter , a Web GL-based reinvention of the brand’s Fragrance Finder so that it dynamically creates user-specific shapes. The case study shares some of the immersiveness of the project, especially in the hero section with a video and a large title. The case study, however, assumes a cleaner, more informative and practical character later on the page, sharing some of the visual pieces that best convey the atmosphere of the project – videos and select imagery. And the project is truly stunning, too – a beautiful dark interface with a somewhat mysterious character is graced by superbly designed elements with utmost attention to detail and aesthetic coherence. These dark visuals are contrasted by a light background, complete with the cursor shaped like a dot that changes from black to white and vice versa, depending on the surface it hovers upon.

Wemakefab is an old acquaintance from our exploration of the power of interactive links in web design , and today we want to take a look at the case study for the project they developed for the online font aggregator Fontshare. As we get to learn from the case study, the project involved complete visual rebranding, interface design and even the logo redesign. And we have to say, this is a proper case study here, the one that ticks all the boxes as to how a case study should be done and what it should include . Each element of the project is listed and illustrated in a logical, sequential manner, on a clean, high-contrast black and white page. It starts with the project blurb, and then moves to font cards, internal pages, mobile view, the palette and select details. All visuals are given in a manner that follows the principles of usability and clean design – they are large (occasionally oversized), clean, carefully arranged, with occasional thin lines, both vertical and horizontal, that sequence off the sections. Several elements give off a spirit of playfulness and humor – like the section that switches from white ot black when hovered upon, oversized typography and the blinking cursor. The case study is stylistically coherent and tight and very well matched to the nature and the purpose of the project.

Playful is a collaborative collective of digital creators specialized in art direction and moving picture campaigns. More & More Nespresso is, by their own admission, one of the most challenging and rewarding projects the agency has worked on. The case study for the project is just as complex and rich as the project itself. It opens with an impressive hero slider introducing some of the textures that played a central role in the project, in a deep, sultry purple. Carefully curated images and videos from the project are skillfully arranged along the page, contrasted with large empty spaces with light backgrounds and text, offering a welcome pause from the visual feast. The color play is particularly striking – the project itself features a delicate interplay between rich, deep burgundys, greens and blues on one hand, and fine, elegant pastels on the other. The same interplay is repeated in the case study, and the elegant, sophisticated character of the project is underlined by the use of the lovely Antiga typeface throughout the page. The page features a director’s cut video, which is the centerpiece of the project, but doesn’t take over the case study, as it is after all exactly that – a case study in which the agency explains the creative process and pinpoints main visual cues and motifs.

You may remember the Baillat Studio from our piece on inspiring menu design , in which we praised the studio’s modern, interactive fullscreen menu. Today we’re going to check out the Project section of the website, specifically the case study for the 2016 edition of BIAN (the International Digital Art Biennale). The visual identity for the festival was based on black and red, a color combination that creates a lovely contrast with the page’s light gray background and black interface typography. A short text about the target and the main identity elements (Swiss style-based aesthetics, right-angle frames, repetition, lines and precision) follows the opening hero section with a full-width visual from the project. After this introductory section, we get to explore the visuals from the project, presented in the form of photography, video and images of project material in real life, in its designated ambience. The agency, therefore, decided to let the images speak for themselves, without excessive explanations and textual narratives . And it was a good call, too – the page is compact and informative, just what a case study should be.

Here’s a designer we love to feature in our articles – we’ve written about Niccolò Miranda in our pieces on poster-inspired web design and on great examples of footer design , to name a few. This time around, let’s take a look at how this talented Italian designer and developer with a penchant for illustration decided to present his featured works on his website, using the case study for Prada Employees Online Store as an example. The first thing we notice is that the project pages are completely in line with the overall style of Miranda’s portfolio. By that we mean the paper-like texture, the torn paper effect, the columns and sections resembling newspaper layouts, and, of course, illustrations . The page opens with a hero section that holds a lovely illustration from the project he did for Prada (an online store that sells the brand’s previous collections). We then move on to a section explaining what it was that Miranda was commissioned to do, and sections explaining how he did it. What’s interesting (in addition to the distinct and idiosyncratic style) is that the imagery from the project is presented not in the main page content, but instead in a sidebar that opens to the right when we click on the appropriate icon . The page also features a big oval button that leads to the project’s live site, and that’s about it. It is basically more of a project blurb page than a case study per se, but considering its unique style and Miranda’s amazing talent, we figured it deserved a mention here as well.

K95 is a design, branding and communications agency from Catania, Sicily. They work with mostly Italian clients but have a few international names on their roster as well. Their website features a neat list of projects in the form of an interactive link carousel, each link leading to the appropriate case study. Today we’re going to check out the one for Ortovivo , a Sicilian organic food production company. Each project is neatly divided into sections that include description, target, branding and packaging , linked in the header (from which we can also turn off the case study and return to the homepage). The layout is airy and clean, with plenty of empty space around each piece of visual content, and a large circular animated button inviting us to scroll to explore the project. Sections with empty space are combined with full-width interactive ones, moving and expanding as we scroll. It is a dynamic, modern and skillfully designed page that unites good UX, usability and efficiency with modern design practices that speak volumes of the agency’s expertise and taste.

Obys Agency is a creative design agency from Ukraine with a focus on UX/UI design, animation, graphic design and development. Their website is a modern, streamlined and fluid display of their works, principles, accolades and much more. As an agency that flaunts a serious approach to everything they do, Obys wanted to share some of their ethos and the artistic and design principles they follow in their work, and that’s why they created a standalone website on Typography Principles , while the main website has a page that serves as a case study for it. The site includes three sections explaining how the agency uses fonts, how it combines them and what rules it follows when it comes to typography. The page follows the white on black aesthetic line of the rest of the website, with sections that roll up or down revealing underlying content. Navigation is particularly interesting here, as we get to explore the visual content through scrolling, clicking on oversized interactive buttons, and play videos. Numbered sections and diagonal arrows hint to physical navigation signals (like traffic or airport ones), and the part of the study that deals with animation is presented in a separate unit. The website itself is rather impressive and the case study does an excellent job at conveying its complexity and elegance, both design-wise and in terms of UX.

Tubik Studio is a full-stack digital service agency with a focus on UX and UI design. Their website offers a rather no-frills (but nevertheless striking) display of services and works the studio is most proud of, with a gallery of images leading to specific projects. The page for Komuso Design project, for instance, offers an informative and hands-on overview of the project. It opens with an intro hero image, followed by brief project info presented in a simple, readable form, with comfortable black Gilroy typography on a white background. The visual content is presented in the form of videos on a lovely marble-like background, combined with screenshots from the project arranged on a beautifully combined palette of pastels. A particularly well-designed section is the boxed split slider gallery that offers a dynamic and convenient way of displaying several instances of content without cluttering the page or making it too long. The study ends with the visual system: a color scheme with HEX codes, some representative samples of typography and the mobile layout. The entire page bears an airy, pleasant character, perfectly aligned with the client’s brand and product (a wellness tool designed to help people relax through breathing).

Humana Studio is a Portuguese agency that helps build brands with a social and environmental impact. They were commissioned by the 92 Group, a design studio that challenges traditions in media and entertainment through irreverence, unconventionality and youth. Obviously, this was an excellent fit as the Humana Studio has a distinctly disruptive approach. The case study for the 92 Group brand identity and communication strategy partly follows the same disruptive principles – especially in terms of visual communication – but also some more conventional ones, specifically when it comes to UX. The visual content is saturated, loud and bold , with strong, deep colors on a black background, but the way it is arranged on the page guarantees proper navigation, readability and ease of consumption . The sections are topped with a subtle zoom-in effect and a yellow round cursor that shrinks and expands and the text is short and to the point. The study is brief but concentrated, informative and practical, coherent in character and atmosphere.

WØRKS Studio is a New York-based consultancy specializing in creative direction, strategy and design. Their main website is an exciting showcase of both the agency ethos and their projects, and is marked by a distinct cinematic approach, with a lot of information and content being handed in form of immersive fullscreen videos and animated sequences. The DreamHaus project is presented as an animated study of the pillar design elements used for the project – with the main focus on typography and the palette . The fullscreen hero section opens with a large animated logo of the project, proceeds with a palette of beautiful pastels, with names and hex codes, and ends with a sequence that showcases the typography used for the project, and the main layout style, as well as textures. The visitor can scroll to learn more about the project and its goal, as well as the main guidelines that the agency followed in the creative direction of this project. The images related to the project, or the products of the direction, if you will, are presented with animation effects that feature a brief flash of yellow, which is the agency’s signature color, thus providing a continuity between the project and its creator and, of course, reinforcing the agency’s own branding.

Our most frequent readers might remember Parsons Branding from our piece on inspiring creative agencies and designers , in which we praised the agency’s beautiful UI design and interesting navigation solutions. Today, we want to check out one of their case studies, specifically the one for Topline , the South African tool manufacturer. The case studies all feature unique page navigation – the left portion of the screen contains a numbered section with jump links to specific parts of the case study : Overview, Identity, Packaging and so on, and of course we can simply scroll down and explore the entire study in its intended order. The background is in the agency’s signature green and gray, with a very subtle paper-like texture, giving the entire interface a lifelike quality. The left side, the one with the table of contents, remains static as we scroll, assuring easy navigation and orientation on the page, which is, in itself, quite rich in content, both visual and textual. Certain sections are given in horizontal scroll sliders, so we get an impression that the page expands in all directions. This is an extremely well thought-out case study, brimful of information for those interested in exploring the project in great detail, but at the same time simple and informative for those looking to just skim the content.

The Japanese Hello Today did a quite complete agency work for the home appliance manufacturer Weekend, from strategic planning and branding to graphic design, web design, photo and art direction and even copywriting. The Weekend case study on the agency website is a modern, elegantly dark showcase of everything the agency did, from the first steps to the completion of the project. Discrete white typography on a black background introduces basic project information and brand philosophy, both in English and in Japanese, before we scroll down to visuals. These are presented in a typically Japanese, dignified manner, gently floating on the black background, creating a beautiful contrast and a strange sense of calm . Thin, subtle interface lines provide some framework for the visual content and communicate rather successfully with the overall aesthetics of the website – minimalist and stripped-down.

Fuge is a Moscow-based design agency delivering UI, branding and digital solutions. The agency website is minimalist, in a very reduced palette, with small typography and on-lover grid patterns, resulting in a modern, serious look. This character is repeated throughout the website, including the individual case pages. Our favorite one is the case study for Posted , a design magazine for which the agency did branding, as well as UX and UI services and animations. The case page starts rather minimalistically, with a large image on a light background and just a few bits of text. As we scroll, more and more pieces of content appear on screen, in an interactive and rather fluid way . The case study is divided into sections – logo and elements, desktop and mobile versions of the magazine website. Each image can be expanded in a popup, with smooth and modern transitions, giving the page a dynamic and modern look. This atmosphere is reinforced by a modern, minimalist palette reduced to grayscale, black and red, which is the Posted brand palette. The images (or rather previews) are alternately arranged on the page, creating a lovely balance, and the entire composition appears to be held in place by the grid lines that appear as we hover over certain areas.

Decathlon has long planned a redesign and a relaunch of its app for the Spanish market but the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to those plans for a while. As soon as the pandemic loosened, the sports goods company reached out to the Barcelona-based, Twin Peaks-named agency Fuego Camina Conmigo (Fire Walk with Me) for a range of services from digital strategy, art direction and concept, to copy, audiovisual content and social ads. The Decathlon App case study is available at the agency website, and it’s one of the most successful, detailed and complete studies we’ve seen in a while . it ticks all the boxes in terms of what a case study should contain – the context, the target, the implementation, and so on, but it does so in a way that is by no means dry or technical. The agency achieved this by skillfully alternating light and readable text sections with fullscreen sections with the visual material from the app , which can be viewed either as images or clicked to play a video. All the while, the agency maintains its own visual identity, present in typography, layout styles and elements such as the round cursor, buttons and icons.

Here’s a project that is as noble as it is well-carried out. Unstuck by Violet Office is an effort started by the CEO of Chobani and several other stakeholders with the goal of helping refugees find full-time jobs in partner companies and their supply chains. Chobani was the first to join the project, of course, and it was soon followed by other major brands like Ben & Jerry and Dole. Violet Office did the branding, web design and development, as well as social media. The branding part is perhaps the most impressive – the agency created a logo and wordmark that can easily fit any brand partner’s logo , and the first part of the case study focuses on that particular effort, complete with rich visuals proving the efficiency of the design . It then proceeds with an analysis of the Unstuck visual system (colors, patterns, typography), and ends with examples of brand activations, complete with the launch video. The high-contrast visuals are displayed full-width, either in galleries or individually, which creates an immersive effect on the visitor, who ends up being completely drawn into the narrative of this commendable project.

Wrapping It Up

As we saw from the examples we visited today, while a good case study may not necessarily have to strictly adhere to a formulaic structure, it’s still a good idea to give it some structure and to conceptualize it in a way that communicates clearly and directly with the viewer. And since the viewers are also potential clients, it’s needless to stress how important this is.

We’ve seen some “proper” case studies with neatly divided sections and a tight structure repeated throughout each study. We’ve also seen some more “relaxed” ones, and some that perhaps don’t really qualify as case studies in the strictest terms but that due to their quality and supreme design elements deserve a mention.

Hopefully we managed to inspire you by showing a variety of styles and methodologies you can follow in creating your own case studies. Feel free to share with us your own favorites or, even better, your own work!

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Blenz needed a fresh new website to reflect their updated branding, and to help customers more easily find their way to online orders, app downloads, and perks.

Axis Insurance

Axis Insurance needed an all-new website to support a huge rebrand. The goal was to launch a visually powerful site that would significantly improve usability, navigation, and showcasing their specialized expertise.

Our website redesign helped SISU’s visitors quickly and easily find where to buy their products, while showcasing their wellness blog as a resource.

A new web design with vastly improved structure and navigation help BC Dairy’s different audiences discover their array of tasty content.

Travel & Tourism

Tourism cowichan.

Tourism Cowichan needed a new website to get visitors excited about all this earthy, welcoming region has to offer. This project required a strong architecture with emphasis on featured and related content, for easy browsing and content discovery.

Maple Leaf Adventures

Maple Leaf Adventures needed a fresh website to improve their ecotourism storytelling, and to help their affluent audience more easily search and discover all of the exciting experiences that await.

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Professional services.

MISIM needed a brand new website to showcase their complex offering and vast experience – and they also needed cohesive brand strategy to make their digital presence stand out.

CRAFT Beer Market

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Pacific Public Health Foundation

PPHF’s resource and campaign content had become difficult to navigate. They needed a full website redesign to improve site architecture and content discoverability – and on a short timeline.

Taylor Ryan

Taylor Ryan is experiencing rapid growth, and their old website was lagging behind. They needed a full redesign to deepen their service content for SEO, while making the site easier to update as their locations and teams expand.

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Pacific spirit dental.

Pacific Spirit Dental had recently merged two practices, and were adding a new business-within-the-business. They needed a single website that could serve two distinct patient audiences, while clearly communicating the available services to each.

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Highline forming.

Highline Forming needed a polished, professional new website with significantly deeper content to help them stand out in a highly competitive industry and region.

This new website was focused on helping SHARE capture their rebrand, expand their offering, and make their content more conversational.

Tourism Prince Rupert

This redesign helped Tourism Prince Rupert earn significantly more search traffic and engagement, while making it easier for their team to manage their ever-evolving content

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Sandstorm gold royalties.

Sandstorm Gold needed a complete redesign to increase investor appeal. We designed and built multiple new custom features to give the site engaging movement, and help drive content discovery.

Outward Bound Training Academy

Outward Bound’s outdoor training academy had grown too big for their main website, and needed a home of its own. We designed an all-new website to showcase their programs and courses.

Research & Education

MIRA’s high volume of resources had outgrown their old site. They needed a full redesign to drastically reorganize all that content around multiple newly clarified audiences – while meeting high accessibility standards. 

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Backpack buddies.

Backpack Buddies needed a full redesign to help their organization raise awareness, and to significantly improve their visual storytelling to create that emotional connection needed to drive donations.

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Bc burn fund.

The BC Burn Fund had a heavily outdated website that was difficult to use, and failed to capture their important programs and services. They needed a massive redesign to help drive awareness, attract donors, and support campaigns – starting with proper brand guidelines.

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PCRS needed a redesign to make their website much easier to search and browse, to help make their critical services more accessible to vulnerable communities with limited online access.

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Lgm financial services.

LGM needed a website redesign to showcase their new products and services, and bring their rebrand to life. Our project helped them drive traffic, boost engagement, and speed up their site.

We designed an all-new website for BRIA to launch their new virtual mental healthcare service for women and start building their patient list.

This brand new web design helped Nexii double their search traffic and content views, and drastically increase website visits from their U.S. audience.

Under the Same Sun

Under the Same Sun needed a fresh website that could better convey their impact and tell their story, to help drive awareness and – ultimately – donations.

Our website redesign helped RCBC organize their massive volume of important resource content for multiple competing audiences, while making it easier for their team to keep content up-to-date.

Versamet Royalties

Versamet Royalties needed a brand new website to launch their company into the market, and immediately begin to attract investors. It had to be uncomplicated yet highly professional.

Circular Materials

This huge website redesign project required organizing a vast amount of content for multiple audiences into an efficient architecture, building a highly usable backend, enabling tailored user experiences by location, and supporting two languages – all on a tight turnaround.

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Lindome structures.

Lindome needed a major website redesign to properly showcase their product library and accessories, to help facilitate lead generation and conversions. We went with a bold, visual design to showcase real life applications of their structures.

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Delta-q technologies.

We crafted a new web design for Delta-Q to help them showcase their innovative solutions and capabilities, and deepen their company storytelling, while drastically improving visitor engagement.

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Horizon copper.

Horizon Copper needed a spacious new website to showcase their brand, while making it easier for investors and the public to find critical information about their asset portfolio.

Kitimat Bound

Our brand new website for Kitimat Bound helped capture the region’s breathtaking natural beauty and entice travellers, as evidenced by the rapid climb in search traffic and engagement each month since launch.

Canada’s Placemaking Community

The all-new website we designed for CHCI’s Placemaking Community find its audience, so the organization can share resources and showcase community projects to make others want to get involved.

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Yvr art foundation.

The clean, welcoming new website we designed for the YVR Art Foundation helped them double their traffic and on-page engagement, significantly increasing their reach about opportunities and exhibits.

Western Stevedoring

We crafted a new website structure and design for Western Group and its two divisions. The new sites are straightforward for their customers to use, while broadening their company story.

Equinox Gold

A clean, uncluttered design helped Equinox Gold showcase investor information about their mining portfolio, and while keeping the public informed about their responsible practices.

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Surrey hospitals foundation.

Our total website redesign for Surrey Hospitals Foundation helped them showcase their rebrand, deepen content about their community impact, and drastically increase website traffic and conversions.

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Summ foods.

The new website we designed for SUMM! Foods helped them better tell their heartwarming brand story, and to achieve huge improvements in their website engagement.

Able & Howe

Our design project for Able & Howe was focused on helping them reposition their brand, deepen their content, and highlight their unique business approach.

BuilderWorks

Our fresh web design helped BuilderWorks achieve impressive page speeds and a high conversion rate right after launch.

Smart, Savvy + Associates

We crafted a new website to help Smart, Savvy capture their recent rebrand, and to create a more usable experience for their two distinct audiences.

CHBA BC Education

We built a brand-new website for CHBC BC to house their high volume of educational content, driving significantly more organic search content within a few months after launch.

This redesign helped Vivreau dramatically increase search traffic and engagement, while showcasing their product offering and environmental impact.

Braintrust Group

We redesigned Braintrust Group’s website to create a more welcoming, motivating user experience that would improve their conversion rate – and it worked.

We redesigned MRS Lumber’s website to create a much more usable product catalogue, drive more traffic, and to improve sales.

TreeFree Sourcing

Tree Free Sourcing had a tiny website, so we crafted a new design that would help them deepen their content, showcase their B2B offering, and drive sales.

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Four points insurance.

Four Points Insurance needed to move their commercial offering to its own domain. We designed a new website that earned huge traffic, engagement, and page speeds right after launch. 

Miracon Development

Our ongoing partnership with Miracon resulted in not only a fresh website for their business, but also several sub-sites for their new developments and  massive monthly leaps in traffic and conversions.

This redesign project was about helping Stanscott distinguish their product portfolio from the parent company, and highlight opportunities for potential clients in the Caribbean and beyond.

ISS Language and Career College

As part of our ongoing partnership with ISSofBC, we redesigned the website for their Language & Career College to create a welcoming experience with clear paths to their many language programs and services.

Centre for Brain Health

The UBC Centre for Brain Health creates a massive amount of important content, and it was our job to help them organize it into a well-structured new website.

A Better Life

A Better Life Foundation needed a website redesign so they could better communicate their meaningful work, create community connections, and drive their digital campaigns.

Beacon Group

The new website we designed for Beacon Group involved a total brand reinvention and improved content strategy to showcases their unique approach to consulting

Fraser Valley Conservancy

We crafted a new website for Fraser Valley Conservancy to help them tell their story, clearly convey their impact, and better engage with potential donors.

Spur Communication

Spur Communication had grown way beyond their one-page website, and hired us for a redesign that included deeper content and a custom Shopify theme for an all-new digital downloads store

BC Non-Profit Housing Association

We redesigned the website for the BC Non-Profit Housing Association help make their valuable resources much more easily discoverable, while aligning with a recent rebrand.

Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes

Our website redesign helped CHÉOS boost search traffic and engagement, and drastically improve the organization of their critical health research content.

Naturally:Wood

The new Naturally:Wood website was a huge challenge that we enjoyed: folding two large, resource-heavy sites into one usable structure and rebranded design.

Forestry Innovation Investment

The new website we crafted for Forestry Innovation Initiative helped them significantly improve their page speeds, engagement, and traffic – but most importantly, it made it easier for their team to manage their content.

DeMello Spirituality Center

We redesigned the DeMello’s Spirituality Center’s website to refresh the user experience, and to improve content discoverability.

Avg. Conversion Rate

Northwest bc recruitment.

This project was a joint venture for several communities that needed an engaging and interactive website experience to showcase jobs and regional attractions in Northwest BC.

Search Traffic

The CTN needed a new website to help their underserved audiences access vital resources and information. Our design helped them increase search traffic and engagement, too.

North Vancouver Chamber

This fresh web design helped the North Vancouver Chamber achieve a huge increase in conversion rate, as well as improved on-site engagement.

Marion Scott Gallery

Marion Scott Gallery has showcased contemporary art from Northern Canada since 1975.

One World Education

One World Education helps learners of all ages develop critical thinking and writing skills.

Semios tasked us with a full website redesign for their global expansion, to facilitate improved navigation and deeper content about their expanding capabilities.

Barbican Property Management

Barbican Property Management needed a new website to improve their content and search capabilities for potential tenants browsing hundreds of residential and commercial properties.

BBS Pro needed our help to drastically improve the usability of their technical product catalogue, while increasing traffic, engagement, and page speeds

Conversions

Envisio came to us looking for a a total website overhaul to reflect their visual rebrand. At the same time, they wanted to improve their storytelling, SEO, and conversions.

Binnie’s website redesign was about reflecting their rebrand, deepening their content, and demonstrating their impressive experience and capabilities to both customers and potential recruits.

Adrenaline Tattoo Studios

We crafted a highly visual website for Adrenaline Studios, improving their storytelling content while increasing their search traffic and engagement.

Archetype Glass

Archetype hired us to create a polished new web design to match their premiere products, plus a complex product catalogue and tiered content filtering.

The new website we built for PHS helped them better convey their vital community services for donors – and drove a massive conversion rate increase.

Faster Loads

Bright health.

This redesign was a fun challenge involving a complete rebrand and name change, deepening content while reducing clutter,  and creating micro-sites for products. The new site more than doubled their organic search traffic.

Kenorah’s website redesign was all about better showcasing their breathtaking dream-home projects through a more visual experience, while amplifying their intimate process to help potential clients fully envision the smooth work and results.

RDH Building Science

RDH tasked us with a full website redesign to migrate three sites into one interface, while keeping the content from three blogs  and their services clean and usable for distinct audiences.

Repeat Visitors

Quantum matter institute.

We were thrilled to help the Quantum Matter Institute with a complete redesign of their content structure and site design, to organize a vast volume of content into a usable experience.

One Coffee hired us for a website redesign to reflect their products’ new look, and to deepen their content for improved SEO. We also helped them significantly boost page speeds.

We designed an all-new, strategic website to help Herstasis™hit the market running, raise awareness, attract investors, and build an audience ready to use their product.

Host Defense

Host Defense needed an all-new website to launch their brand in Canada, with a shoppable product catalogue and ample educational resources for existing and potential customers.

Secure IT Systems approached us about a redesign to create a deeper website experience that accurately showcases their capabilities, and feels as professional as their customer care.

CooperTree Analytics

CopperTree needed a fresh web design and structure to make their high volume of technical information easier to digest, while building out stronger areas for their trust and credibility content.

Softlanding

Softlanding’s website redesign was all about improving their complex user experience, especially navigation. At the same time, we improved their conversion rate, engagement, and site speed.

The new website we crafted for Botanica was focused on helping users find content quickly and effortlessly, and communicating their dedication and commitment to wellness while boosting SEO, conversion rate, and mobile performance.

Neighbourhood Small Grants

Neighbourhood Small Grants needed a total website redesign to deliver more customized multilingual audience experiences, and to capture their exciting rebrand.

The Dakeryn group of companies needed a fresh website to add more depth to their content, flesh out their product directory, and build up their sustainability storytelling.

The Sound came to use for a full revamp of their user experience, needing more content for SEO, improved content discovery, and a much stronger and easier-to-manage CMS.

Equinox Gallery

We crafted a new website for Equinox Gallery to recreate the in-person experience through clean, minimal design and new areas for content discovery and virtual viewings.

Longer Mobile Visits

Population Health Research Institute needed a full website redesign to help make their huge volume of critical research content much easier to search and explore.

Tourism New Westminster

Tourism New Westminster serves both tourists and residents, so they needed a total redesign to make all of their local content more visually appealing and browsable to help drive business.

Inclusion BC

Inclusion BC tasked us with designing a highly usable and welcoming new website to help their audience find critical resources and opportunities.

BluEarth Renewables

The fresh website we built for BluEarth Renewables boasts an exceptionally strong information architecture and navigation, with clear paths to key content for each of their many diverse audiences.

Tourism Langley

Tourism Langley wanted a custom web design focused on rich photography, with a powerful user experience tailored to helping people quickly find events, guides, and local tips to get them excited about the township.

Stella Custom Glass Hardware

Stella Custom Glass Hardware needed their new website to be rooted in a quick, intuitive mobile experience, to help their B2B audience find parts and specs while working on job sites.

The Nature Trust of BC

The Nature Trust of British Columbia needed a new web design to better tell their brand story and the value of their work, to help drive conversions.

First Nations Summit

The First Nations Summit needed a brand new website to make information, tools, and resources about the BC treaty process more accessible.

Our years-long partnership with ISSofBC has included two full redesigns of their main site, as well as building separate sites for their services and programs.

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11 Inspiring UX Case Studies That Every Designer Should Study

A UX case study is a sort of detailed overview of a designer's work. They are often part of a UX designer's portfolio and showcase the designer's skill in managing tasks and problems. From a recruiter's perspective, such a UX portfolio shows the skill, insights, knowledge, and talent of the designer.

Therefore, UX case studies play an important role in the recruitment and demand for designers.

What Makes a Powerful Case Study

Building a UX case study includes showing the design process through compelling stories. They will use plain language to demonstrate how they handled key design issues, offering a comprehensive view of their process. Well done case studies often include:

• A  problem statement and solutions with real applications.
• Relevant numbers, data, or testimonials to demonstrate the work and efforts.
• A story that directly connects the problem to the solution.

Any competent UX professional will know that creating a stunning UX case study is about the little details.

11 Best UX Case Studies for Designers

The best way to understand what a good case study looks like is to go over other examples. Each of these UX case study examples shows a designer's insights, basic skills, and other designers' lessons learned through their experience.

1. Promo.com web editor

For this video-creation platform , UX designer Sascha was brought on to revamp v2.0, adding new features that could work alongside the existing UX design. The point was to work on interface details that would help create a user friendly platform, and that users could find simple enough to use.

User personas mapped by the UX designer revealed the most common confusion to be the process of inserting particular features into the video, such as subtitles. The designer's goal, therefore, was to create a platform with improved editor controls.

The designer then used a common text-editor layout to include top and side navigation bars that made it easy to access and implement text editing.

Key Learnings from Promo.com

This case study focuses on addressing a particular problem that customers were currently facing. Its main theme is to show a problem, and how the product designer addressed this problem. Its strength points include:

• clearly highlighting the problem (i.e. inaccessible and limited video-text editor options)
• conduction research to understand the nature of the problem and the kind of solutions customers want
• implementing research insights into the redesign to create a platform that actively served customer needs

2. Productivity tracker app

The main concept behind this UX case study is to address a pre-existing problem through the design of the app. Immediately from the start, the study highlights a common pain point among users: that of a lack of productivity due to device usage.

This UX case study example addressed some of the main problems within existing productivity apps included:a poor UI and UX that made navigation difficult

• a poorly-built information architecture
• limited functions on the mobile application

Key Learnings from the Productivity app case study

The case study highlights the simple design process that was then used to build the app. Wireframes were created, a moldboard developed, and finally, individual pages of the app were designed in line with the initial goals.

3. Postmates Unlimited

This case study clearly identifies the improvements made to the Postmates app in a simple overview before jumping into greater detail. The redesign goal, which it achieved, was to improve the experience and other interface details of the app.

The problems identified included:

• usability that led to high support ticket volume.
• technical app infrastructure issues that prevented scalability.
• lack of efficient product management, such as batching orders.

A UX research course can help understand the kind of research needed for a case study. The app redesign involved bringing couriers in and running usability testing on improvements. The final model, therefore, had input from real users on what worked and what caused issues.

Key Learnings from Postmates

The Postmates redesign works as a great UX case study for the simple way it approaches problem-solving. Following an overview of the work, it addresses the problems faced by users of the app. It then establishes research processes and highlights how changes were made to reduce these issues.

4. TV Guide

Addressing the fragmentation of content across channels, this case study sought to redesign how people consume media. The key problems identified included:

• the overabundance of content across various TV and streaming platforms
• the difficulty in discovering and managing content across all platforms

To deliver on the key goals of content personalization, smart recommendations, and offering cross-platform content search, the design process included conducting interviews, surveys, and checking customer reviews.

The design of TV Guide enables users to get custom recommendations sourced from friends' and family's watchlists.

Key Learnings from TV Guide

Like previous UX design case studies, this one tackled the issue head-on. Describing the research process, it goes into detail regarding the approach used by the UX designers to create the app. It takes readers on a journey, from identifying pain points, to testing solutions, and implementing the final version.

5. The FlexBox Inspector

Designer Victoria discusses how she developed the investigator tool for the Mozilla Firefox browser. Surveys into understanding the problems with the existing CSS Flexbox tool revealed a need for a user-friendly design. Interviews with a senior designer and other designers helped developers understand the features design-focused tools ought to have. A feature analysis revealed what most users look for in such tools.

The final result of the development process was a design that incorporated several new features, including:

• a new layout
• color-coded design
• multiple entry points to make workflow management efficient

Key Learnings from the Flexbox

This UX design case study starts with a clear goal, then addresses multiple user needs. It clearly defines the design process behind each feature developed by the time, and the reasoning for including that feature. To give a complete picture, it also discusses why certain features or processes were excluded.

6. The Current State of Checkouts

This Baymard UX design case study looks into the checkout process in over 70 e-commerce websites. Through competitive analysis, it isolates problem points in the UX design, which, if addressed, could improve the customer's checkout process.

The study found at least 31 common issues that were easily preventable. The study was designed and conducted on a large scale, over 12 years, to incorporate changing design patterns into the review.

Recommendations based on findings include:

• prominent guest checkout option
• simple password requirements
• specific delivery period
• price comparison tool for shipping vs store pickup

Key Learnings from Checkout Case Study

Each identified issue is backed up by data and research to highlight its importance. Further research backs up each recommendation made within the case study, with usability testing to support the idea. As far as UX case studies go, this one provides practical insight into an existing, widely used e-commerce feature, and offers practical solutions.

7. New York Times App

Using a creative illustration website, the designers proposed a landing page feature "Timely" that could counter the problems faced by the NYT app . Its major issues included too much irrelevant content, low usage, and undesirable coverage of content.

The goal behind Timely was to improve user incentives, build long-term loyalty, and encourage reading. Design mapping for the app covered:

• identifying the problem
• understanding audience needs
• creating wireframes
• designing and prototyping

The end result was an app that could help readers get notifications regarding news of interest at convenient moments (at breakfast, before bed). This encouraged interaction and improved readability with short-form articles.

Key Learnings from NYT App

The UX case study proposes a problem solution that works with an existing information architecture, instead adding custom graphics to the mobile app. It leads from a simple problem statement to discuss the project that could address these issues without changing was customers already loved.

UX case studies focused on redesign include the FitBit redesign, which started off by understanding personas and what users expect from a fitness tracker. Developing use cases and personas, Guerilla usability testing was employed to assess pain points.

These pain points were then ranked based on their importance to users and to app performance. They were addressed through:

• Highlighting essential parts and features of the app
• Changing easily missed icons to more recognizable icons
• relabelling tracking options to guide users better to its usage

Key Learnings from Fitbit

While the case study maps user experiences and offers solutions, it does not begin with an intensive research-based approach. The prototype is successful in testing, but problem factors are not identified with research-based statistics, meaning key factors could have been ignored.

9. Rating System UX

The designer behind the rating system UX redesign sought to solve issues with the 5-star rating system. Highlighted issues included:

• the lack of subjective accuracy of a 5-point rating system
• the issue of calculating the average of a zero-star rating
• average ratings are misleading

Better alternatives include:

• 5-star emoticon rating that relates the user experience
• Like/dislike buttons that make approval/disapproval simple

The final design incorporated both these styles to make full use of the rating system.

Key Learnings from Rating System UX

The UX case study stemmed from insight into the limitations of the existing rating system. The new design addressed old issues and incorporated better efficiencies.

The Intuit redesign was focused on making content readable, more engaging, and accessible. Looking into product personalization, the content was found to be lacking aesthetic value, as well as being hard to find. The goal was to create content that was easy to find, clear, and consistent.

The implemented solutions included:

• increased readability with increased body text and header spacing
• table of contents on the sidebar for easier navigation
• visible and prominent search bar
• illustrations and designs for pretty visuals

Key Learnings from Intuit

The Intuit case study approaches the problem from a practical point of view. It begins with isolating problems with the interface, in particular with the content. This is an example of a case study that breaks down problems into broader categories, and solves each problem with a practical solution.

This UX case study about a social platform tackles a commonly-faced problem from existing platforms. It addresses the issue of recognizing non-monetary user engagement, to help creators identify their user base.

The case study addresses the problem statement and establishes the design process (building wireframes and prototypes) as well as conducting user testing. The final result is to develop "Discover" pages, engaging layouts, and animated interactions to increase usability.

Key Learnings from Jambb

The study goes into detail regarding problem identification, then moves on to propose solutions that take into account the perspective of all stakeholders involved. It then explains why each design decision was made, and proves its efficacy through testing and prototyping.

Key Takeaways

Developing good UX case studies examples is as much about the details you include as the ones you leave out. Going over UX courses can give you a better understanding of what your case study should look like. A good case study should provide an overview of the problem, include numbers and statistics, and offer practical solutions that directly address the problem. The above-discussed UX case studies provide a good example of the dos and don'ts of a well-structured UX design case study that should be part of every UX portfolio .

Additional Resources

Check out these resources to learn more about UX case studies:

8 UX Case Studies to Read

UX Design Case Study

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10 Amazing Case Study Design Examples

March 16, 2023

Words by Jeff Cardello

Wondering how to grow your business? Our favorite case study design examples will definitely spark a few lightbulb moments.

For agencies, one of the most effective ways to communicate your technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and professional knowledge is to show how you’ve put this all into action in real-world examples of your work. For SaaS companies, case studies are your chance to share how your product provides value to successful customers and clients.

Case study designs should be as uniquely bold and creative as the services or products you offer. This is where no-code tools like Vev are invaluable. Using pre-coded design components, interactive case studies are easy to build and publish in as little as two hours. Let’s take a look at the basics of case study design and some stunning examples.

Why is Case Study Design Important?

Think of case studies as the chance to tell stories about how valuable your service or product is. It’s an opportunity to lead prospective clients and customers through a relatable use case, culminating in how you can help them meet— or even exceed—their goals. Case studies give freelancers and agencies the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, and SaaS companies the chance to showcase their product for various use cases. Case studies are proof of the value of your work or product.

As a reflection of your expertise and creative prowess, you’ll want to think careful about your case study design. Good design doesn’t only make for a visually engaging piece of content; it enhances the functionality and can help support your authority. You’ll find that the best case study design examples will have a few things in common:

• They are visually captivating . All good case study designs will include a combination of photo, video, and illustrations or charts to tell a story of their clients’ success. Rather than just relying on text, these visual aids back-up any claims being made as well as visually capturing the attention of readers.
• They are laser focused. With case study design, there’s no room for filler. Copy is clear and concise, offering explanations about the customer’s goals, as well as the tools, techniques, and skills used to achieve these. You’ll notice most case studies follow a fool-proof structure: establish the client problem, present the solution, explore the benefits and value delivered.
• They tell a story. Often, a chronology of the work process that takes people through what happened at each stage. Some case studies even use horizontal scrolling timelines to showcase this in a more imaginative way.
• They hammer home ROI. case studies are full of data on how the project or product succeeded in meeting the client’s goals or objectives. From animated charts to number counters , this is another opportunity to make sure your design pops and draws attention to the core impact of your service or product.
• They drive action. good case studies urge website visitors to take further actions, such as book a call or demo, get in touch, purchase your product, or book your services. These are usually included in the case study design as a button , brightly colored and prominent placed to grab attention and make next steps clear.

10 Case Study Design Examples

There are so many ways to put together a case study — and as a reflection of your brand, you’ll want to get creative with it. We’re going to take you through several case study design examples that manage to capture what went on behind the scenes in ways that is both informative and visually engaging.

Vev - Decimal

Giving real-world examples of how people use your products is a great way to demonstrate their value. We put together this case study on how Decimal uses Vev for interactive prototyping. As a creative agency that utilizes 3D animations and video in their web projects, it’s essential that clients grasp how complex interactivity will work up front. This case study focuses on how important Vev is for Decimal to explore and communicate interactivity internally and with clients in the early stages of a project.

Along with telling the story about how Decimal uses Vev, we also included plenty of action-packed visuals in the form of screen captures, animations, horizontal scrolling, and micro-interactions that make this a lively and engaging case study design.

DFY - Galaxy Z7 FLIP3 5G

Writing a case study lets you go in-depth into the strategy and reasoning that guided your work. In this case study DFY talks about what went into creating a website for the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G phone. It covers the marketing goals and the decisions DFY made for the visuals of this design that would show people why they should buy it.

DFY was tasked with creating a design that showed that the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G wasn’t a throwback to the clunky days of flip phones, but rather a sleek and modern reimagining. Much of this case study goes into the visuals and 360-view animations they created and how they were used to highlight this product’s main features. 

What’s impressive isn’t just the beautiful visuals they created for the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G website, but this case study itself. It echoes the same creative approach with a space full of brilliant effects and interactivity making it one of the most visually compelling case study design examples we’ve come across.

Publicis Norway - Burger King Spicy Whopper

Case study design examples can range from huge and expansive reads covering every bit of minutiae about a project, or they may provide just enough context and background in understanding what was behind it.

The Norwegian arm of international media and tech agency Publicis specializes in PR, marketing, and video production. This case study they made in Vev for the Burger King Spicy Whopper succeeds with minimal text, taking a highly visual approach. They let the video they made speak for itself, demonstrating to potential clients their creative skills with a video that captures the burger’s heat in a way that’s offbeat and ridiculous in just the right ways.

Orizon - LoveTheSales 

When discussing something like a rebrand, you want to explain why it was necessary, show what needed to be changed, and demonstrate how it succeeded. In this case study Orizon gives plenty of background into why the e-commerce website LoveTheSales wanted to change things up. There are numerous examples throughout of problem areas in terms of UI and UX, and what Orizon did to address these issues.

Orizon’s rebranding for LoveTheSales met its objectives, as demonstrated throughout this case study with metrics as well as quantitative insights showing the positive outcomes of Orizon’s work. With fade-in animations and a custom cursor, this colorful case study design example keeps readers scrolling to the end.

Colin Reitz - Marine Data Platform

If you’re a designer, writer, programmer, or in another type of creative field, having a portfolio website is essential in getting your work out there in front of prospective clients and employers. Case studies can be a big part of demonstrating your talents, skills, and knowledge. 

Colin Reitz is a designer with a multidisciplinary skill set that touches UI and UX design, strategy, and technology. In this case study made in Vev, he explains how he created the Marine Data Platform which is a collaborative and interactive web app that collects data gathered from oceanic sensors.

If it sounds like there are a dizzying number of moving parts to this application, you would be right, but Colin doesn’t let the complexities of this project get in the way. With an easy to follow layout and screenshots of the work he completed, it’s immediately easy to see how much work Colin put into the project. The use of image carousels even keeps the page short and relevant visuals grouped together. We love seeing case study design examples like Colin’s that distill a large amount of information in a way that is easy to understand and looks good.

Miracle Next - Prehistoric Chef

We love seeing case study design examples that not only highlight talents and expertise, but capture the creative sensibilities of those behind them. Miracle Next is a game development studio with a focus on 3D modeling. This case study for the game Prehistoric Chef has a nice balance between visuals that demonstrate their skills as artists, as well as text that gives a glimpse into their creative process.

Whether it’s the cast of prehistoric characters or the different types of food you’ll juggle in preparing the dishes that are a part of the gameplay, all of the artwork has a sense of consistency and personality. The rough drawings of the artwork are also a nice touch, showing how they transformed simple renderings into fully fleshed-out three-dimensional characters.

Dragonfly - Natural History Museum

Dragonfly worked with the National History Museum in producing a fun animated short about bugs aimed at kids. This case study showcases the storyboards, illustrations, character designs, and scriptwriting that went into creating it.

Case study design examples like this one aren’t only important in communicating the steps you took in completing a project, but serve an important marketing role. This case study shines due to its navigation. While it could be complicated in some instances to have multiple CTAs, Dragonfly makes sure that each section showcases a service they offer, linking readers directly from that section to the service they are most interested in. When you offer so much, this is a smart way to capture all prospective clients and make it easy for them to learn more about what they want to know, rather than overwhelming them with irrelevant information.

OH Partners - Arizona Lottery

In the advertising industry case studies are essential in showing how an agency’s work helps its clients in meeting their goals. Providing examples from successful marketing campaigns, along with numbers representing their positive results goes far in showing prospective clients the value of what advertising agencies do.

OH Partners , launched a campaign for the Arizona Lottery that went far in building awareness and excitement about it. They hired actor Jon Ennis, known for his work on Better Call Saul and Mr. Show as the bearded old-timey prospector, and produced several hilarious and weird spots.

This case study features images and videos from this marketing campaign, as well as data in the form of big and bold text showing how lottery sales went up, how social media likes increased, the dollar amounts of earned media, as well as numerous awards their work received.

Joy Pepper - Nextdoor

Nextdoor features stylized depictions of people from a diversity of backgrounds that add a sense of warmth and humanity to its website and app. Joy Pepper is the artist responsible for these amazing illustrations, and we love seeing case study design examples like this that go in-depth into the creative process.

Joy Pepper recounts her work in coming up with these illustrations in a case study full of wonderful details and sketches. From finding inspiration in real life, her first drawings, and the concept boards she put together, to the final versions of the icons and other artwork you get a glimpse into every step of her creative process.

Aucadian - GoLoop

It’s no secret that we’re fans of storytelling , and we love seeing case study design examples that take you along a journey from the initial spark of an idea to product launch.

GoLoop is a fleet management app, and this detailed case study begins with scribbles on a whiteboard and ends with screenshots of its sophisticated GPS-based app. From analyzing what problems it should solve and branding ideas to design elements like component libraries, typography style sheets, and color schemes this is a comprehensive look at everything that was involved in building this application.

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Website button design 101: tips, best practices and examples, prototyping in figma to live site: the vev shortcut, create your own compelling case studies with no-code.

Feeling inspired to create your own cutting-edge case study? Vev makes it easy to put one together so that you can broadcast your talents and products with the world. With a host of powerful tools, layout options, immersive effects, and animations all easy to access in Vev’s drag-and-drop interface, creating for the web has never been easier. Publish your creation anywhere when you’re done — including to your existing website.

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