Creating and showing off a portfolio is such a fundamental part of a designer’s life, few people ever question its effectiveness. But the fact is, there are better ways to sell your services – and one of those ways is by using case studies.

Why? Because case studies, unlike portfolios, tell your clients what happens behind the scenes. They show not just your technical capability, but also your personality and characteristics – two factors arguably more important than your “talents”.

Case studies are also what I like to call “under the radar” sales tool – people don’t have their sales-barrier up when reading a case study. They assume these documents are informational in nature. Yet at the same time, case studies position you to be more than just a designer – they position you as an expert.

But crafting an awesome case study that turns prospects into customers requires a little more work than a putting together a simple portfolio.

The good news, however, is that this article will teach you how to go from zero to case study hero in just 5 steps:

1. Define Your Ideal Reader

If you want to produce a persuasive case study, start by defining who your target readers are. If you skip this step, any case study you produce will deliver much less impact than it could have – it simply wouldn’t resonate.

For example, a corporate executive won’t be much impressed if your case studies are about helping small businesses. They’ll assume you won’t be able to handle the complexity of a large project.

On the other hand, small business owners aren’t likely to convert if your case studies are about helping corporate clients. They’ll assume you’re too expensive to afford – or that you can’t manage a small budget.

If you have no idea who to target, here are a few suggestions on how to segment your readers:

• Corporate vs small business owners
• By country
• By expertise (Professionals such as design directors or Amateurs such as mommy bloggers)
• By industry
• By specific problem (generating web sales vs going viral, for example)

2. Define the Problem

Once you’ve defined who will be your readers, you’ll begin to sift through your experience to find a suitable experience you can turn into a case study.

At this point in time, most people simply begin writing the case study. But there’s one more thing you should do before you jump straight in: define what the problem you really solved.

You see, what your client came to you for is rarely the real problem they want to solve. For example, they might ask you to design a “cutting-edge” WordPress site. Why did they want that? Perhaps it was because they hope to increase conversions and solidify their branding.

Why did they want to increase conversions and solidify their branding? Because they were being outbid in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and Google is placing increasing importance on brand searches in search engine optimization (SEO).

So now the problem evolves from: “help client design a cutting-edge website” to “help client increase PPC profitability and boost SEO results through better design”. The latter being a benefit-driven headline you can use for your case study.

To take it up another notch (and you should always do this), is to define the problem in numbers.

For example, “their PPC landing page was converting at 2.37% but it dropped to 1.2% in 6 months ago – and according to their research, it was due to increasing competition. In 3 months after the new design went live, conversion rate went from 1.2% to 2.68%.”

Last but not least, make sure all numbers you cite have a context. If you said that your design achieved a 2.68% conversion rate – is that good or bad? How does it compare to the original number? How does it compare to the goal?

3. Tell Your Approach

Once you’ve defined the problem, now it’s time to reveal everything that went on behind the scenes. Some designers are reluctant to do this because they are afraid people will “steal” their best ideas.

What those designers didn’t think about is that educating others positions you as an authority. Plus, the fact that your potential clients know what goes on in your mind doesn’t mean they’ll spend the weeks you did to pull off the project successfully.

In telling your approach, make sure you include things like:

• How did you approach the problem? Do you have model you use (eg: AIDA)?

• What unexpected roadblocks did you face? Did the CEO budge his head in? Did the problem evolve as you point out certain details the client missed? Were there any team members who were difficult to work with?

• Did the cost of the project blow out of budget? What did you do to handle it?

• How did you coordinate with the team as an overseas freelancer working on such a complex project?

Be very specific about what you did to solve the problem. For example, “I designed a beautiful site” doesn’t mean anything to most businesses. Try, “I changed the colour of the call-to-action button to make it stand out from the rest of the page – and that resulted in a 15% increase in conversions”.

4. What Was the Results

At the end of the day, this is what all prospective clients are interested in. What did you do for your past clients? In this section, make sure you:

• Quantify all claims. Don’t talk about how you changed the typography. How did that change translated to numbers?

• Do you have screenshots of analytics? If not, can you visualize the data to show the results?

• And what was the insight(s) your client gained from the experience they had with you? An insight is a fundamental shift in mindset that changed the direction your client pursues in the future. And how does that shift in mindset benefit them in numbers?

This is a great example of insights I once used, “Today, Client X made sure usability is always a priority in their site redesign. And assuming that increase in conversion rate remained for the next 6 months (conservative estimate), they would have made $50,000 more in revenue.”

Remember how we talked about all numbers need to have context? The crucial context you need to provide here is ROI (return on investment). In other words, how much better off did your client end up by hiring you?

5. Call to Action

Now that the prospective client is all excited about your services, don’t leave them hanging. Give them a compelling reason to act now at the end of your case studies.

Here are a few examples I have seen in various industries:

• Offer a free consultation
• Stress your tight schedule
• Give your case study readers a discount or other freebies – and highlight the exclusivity
• Link to more case studies if you have any

To really take it up a notch, make sure that people who clicked on the link in the case studies go to a special landing page designed specifically for them. From there, get them to fill out a form so you can follow up with a phone call.

After working with more than a dozen freelancers over the past half-decade, I’ve found trying to convert a client online – especially for projects that cost thousands of dollars – is a futile attempt.

6. More Tips and a Conclusion

If this will be your first time creating a case study, start with these basic tips.

1. If you hate writing, get a decent freelance writer to do it for you. A short case study shouldn’t cost more than $200 (about 1500 words).
2. Always let your past clients shine in the case study. Positioning them as a snoot will not help you win prospective clients – if anything, they’ll suspect you’ll do the same to them.
3. Use lots of quotes from your clients. Interview them and use their exact words. And if you can get him/her to agree, feature a portrait of them. This increases the credibility of your case study (who knows you didn’t make it all up?)
4. Always use compelling headline and sub-headlines. For example, don’t go with “The Problem”. Try “How Can Design Help PPC?”
5. Break down your posts with multiple sub-headlines and make sure you keep your paragraphs short. This is crucial. Nothing turns readers away more effectively than large blocks of text.
6. Try a different format. Video case studies are almost guaranteed to get more views than would a written one, but it will cost more in time and money – and it can’t be updated as easily.

So there, 5 steps and 6 basic tips to create compelling case studies that sell. It’s a lot of work, isn’t it?

But if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to do what others won’t. And this is one of the best opportunities to do that.

Although most of the rumors and discussions are right now focusing on acts such as SOPA/PIPA, which expand the ability of law enforcement all over the world to fight online trafficking in counterfeit goods and copyrighted intellectual property, the web should for now be concerned with something else happening in the close, very close future.

The 26^th of May is the final day for websites in Europe to comply with the new EU Cookie Law. This is a new piece of legislation focused on user privacy on the internet and requires webmasters to first ask and obtain consent from visitors if they wish to store or retrieve information about their online behavior. The consent needs to be obtained regardless of the device the data is stored on, including smartphones and tablets.

The directive started as an online privacy protection programme one year ago and was adopted by all EU countries on the 26^th of May 2011. The law gave all EU countries a grace period of one year in which they had time to modify legislation and comply with the addition. The main point behind the law was to make customers aware of how the information about them is collected and stored by web pages they visit and while this is a good idea, many concerned voices say the law doesn’t really do good for internet surfers.

What’s a cookie?

Cookies are the way for web pages all over the world to store information about visiting users. Other newer technologies like Flash and HTML5 Local Storage do the same and while they are covered by the EU Law as well, it was called “EU Cookie Law” because most of the information is stored through cookie usage.

Cookies are not only helpful for the web masters. Actually, they are more helpful and beneficial to visitors. They are used to track people’s visits and surfing behaviors on the internet in order to deliver better targeted advertising.

They are also useful for some other kinds of actions. They are the ones helping websites keep the users logged in even after they leave the page. And it helps us by helping them. Visitors don’t want to log in all the time they visit a page. It would be annoying to log in every time you use Facebook, wouldn’t it? Also, remembering different settings users wish to use all the time is done through cookie usage as well.

Cookies help webmasters too, offering them information about the users behaviors on their web pages. Tracking tools such as Google Analytics, which measure site performance, will in most cases use cookies too.

However, the EU Cookie Law mostly focuses on the cookies that track user’s visited pages to deliver targeted advertising.

To create a general impression for you, we took a look at how many unique cookies some popular websites have.

• facebook.com: more than 382.000
• apps.facebook.com: more than 47.000
• dailymail.co.uk: more than 17.000
• google.co.uk: more than 12.000
• youtube.com: more than 10.500
• mail.google.com: more than 8.000
• google.com: more than 5.500
• imdb.com: more than 4.300

EU Cookie Law for users: Yes or No?

A survey has been conducted few days ago by the IMRG and eDigitalResearch. The survey was conducted in the UK and came with the following conclusions:

• 75% of UK consumers never heard of the e-Privacy Directive before taking the survey.
• After being informed about the law, 89% of the questioned people believed it is a positive step towards online privacy.
• 79% of the questioned believe something needs to be done in order to inform people about what cookies mean for their online experience and safety.
• 33% of them believe cookies may be used to virus computers.
• Only 23% of the questioned do not object against cookies which improve the user experience, which means 77% are actually against all kinds of cookies.

What to do?

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) wrote a full guide for webmasters who wish to become compliant with the law. The document is long and has to be read from the beginning to the end, but I can make a short summary of it here, just so you get the basic ideas behind what you need to do.

The first step you need to take is to audit your website for cookies. You need to find out what kind of cookies your site sends to users. Find out what they are used for and which ones you need to get consent for, because there are some which according to the new law are legal to be used without consent.

To ask for user consent you need to use some tools, but first you need to analyze your website. The ICO recommends a powerful online tool to help you do this. It is called The Optanon Auditor and works as a plug-in for Google Chrome.

The Optanon Auditor tool can be use as a limited software on your domain – but it should be good enough to offer you a preview of what you need to change right away. Don’t forget you only have a few more days to comply with the rules. According to official reports, companies not complying with the rules can get a fine for up to half a million British Pounds in the UK.

Some other steps you might want to take include creating a link where you explain your users everything about privacy issues and the cookies you use. Some of them might not know what you talk about while some other might not be interested at all. But it would mean a lot for the ones who want to know what they get into when accepting cookies from your page. If you show you have nothing to hide, users will not be afraid to come back to your website.

Explain users what cookies are for and that you do not use them for malefic purposes. Start with the advantages they can get: staying logged in, having their settings remembered and so on. Put focus on them because they are the most important.

Helpful jQuery Plugins for EU Cookie Law

There are several jQuery plugins you could use on your website to help you get acceptance from your users.

The first one is called CookieCuttr and it is available as a WordPress plugin as well. What the plugin does is simple. It allows you to hide different parts of the website, such as the ones generating cookies, and display modal boxes which ask for permission to use cookies. They also show a “reset button” which helps users delete all the cookies for that respective website.

Cookie Control enables you to comply with UK and EU law on cookies, in a couple of quick and easy steps. Cookie Control does just that, presenting users with clear information on whether cookies are present, linking to your privacy policy (where you should have specific information about what cookies are in use), and advising users on how to adjust browser settings and what cookies mean for them.

The second plugin is called cPrompt and does the same as the first one, more or less: it displays a notification to visitors asking for them to enable cookies. They can do it by ticking a box and clicking the action button below the text.

Another useful plugin is called EU Cookie Law Script and is developed by the pro web developers from CodeCanyon. The plugin costs $5 and shows a smooth slide down banner with a fade in bubble where text can be customized and introduced in order for the visitors to get familiar with the issue. If the user agrees, the banner slides away.

The jQuery Cookie Compliancy from CodeCanyon is another helpful tool priced at $5. It provides web masters a way to allow users to opt-in or out of using cookies. Once the usage of cookies is accepted, the restricted JavaScripts are automatically added and any future page loads will include them. Otherwise the JavaScripts will be disabled for the respective user.

Silktide is the last useful plugin I found. Its advantage is that it comes as an open-source tool. The free plugin is easy to install by only including few lines of code. Users visiting the website will see a message dropping from the top of the screen which will ask them for cookie usage consent.

Not agreeing?

If you think the law is not something you can live with, then this website is made for you. NoCookieLaw was made for people who want to protest against the legislation. The site explains users why the Cookie Law is bad for user experience and allows them to sign a petition to stop the enforcement of the law on websites.

Conclusion

With SOPA/PIPA acts taking the spotlights in press all over the world, there is no question about why not many people heard of the EU Cookie Law. Although good intentioned, the law does not do so much good in the end and can confuse users and put European companies in disadvantage, according to NoCookieLaw.

Now I am not the one to judge. Yes, online privacy is an important issue that needed to be addressed. But is the European Cookie Law the perfect answer to a question that has been asked too many times? I will let you decide on that. What do you think?

Do you like basketball? If you do and you are a web designer, you may take a liking to the design community Dribbble. If you hate sports, no worries! You still may like the network, especially if you are a web designer looking to showcase some of your work and share snippets of it with others.

Dribbble (yes, it has 3 B’s) is made up of a community of designers and creative types who share small screenshots of their daily work. The site’s verbiage is based on the sport basketball, but you don’t have to be a basketball enthusiast to enjoy the site.

Dribbble is like the Twitter for design work. Instead of asking users “What are you doing?” it begs answers to the question, “What are you working on?”.

What is Dribbble?

Creative professionals such as illustrators, web designers, graphic designers and icon artists use Dribbble to promote their work and meet colleagues. Dribbble is a social network created to allow web designers and other creative professionals share their work in small doses, much like a person does on Twitter.

You will find basketball and sports lingo used throughout the network. Once you become a member you are a “player” and you submit “shots” of your work with other players. Shots are “work-in-progress” images or small previews of a designer’s work. Submit “rebounds” in reply to other shots and get feedback from the Dribbble community.

The creators designed the Dribbble interface as an exclusive, simple, usable platform where members can easily display their work in a “show and tell” format. Dribbble’s creators were serious about keeping a tight focus on high-quality design work, which is why becoming a member is not as easy as giving over a name and email address.

Sign Up

To keep the focus on quality design, Dribbble only allows membership via a private invitation. If you want to post “shots” of your work, you must be drafted by another member. By allowing members to take responsibility for who they invite, the network keeps the quality high. Users are passionate and dedicated to their craft and this invitation process tips its hat to that sentiment.

Dribble periodically gives existing members invitations to invite new designers to the network. A lot of the invitation process occurs on Twitter. Members will announce they have invitations and give them away to worthy recipients. Just type in the hashtag #Dribbble to find tweeters who are giving away invites. Here are a few I found after performing a Twitter search.

The network creators are still working on streamlining the process because they realize there are many designers who may have trouble getting into the network even though their work is stellar.

How to Get an Invitation on Dribbble

Unless you are lucky enough to know a friend or colleague who is on Dribbble, you will have to do some legwork to get an invite. Focus on creating a website or online portfolio that showcases your work in the best light. You want to show people you are active in the industry and that you will add to the Dribbble community.

Dribbble allows you to sign up as a “prospect” and create a profile even if you are not an official “player”. This is a good practice because it shows that you are serious about joining the community and being drafted. Once you create your profile, add your photo, skills, bio, location, and most importantly a URL that links to your work. Make yourself attractive so you can land an invite. Follow people and “like” their work to get noticed.

Note: Signing up as a prospect allows you to fill out a profile only. You cannot upload “shots” of your work until you become a full member (player) which requires an invite.

Signing up as a prospect gets you on the Prospects list which is visible to existing members. Members can “draft” you directly from your Dribbble profile by clicking the “draft” button. Once a member clicks on your draft button, you will receive an email invitation which you can accept or decline.

Members can find prospects by visiting the Prospects List page. This is where your profile will be visible when you sign up:

Notice how many designers are not using the profile to its full potential. By uploading a creative avatar and populating your bio with interesting information and an online portfolio, you will rise above the pack.

Your prospect profile can also be found on the “Find Designers” page. With this PRO search feature (see PRO section below), members or hiring organizations can locate you by skills or location. That is one reason why it is so important to populate your prospect profile. Here is the “Find Designers” page:

Member Tips

Shots

Once you become a “player” you can upload “shots” of your work and interact with other designers. Dribbble allows you 24 shots a month with a limit of 5 per day. Unused shots do not accumulate month to month. For example if you use 10 shots your first month, the remaining 14 do not get added your second month’s allotment. Each shot (JPG, GIF, or PNG ) can be a maximum of 400 x 300 px. Dribbble also has cropping functionalities if the image is too large.

Tip: To gain more exposure, find players to follow and engage with them. “Like” their shots, share them, or submit a “rebound” (see below). You can also tweet their shots, link to them, or comment to gain more followers and engage with other designers. Don’t forget to tag your shots so other members can find you from their searches.

Dribbble display new shots on the Debuts page:

The most popular shots are displayed on the “Popular” page. Study the shots that have become popular to see what gains notoriety in the network. Getting featured on this page will get you more exposure. Here are some of the most popular current shots:

Rebounds

A rebound is similar to a comment on a Facebook post. It is a reply to another shot and it offers a way for members to link two shots together.

Tip: Use rebounds to generate interest and connect with others. One member created a graphical representation of one word that defined him and invited others to do the same. Use “rebounds” also to start a project and connect additional images as the project is in process. Rebound shots are visible on the Playoffs page.

Projects and Buckets

Create projects to group shots around a theme. For example, if you are working on a particular web design, group the shots together in one project. Projects are viewable by all, but members who want to use them must have a PRO account (see below).

Buckets are simply groups of shots. All members have the ability to create buckets.

PRO Account

Upgrading to a PRO account is a wise choice for those webs designers who want to receive maximum exposure for their work. At only $20 / year (breaks down to $1.67 a month), it’s a no-brainer. Here are the benefits of a PRO account:

• Create projects to collect shots around a particular theme
• Find designers based on skills or location in a specialized search
• Non-pro members receive a maximum of 5 messages per month to communicate with others. A PRO account lifts this limit.
• Organize members into private or public lists and add attachments to your images
• A Pro badge will appear next to your avatar on your profile, and in your activity on the network.
• Appear ready to be contacted for hire or special work opportunities. PRO members can display a “hire me” button on their profiles. Members can contact you via the button with potential gigs and work opportunities.

Invite Others

When you start gaining ground on the network, you will have the ability to invite new prospects. This is a great opportunity to get more exposure, especially on Twitter. Your “invitees” will be grateful to you and could potentially post a thank you to their fans/followers.

Jobs Feed

The jobs feed alone is worth the price of admission. The network posts single job entries on the upper-right hand corner of every page. But if you want to see the full list or even subscribe to the RSS feed, visit the Dribbble Jobs page.

Dribbbleboard – a more convenient way of browsing at Dribbble

Conclusion

The Dribbble interface is easy to use and allows web designers the ability to network and showcase their work. It is a user-friendly, simple interface that is purely focused on the quality of great design. If you give enough time to it, you will get value out of it.

Are you on Dribbble? Please let us know in the comments below. If you are looking for an invite, share a link to your prospect profile!

Here is an example of some of the top designers on Dribbble. Check out DesignModo on there too!

DesignModo (Adrian)

Vladimir Kudinov

Mike | Creative Mints

Sebastien Gabriel

Dan Cederholm

Meagan Fisher

Morgan Allan Knutson

Kamil Khadeyev

Rogie

SoftFacade

Josh Hemsley

Trent Walton

Kerem Suer

Artua

Rally Interactive (via Ben Cline)

Bill S Kenney

Visual Idiot

Eddie Lobanovskiy

Sean McCabe

Scott Hill

Jeff Finley

Kevin Anderson

Assembly Co.

Brent Couchman

Dann Petty

Jeremy Sallée

Konstantin Datz

Matt Kaufenberg