Overview

Big Sea, a full-service digital agency, is dedicated to delivering top-tier web development projects that prioritize client satisfaction and industry standards. With over a decade of experience, the team led by Melissa Cozart, Director of Development, successfully revamped the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium website. This case study explores how Big Sea overcame significant challenges and delivered a cutting-edge website using BugHerd as a critical tool.

‍

Challenge

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium faced a significant challenge: their outdated CMS was hindering their online presence. The project required not only a complete migration to a modern platform but also significant architectural changes and a new, modern design. With over two dozen stakeholders involved, managing feedback on tasks, text, images, and overall design became a complex task.

“The sheer volume of feedback was unlike any project we’d handled before,” Melissa Cozart noted. “We needed a solution that could help us keep everything organized and ensure that every piece of input was addressed.”

‍

Solution

Big Sea turned to BugHerd to streamline the feedback and QA processes, making it possible to manage the extensive input from stakeholders effectively. The implementation of BugHerd was smooth and immediately impactful. The development team utilized several key features of BugHerd and was able to effectively …

• Triage and Prioritize Feedback: BugHerd’s robust interface allowed the team to categorize and prioritize issues based on severity. Melissa explained, “Being able to follow individual bug comment threads over time, review bug screenshots, and refresh ourselves on the context and previous discussions was only possible through BugHerd’s robust interface.”
  
  
• Facilitate Seamless Collaboration: BugHerd’s kanban-style dashboard was instrumental in keeping the team aligned. “The dashboard allowed us to communicate efficiently and manage tasks smoothly, even with so many stakeholders involved.”
  
  
• Maintain Clarity and Context: With BugHerd’s visual tools, the team was able to revisit discussions and screenshots, ensuring every piece of feedback was understood and addressed properly. “This feature really reduced misunderstandings and helped us maintain clarity throughout the project.”

‍

Results

The new Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium website launched successfully, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from both stakeholders and end users. Stakeholders felt heard throughout the development process, and client employees were particularly impressed by the website’s performance, stability, and accuracy.

“People who provided feedback during development felt confident in the product we delivered,” Melissa recalled. “And the client was thrilled with how minimal the post-launch issues were, thanks to the thorough QA process facilitated by BugHerd.”

• There was a significant reduction in post-launch issues reported by users.
• Satisfaction among stakeholders was increased due to clear communication and effective feedback management.

“Collecting feedback through spreadsheets or emails is outdated and inefficient. BugHerd should be a core component in any development agency’s software repertoire. It saves time, money, and ensures clear communication between all project parties.”

‍

In conclusion

Big Sea’s successful overhaul of the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium website showcases the power of clear communication, effective feedback management, and the right tools.  BugHerd played a crucial role in enabling Big Sea to deliver a website that exceeded client expectations.

"Your superiors will love that BugHerd saves time and money, but your clients will love the clarity of communication between all project parties.”

Ready to see how BugHerd can transform your project management and client feedback processes? Get a free demo today.

‍

————————————————————————

About Melissa Cozart

Melissa Cozart is the Director of Development at Big Sea, bringing over 10 years of experience in WordPress development and project management. Since joining Big Sea more than four years ago, Melissa has been instrumental in leading complex web development projects from scoping and planning through to technical architecture, QA, and launch. Her expertise spans full-stack WordPress development, technical SEO, agile methodologies, and WCAG compliance. Melissa is known for her meticulous attention to detail, her ability to manage large-scale projects, and her commitment to client satisfaction and industry standards. She has a passion for driving innovation and ensuring that every project she leads meets the highest standards of quality.

‍