Newman & Associates
Competitive Web Site Design Analysis & Evaluation
Goal of the Newman & Associates Web Site
To convey the sophisticated brand of Newman & Associates to the online world and insure that the site will be easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye, projecting the positive, professional, and substantive image that Newman has established offline.
The Newman Success Formula
Personalized Service and Superior Execution
Foundation of integrity, expertise, tenacity, teamwork
Newman Background
Founded in 1979, Newman is the premier underwriter for tax-exempt bonds for multifamily housing
In 1998, they were acquired by GMAC
Based in Denver, Newman prides their business on strong customer service
Built a solid foundation of trust and loyalty
Embraces the inherent values of the West
Purpose•Create a design strategy that capitalizes on Newman’s strengths and unique offerings
•Identify, rate, and create a matrix for comparing the advantages and disadvantages over a full range of related web sites
•Document the results, assess pros and cons.
•Aim to exceed the competition
The CompetitionThe site analysis compares four full-service investment banking firms that are considered competitors of Newman.
Competitive Sites•US Bancorp Piper Jaffray•George K Baum & Company•Hanifen Imhoff•Goldman Sachs
Other competitors not included in this analysis:•Merrill Lynch•Norwest Investment Services•First Union•Kirkpatrick Pettis
The AnalysisThe competitive site analysis is two-fold, comprising of the following evaluation methodology:
(1) Competitive Matrix: a grid listing a set of features and criteria to evaluate each site. Criteria is organized into 4 main categories:
Design
Navigation
Information
Features
Content
(2) General Questions: a set of general questions about each site
Piper Jaffray
www.piperjaffray.com
Piper Jaffray
Pros:
Clean, sophisticated design
Warm colors
Consistent navigation
Clear labels
Provides rating information
Cons:
Does not provide email information
Some of the content is long and requires scrolling
Piper Jaffray FeaturesFixed Income Capital Markets is distinguished by green nav bar
Fixed Income Capital Markets lists two primary product lines
•Muni-bond calendar
•Transactions Search by State
General Questions for Piper Jaffray
Is the purpose of the site clear? Yes
Does the site clearly address a particular audience? Yes. Many audiences.
Is the site interesting and engaging? Informative about the business activities, products, services, and mission.
Is the information organized in a way that users will expect and understand? Yes
Is textual information clear, grammatically correct, and easy to read? Some pages are text heavy
Do you have a clear idea of what the site contains? Yes
Do you always know where you are, and how to get where you want to go? Consistent navigation
Is the presentation attractive? Well designed
Do pages load quickly enough? Yes
What if anything is unique about the site?The site is traditional, offering information about products and services. It may mirror the corporate image.
George K. Baum & Company
www.gkbaum.com
George K. Baum & CompanyPros:
Consistent navigation
Clear labels
White background makes content readable
Nice features including bond inventory tool, access to Bloomberg data
Provides technical information about the site
Cons:
Loud, unfriendly design
Sub-sections under Fixed Income get buried under the two primary product lines: Municipal bonds and taxable fixed income
No apparent logo for branding
Many links buried in sub-section text
Fonts in navigation tabs are not clear
GKB FeaturesFixed Income products listed in left-hand navigation
Bond inventory tool; searchable by state; no help information or print functionality
Weekly offerings get buried and links to a PDF
General Questions for GKBIs the purpose of the site clear? Yes
Does the site clearly address a particular audience? Yes
Is the site interesting and engaging? Informative about the business activities, products, services, and mission.
Is the information organized in a way that users will expect and understand? Yes
Is textual information clear, grammatically correct, and easy to read? Some pages are text heavy
Do you have a clear idea of what the site contains? Yes
Do you always know where you are, and how to get where you want to go? Consistent navigation
Is the presentation attractive? Loud, intense colors against the black header and footer project a cold, corporate tone
Do pages load quickly enough? Yes
What if anything is unique about the site?The site is deep and presents a wide variety of products and services, including a client login area
Hanifen Imhoff
www.hanifen.com
Hanifen ImhoffPros:
Promotes brand identity and local presence through use of West imagery and photographs of employees
Adds personal touch with letter from the Board of Directors
Clean, consistent navigation
White background
Cons:
Lacks interesting features
Text heavy and many scrollable pages
Narrow page width
General Questions
Is the purpose of the site clear? Yes
Does the site clearly address a particular audience? Yes
Is the site interesting and engaging? Informative about the business activities, products, services
Is the information organized in a way that users will expect and understand? Yes
Is textual information clear, grammatically correct, and easy to read? Pages are narrow and text heavy and require scrolling.
Do you have a clear idea of what the site contains? Yes
Do you always know where you are, and how to get where you want to go? Consistent navigation always present in the left frame
Is the presentation attractive? Basic site design. Nothing fancy
Do pages load quickly enough? Yes
What if anything is unique about the site? Local color
Goldman Sachs
www.goldmansachs.com
Goldman Sachs
Pros:
For a global investment bank and industry leader, the site is simple and uncluttered
Provides a basic level of information
Consistent and useful features including a Shortcut drop down
Only four top-level sections
Slick design
Cons:
Provides minimal amount of Fixed Income information
Goldman Sachs Features
Clean layout
White background
Business tab includes three primary institutional practices--Investment Banking, Trading, Asset Management
Goldman Sachs General QuestionsIs the purpose of the site clear? Yes. Abundant amount of corporate information including business principles, history, and an overview
Does the site clearly address a particular audience? Yes. A range of audiences, including global
Is the site interesting and engaging? Informative about the business activities, products, services
Is the information organized in a way that users will expect and understand? Yes
Is textual information clear, grammatically correct, and easy to read? Pages are variable with and run horozontally. Large font
Do you have a clear idea of what the site contains? Yes
Do you always know where you are, and how to get where you want to go? Consistent navigation
Is the presentation attractive? Basic site design with some rollovers and drop downs
Do pages load quickly enough? Yes
What if anything is unique about the site? Clean, international corporate image without being overwhelming
SummaryGenerally, most competitive sites offer information about their products and services, company info, and contact information.
Features including searchable indexes
No apparent inclusion of e-commerce related activities or information
Private login areas target personal (retail) account access
Most sites offer a wide range of investment services
What’s all this “E” about?
Selling and Trading Online
Auctions and Exchanges
Automated back-end processing
Document Management and Deployment
Client Extranets
What’s out there
www.muniauction.com
1st Municipal Bond Auction Web Site
www.debtx.com
marketplace for trading commercial debt (HQ in Boston)
Related Info
www.mortgageselector.com
Internet mortgage placement system created specifically for the 500 Lending institutions and 20,000 commercial mortgage Agents participating in the commercial real estate finance industry.
www.mbaa.org (Mortgage Bankers Association)
association representing the real estate finance industry.