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LRS Refreshes INB Bank Website With a Unique Design and Features

Barnaby The Bee never looked better.

Karen Carlson

Iimage of INB's bee mascot with the words: Barnaby has never looked better.

Modern. Innovative. Fun. That’s the new INB website.

This bank website design soars to a new level of sophistication, designed to exceed the expectations of its customers and push the boundaries of website design.

INB upped its game in early 2021 with a website redesign that would continue to deliver an outstanding banking experience for its customers. It was the first design update since LRS launched INB's website design in summer 2014.

THE GOAL:

INB, based in Springfield, Illinois, wanted a new look-and-feel to enhance their website users’ experiences, especially mobile-first visitors, which account for almost 40% of its website traffic. The previous design, (designed when Jay Leno was still hosting the Tonight Show) had been mushed to fit mobile, rather than designed with mobile-first intent. INB understood that web trends and technology advanced and their web user base has grown and changed with time as well. 

They wanted a cleaner, streamlined site. It also had to include all kinds of information that’s easy for people to get to and meet all accessibility requirements. 

LRS Web Solutions first designed the INB site in 2014. Four years later, INB joined the LRS Antilles family, which made the redesign a lot easier for both LRS Web Solutions and the INB team, led by Marilyn Titone Schaefer, VP, Director of Marketing. 

“I like that the LRS team took our ideas to heart," Schaefer says. "It’s obvious that the team was very deliberate in its proposal and decisions. As we went through testing and we questioned ‘why did you do this,’ the reason we got back more times than not made sense  -- and we stuck with what was proposed.” 

THE STRATEGY

Instead of a huge investment all at once, INB's team used a long-game strategy to build their snazzy new site:

  1. A minor, "facelift" redesign
  2. Migration to LRS Antilles Content Manager
  3. A full, upscale redesign with added moments of delight including animations, personalization, and a social media feed.  


INB's site was first designed by LRS Web Solutions in 2014.


It was a great site for the time, but by 2020, it was showing its age.

Time to give Barnaby the Bee a makeover! 


 

THE PLAN

The LRS team started with an in-depth content analysis and requirements phase to define the site’s goals, structure, and create a custom design.

A Progressive Web App (PWA) was included as part of the solution for a mobile-first site that would meet INB’s expectations as well as LRS standards for usability and accessibility.

Customer-friendly website features enhance their services and reflect their commitment to satisfying their customers. These include custom content, keyword taxonomy search, and a social media feed on the homepage. 

“One of the best things about the site is how seamlessly it seems to be working in Antilles,” Schaefer says. “LRS built some nice modules and gave us tools in Antilles so we can make site changes without needing a programmer’s help down the road. That’s a lot of value.”   

Watch LRS’s UX Strategist and Program Manager Jamie Baird, with web designer Eric Enlow, talk about the project:

 

Custom Website Features included:

  • Taxonomy keyword search
  • Social aggregator
  • Company directory module integration for the meet the team pages
  • Customized content on the homepage to allow site users to select topics of interest and remember their selections without the need to login
  • Online banking integration
  • Extensive quality assurance and accessibility testing
  • Speed bumps for third-party sitelinks notifying the users they are leaving the INB website
  • Locations module for ATMs, Branches, Moneypass and Limited-Service offerings
  • Data migration from the current site to the new site
  • Progressive web integration and setup

THE RESULT

The redesigned website, published in January 2021, shines with a completely refreshed look, brighter colors that soften its brand, relaxed edges and new fonts that make the banking site more inviting and approachable.

The mobile-first design has improved navigation and better searching, thanks to the keyword taxonomy module. And the distinctive features add that “something special” that help differentiate INB from competitors.

“I appreciate that they took us outside of our comfort zone a bit. The real test will be what clients think.”  

INB surveyed its customers in January 2021 and January 2022. Results were consistent: The customers love the website, with 79% of survey respondents indicating they found the website somewhat easy or extremely easy to use.  

 

Read INB’s blog post about their redesign!

Read it!

Does your bank need an upgrade? Check out the LRS Antilles Banking Package!

Read it!

Read about INB's move to LRS Antilles in 2018 

Read it!

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