Im Nick Rogers

Nick Rogers  • Peerlist

As part of my senior capstone project, I collaborated with a diverse team of eight peers, representing all four concentrations within the Digital Information Design program. Guided by Dr. Andrew Besmer and Professor Gerry Derksen, our team undertook a comprehensive end-to-end project that combined research, marketing strategy, user experience design, and web development. Our process began with in-depth audience research, where we developed detailed personas to define our target users and crafted tailored marketing strategies. We then moved into iterative design and development phases, dividing responsibilities between front-end and back-end development to ensure a seamless user experience. A/B testing and usability testing were integral to our approach, allowing us to refine our designs based on real user feedback. This project not only honed my technical expertise in web development and design but also emphasized the importance of collaboration, strategic planning, and presenting solutions to stakeholders. It provided hands-on experience in managing the full lifecycle of a digital project—from initial research to final client presentations—preparing me to tackle complex challenges in professional settings.

Bridging Design, Development, and Strategy: A

Challenge: Emergency Dental of America faced poor website performance across 20+ locations. Their WordPress sites, built with Elementor and WP Bakery, suffered from slow load times due to database bloat and inefficient asset loading, negatively impacting user experience and SEO. Solution: I led a comprehensive redesign and optimization strategy to improve site speed, SEO, and user engagement. Key contributions included: •	Custom Theme Development: Built a custom WordPress theme using ACF flexible content blocks, offering design flexibility while reducing database overhead and improving code efficiency. •	Website Optimization: Implemented intelligent asset loading, caching techniques, and a CDN to significantly improve load times across devices. •	SEO Enhancements: Conducted keyword research and competitor analysis to identify opportunities, restructured content architecture, and optimized permalinks for better search visibility. •	Data-Driven Design: Leveraged GA4 and MS Clarity to analyze UX trends and friction points, driving improvements like optimized CTA placement and streamlined navigation. •	CRO & GTM Key Events: Highlighted effective CTAs and content through data analysis, making them more prominent in the customer journey. Results: The new UI/UX delivered measurable improvements: •	Mobile Lighthouse Score: Increased from 29 to 91 •	Desktop Lighthouse Score: Increased from 44 to 96 •	Faster Page Load Times: Boosting engagement and reducing bounce rates •	Improved SEO: Leading to higher organic traffic and search rankings •	Scalable Architecture: The custom theme supports future growth with ease. Key Takeaways: This project showcases my ability to combine technical web development expertise with SEO strategies and user behavior analysis. By prioritizing performance, data-driven decisions, and user-focused design, we transformed Emergency Dental’s website into a high-performing marketing tool.

Emergency Dental Website Redesign, Organic SE

Full Scope Web Development and Digital Marketing Project Planning, Design, Development, Client Onboarding, Hosting, Site Launch

Itani Development

This project demonstrates my proficiency in using Power BI to analyze and visualize firearm industry data. The dashboard integrates various datasets to present a comprehensive view of key metrics and demographics. Through this work, I honed my skills in data modeling, dashboard design, and the creation of data-driven reports to support business intelligence and marketing efforts.

PowerBI Dashboard for Firearm Industry

Engineered a custom WordPress theme for a global enterprise website spanning 40 countries, integrating location-specific taxonomies to deliver tailored news and content. Leveraged advanced data analytics to optimize user experience, drive conversion rates, and support Omni-channel growth. Reduced plugin reliance by 35%, streamlined hosting infrastructure for significant cost savings, and collaborated with international teams to refine content architecture and ensure scalability. Implemented robust SEO strategies, including content deduplication and misinformation prevention, while enhancing MarTech workflows with geo-location-based redirections and centralized web branding. This initiative unified the global digital presence, enabling seamless user journeys and driving digital excellence across all Omni-channel platforms

Transforming a Global Digital Presence: Custo

As a part of our senior synthesis class (DIFD 451) our group took on a client; Karen Derksen current Director of Winthrop University's Galleries. We had a whole semester to develop a full fledged website that she could use to further promote the galleries across campus as well as worldwide. I was the lead web designer and front-end web developer of the group. The website consisted of multiple front-end and back-end components. Other members tackled additional research, content creation, and back-end work that was necessary. We were guided through this project by our two professors of the course Gerry Derksen and Andrew Besmer. The website is scheduled to go live soon after some final touches are added.