Crafting Success: Web Development Innovations for Dicker Data

Dicker Data is Australia's leading locally owned and operated distributor of ICT hardware, software, cloud, and IoT solutions for reseller partners.

Their mission is to inspire, educate, and enable reseller partners to achieve their full potential through the delivery of unparalleled technology, value-added services, and logistics. They have been helping Australian partners for the past 45 years to design, configure, and implement solutions for their customers and transition their businesses through technological change.

As an established entity within the IT distribution arena, Dicker Data had come to rely heavily on the HubSpot platform for their growing operations. But as their business expanded and the need for more complex, custom development projects within HubSpot increased, they found their local agency partners struggling to keep pace.

The smaller, local agencies had the necessary HubSpot development skills but lacked the capacity to manage the increasing scale and speed required by Dicker Data's projects. The resulting bottlenecks and extended turnaround times were hindering Dicker Data's ability to move swiftly in its fast-paced industry.

Recognizing their escalating needs, Dicker Data identified a crucial requirement: a larger, more capable HubSpot agency that could match their operational scale and ambition. They were in search of a partner like Huble, with the capacity to manage their ever-expanding custom development requirements, accelerate project turnaround times, and ensure seamless execution.

In essence, Dicker Data needed a HubSpot partner that could not only keep pace with their growth but also actively drive their development projects within the HubSpot platform. Huble emerged as the ideal candidate to fill this role, promising the potential for a partnership that could mirror Dicker Data's own ambition and operational scale.

Dicker Data initially approached Huble with a single project in mind. However, their trust in our capabilities and the quality of our work quickly led to an expanded engagement. Instead of just one, we have successfully delivered approximately 35 projects to date (and counting), each one a testament to our collaborative approach and commitment to creating unique, custom solutions.

Our projects for Dicker Data ranged from the intricate to the expansive and included the development of a Microsoft minisite, a Dell decision tree, multiple Master microsites, and a variety of interactive forms. We also designed and built dedicated minisites for Dell and Citrix, each tailored to their specific needs.

At Huble, our approach is rooted in understanding our client's needs and objectives. Our consultancy process involves a deep dive into what our clients hope to achieve, after which we craft solutions designed to exceed those expectations. For Dicker Data, this meant regular collaboration with their stakeholders and providing constant updates throughout the lifecycle of each project.

Our successful delivery of multiple projects demonstrated our versatility and expertise in custom development, solidifying a long-term partnership between Dicker Data and Huble. This relationship, based on mutual trust and proven success, exemplifies the value we bring to our clients, and underscores our commitment to drive their business forward through innovative, custom solutions.

Dicker Data approached us with a specific goal in mind: to create a video/certification library similar to HubSpot Academy for their Microsoft partners. They wanted this library to be a gated page, serving as an extension of a microsite we had previously developed for them. However, they faced a few challenges and had certain concerns that needed to be addressed.

One challenge was the need for an easy way to populate the library with multiple videos under different categories. We suggested utilizing HubDB, a HubSpot feature, to simplify the content population. By creating dynamic pages that pulled data from HubDB tables, Dicker Data could easily manage and update the video content within the library.

Another concern was tracking user progress in the videos. Dicker Data wanted users to be able to resume watching a video from where they left off. While we had a solution in mind to track video progress for each member account, we encountered a hurdle when multiple users shared the same account. Given the project timeline, we agreed to postpone this feature for future consideration.

Additionally, Dicker Data wanted to implement a search function that would display related courses and videos. To achieve this, we added a "topics" column to the HubDB tables for courses and videos. This allowed us to display search results for all videos and courses associated with a specific topic.

Throughout the project, our team spent considerable time focusing on the user experience. We worked closely with Dicker Data to improve the microsite's overall experience, including the display of search results. Before the actual build, we dedicated time to architecting the HubDB tables to ensure smooth integration and seamless retrieval of information for video listings, course listings, and search results.

In summary, we addressed Dicker Data's goals and challenges by utilizing HubDB for content population, implementing a search function based on topics, and providing guidance on user experience improvements. While some features had to be postponed, the resulting video/certification library extension on their microsite provided Dicker Data with a valuable resource for their Microsoft partners.

Dicker Data approached us with the goal of building a microsite for DAS (Digital Advertising Solutions). The microsite would consist of four main pages: homepage, branch locator, partner with us page, and vendor solution page. This project marked their transition from modular templates to theme builds, making it the first project to utilise themes based on our recommendation.

One of the challenges Dicker Data faced was the need for flexibility in their modules. With the previous modular builds, managing multiple versions of the same module had become cumbersome. We advised them to adopt a theme approach, which would offer the desired flexibility without the need for building custom modules for every minor change. This shift allowed for easier module management and streamlined updates.

A significant concern for Dicker Data was the development of an interactive branch locator. They wanted to understand the user experience and ensure that the locator effectively served its purpose. We took on this challenge and successfully built an interactive branch locator using the Google Maps API and HubDB.

To achieve this, our team held several discussion sessions to introduce the concept of themes and highlight their flexibility in meeting the design requirements of the DAS project. We showcased how themes could adapt to different needs, ensuring a seamless and visually appealing user experience.

For the branch locator, we developed a proof of concept (POC) that incorporated the Google Maps API for location search functionality. We used HubDB to list all existing branches, including their addresses, location longitude/latitude, and store information. To enhance usability, we implemented a filter feature that allowed users to easily search for branches by state.

In summary, by embracing the theme approach, Dicker Data gained the desired flexibility without the burden of managing multiple module versions. Our team successfully implemented an interactive branch locator that met their requirements and enhanced the overall user experience. This microsite project marked an important transition for Dicker Data, showcasing the advantages of themes and delivering a high-quality solution for their DAS initiative.

Dicker Data had the objective of building a knowledge base, specifically a newsletter library, for Microsoft users in New Zealand. The primary goal was to provide a centralized resource for accessing newsletters and relevant information.

Fortunately, there were no major challenges or concerns associated with this project, except for the requirement of having the knowledge base sit behind a gated page. This gated access was a straightforward update that we could easily implement.

In terms of advice that influenced their approach, we recommended a design change to enhance the user experience. Initially, the "newsletter homepage" displayed a tile for each month's newsletter. Clicking on a specific month's tile would lead users to a menu on the left side, showing all the previous issues of newsletters, including the "older issues" that had a different format.

To improve navigation and make it easier for users to find past issues, we suggested including a dedicated tile for past issues directly on the newsletter homepage. This change would allow users to access previous newsletters more efficiently, avoiding the need to navigate through the menu on the left.

By incorporating this recommendation, Dicker Data could enhance the user experience of their knowledge base. Users would have a clear overview of each month's newsletter and easy access to past issues, providing a more intuitive and streamlined navigation system.

In conclusion, Dicker Data's objective of creating a knowledge base for Microsoft users in New Zealand was achieved without significant challenges. We provided advice to improve the user experience by suggesting the inclusion of a tile for past issues on the newsletter homepage, simplifying navigation and enhancing accessibility for users seeking older newsletters.

The client had a specific goal in mind: building a branch locator with full interactivity, allowing users to navigate between locations, regions, and tabs seamlessly.

However, there were challenges and concerns to address. The request for full interactivity would require several weeks to develop and implement, but the client had a tight timeframe that needed to be respected.

In response, Huble provided valuable advice that altered their approach. We suggested a simplified solution that would still meet their requirement for a branch locator while adhering to the tight timeline. Our proposal involved a user-friendly interface where users could click on tabs representing different states within Australia. As a result, the image displayed on the page would dynamically change to reflect the selected state, and the left-hand panel would update to show the specific locations within that region.

By adopting this simplified approach, the client could achieve the desired interactivity within the branch locator while ensuring the project stayed on track with the given timeline.

In summary, the client aimed to create an interactive branch locator, and we provided advice that resulted in a simplified yet effective solution. By implementing tab-based navigation and dynamic image and panel updates, the client achieved the desired interactivity while meeting their tight timeline.