PRODUCT STRATEGY & DESIGN / RESEARCH / WHITEPAPER / UX / UI
Digital Platform strategy for Ernst & Sohn
The Background
Delivering an unmatched digital solution to Ernst & Sohn's prestigious print products
Ernst & Sohn, the world’s leading specialist publishers for structural engineers in the German-speaking countries, has been publishing journals, special issues, and Concrete Calendars since 1851. The Concrete Calendar, marking the most important publication for Ernst & Sohn, provides high-quality information in all areas of interest for practicing structural engineers. The Calendar offers a range of subjects including structural design and calculations, construction management and standards, building physics and geotechnical engineering, and more. These publications are released annually since 1906 and are served to better inform and prepare engineers for projects they’re working on.
The Digital Platform strategy for Ernst & Sohn aimed to bring a powerful digital solution to its prestigious and respected content and data. Through research and sessions with subject matter experts, the team learned that a considerable amount of time is spent in finding the right answer that may come from a Calendar published years ago. This meant that a project might be delayed, expensive engineer resources spent on finding the content, causing overall unproductive outcomes and loss. The technology solution for Ernst & Sohn’s Digital Platform sought to eliminate all these problems by providing a smart search to quickly and efficiently locate answers, combined with reference work and recommendations by other engineers, further empowering richer content through usage.
A product design strategy that combines smart technology solution and beautiful experience execution
The goal of the new Ernst & Sohn Digital Platform’s product design strategy was novel, unified, and personalized. A modern visual signature and experience strategy that wins users’ hearts that is made extremely intuitive to use, through consistent controls and components, yet highly customizable and personal to each user’s unique workflows and needs.
The whitepaper
A comprehensive whitepaper containing research findings, identified problem, design and technology solution, business model, pricing strategy, and a future vision
Customer journey meticulously measured and researched
In order to design the best experience, the team begun by looking at the top current methods engineers use today to find answers and content. After analyzing at all the current touch-points, interactions, and flows, a new journey for the new Digital Platform was designed.
The new visual signature
UI Showcase
Effectively locating searched content
With the new matching engine, users are able to locate the right content, view matching percentage, and recommendations from peer engineers. Understanding how the data and content were used in similar projects, the user can determine the level of relevancy.
UI SHOWCASE
The perfect reading experience
Accompanying high-quality content, such as journals and issues, are also available in the new Digital Platform, empowering users to access and review modern and discoveries in the field.
Empowering engineers with powerful tools and content
