The Thirdi Rebirth

The previous incarnation of Thirdi.com was only a year old when we decided to overhaul it. In that year, Thirdi has grown and evolved substantially. Our capabilities have expanded beyond pure software development to include online marketing, strategy, and SEO. We needed a site that reflected this shift.
 
This process began with a simple question: "What does Thirdi do?". The answer,  however, was far from simple. Sure, we make software, but is that all Thirdi has to offer? We don't think it is. Led by our Creative Director, Rich Rawlyk, we went on a soul-searching journey to find the essence of Thirdi. Software development is only one part of our client's journey. That software also must address a market need, it must tie in with the right partners & services, it must be easy to find, and it must be beautifully designed.
 
Our successes are not defined by the tools we use, or the methods we employ: they are defined by the way that these tools deliver results. That's why you won't find a list of our technical capabilities or product offerings on this site. Sure, we have developers proficient in a half-dozen programming languages, experienced with dozens of pieces of open-source software, and possessing a whole range of degrees and certifications. That isn't important. What matters are the results.
 
We also had to take a hard look at who we were trying to reach with this site. It wasn't enough to create something that made us happy, or that got warm praise from our mothers. We needed a clear idea of who our audience is and what they value. We needed an idea of our ideal customer.
 
Rich is an extremely passionate advocate of Persona based design and branding, so that is the approach that we went with. Persona based branding works by forcing our team to imagine exactly who our ideal customers are. We created in-depth descriptions of four people who we would like to work with. They are fictional characters, but are also quite complete. We know what they do for a living, their education, their lifestyle, values, goals, and preferences in breakfast cereal. We used these Personas to inform the design of the site. Every word, and every page, is meant to satisfy the desires of one of these characters. We may never meet these Personas in person, but having them in mind made the important decisions in this redesign far easier to make. The Personas became a kind of litmus test for new ideas. Who does this idea help, and why do they value it? If an idea didn't fit with one of our Personas, it was swiftly discarded.
 
So, we made some important changes to the structure of the site. Before, the navigation headings were: The Thirdi Vision (which included our story, vision for the future, philosophy, and list of clients), What We Do (which listed our skills and offerings), Behind The Curtain (staff bios), and Friends and Allies (partners).
 
Now, we have simplified this layout. You can see it on this page. Instead of listing our services, we talk about the results they can bring. Instead of displaying a fixed set of principles and processes, we have a collection of changing essays on our 'views' and how they inform the software that we make. Instead of having bios centralized in one boring list, we talk about our team throughout the site.
 
We are excited to give you a look into the discussions that led to our decisions.