Case Study: Masterman Krogmann, PC

Masterman Krogmann PC is an established family law firm in the Northern Virginia region, led by David Masterman. However, they underwent a significant transition, with staff changes in their small, tight-knit team. During this period, their website was also outdated and increasingly difficult to navigate. This led to inefficiencies in digital engagement.

To remedy this, David brought in Sagetopia to create a new logo and branding for the firm, and to revamp the website.

Project Overview

Branding

Wordpress

Website Designs

Masterman Krogmann PC practices Family Law. This includes:

  • Custody and paternity issues

  • Property division

  • Monetary support

Research

Masterman Krogmann PC represents a wide variety of clientele in the Northern Virginia region. This includes:

  • Various genders

  • Various ages

  • Various economic statuses

  • Various races, faiths and orientations

Based on this, the objective for the new branding and website was to present the business as reliable and professional, while giving them a “boutique” feel with personalized service that felt inclusive and approachable to a variety of potential clients.

It was also important to prioritize an easy user experience, simplify their offerings, showcase the team and their capabilities, and provide a clear way to move forward in contacting the firm or inquiring further.

User Personas

Name: Tammy Leo

Age: 45

Occupation: Business Owner

Income: $200,000K/year

Background: Tammy is going through a divorce involving significant assets and property. She needs to protect her interests.

Pain Points: Fairness, complex assets

Needs/Goals: Fair division of property and assets, minimizing loss

Name: Kenny Austin

Age: 28

Occupation: Retail Manager

Income: $34K/year

Background: Kenny was told recently that he has a child; he would like to establish paternity

Pain Points: Navigating system, emotional stress, potential child support

Needs/Goals: Seeking confirmation of paternity, in which case he would need legal recognition and visitation.

Name: Isabel Salazar

Age: 33

Occupation: Nurse

Income: $55K/year

Background: Isabel is recently divorced and seeking full custody of her child. She has an inconsistent work schedule.

Pain Points: Navigating legal jargon, scheduling and financial constraints

Needs/Goals: Full custody

I provided ideas and low-fidelity mockups to discover favorable page layouts and the overall experience, and worked with my art director to select a path forward to propose to the client.

Ideation & Low-Fidelity Sketches

After a process of finalizing the new branding elements with the client, I created high-fidelity mockups of the website pages. Because of the relative simplicity of content, we proposed a two-tier structure with the main page leading directly to subpages, and no further layers beyond that. We created additional navigation for these subpages within the content, in addition to the main top navigation.

High-Fidelity Mockups

To further achieve the “boutique” feel we were aiming for, I created illustrated portraits of the team members in an editorial, stippled style. This approach highlighted their professionalism while also adding a bit of human warmth.

Incorporating Specialty Imagery

Before & After (Main Page)

Before refresh, circa 2013

After Sagetopia refresh, circa 2014

Mobile View

Reflection

Successes

Upon positive reception from the Masterman Krogmann PC team, Sagetopia built and published the newly refreshed website.

Future Considerations

  • Preparing for future team transitions at the firm (using custom illustration created a possible dependence on the original artist or ability to match style)

  • Additional Analytics observation and documentation was needed for the site (not archived for future reflection)

  • Missed opportunity to request feedback to learn more about prospective clients at firm