Implementation of content management system and website redesign for JonFinn.com

The Jon Finn Group, a four-piece instrumental rock band based in Boston, MA, was in need of a website redesign, http://JonFinn.com. They required a website to showcase and sell their music and merchandise, promote upcoming performances, interact directly with their fans, integrate with social networking websites, and administer paid membership subscriptions via a content management system. Making this possible required an overhaul of the website, which was based almost entirely on static HTML files with limited capabilities for dynamic content updates. The band also requested a complete visual design overhaul compatible with traditional desktop computer web browsers, cell phone-based web browsers, and modern touch-based web browsing interfaces. WordPress, a free open-source content management system, was chosen to implement technologies to meet the Jon Finn Group's needs. Using WordPress required the development of a custom visual theme supported by various free and commercial plugins. WordPress and the supporting plugins required customization to extend functionality for becoming a revenue-generating platform through which paid membership subscriptions could be supported and administered. A survey instrument questioning end users on usability was used to measure the success of the website redesign and WordPress implementation. To evaluate the success of the redesign, analysis was performed on empirical data collected from web analytics and responses from the usability survey instrument as well as subjective data including stakeholder feedback and comments provided by the usability survey instrument respondents. Following the completion of the site redesign, it became clear that the site better engaged users than the previous site iteration and met end-users' usability expectations. Web analytics data indicated that users began spending more time on JonFinn.com and viewing more content than they had on the former website design. Usability survey data indicated that 95% of all tested functionality was found to be either "not difficult at all" or only "slightly difficult." Some comments and response data clearly indicated areas for improvement in the design and usability of the site.