CC Mercy
The Client
"The Lives of CC Mercy" is an interactive, digital novel with crime, romance, and mystery. CC Mercy is the first fully interactive novel in which anyone from writers, illustrators, graphic novelists, photographers, musicians, painters, and all the creatives in-between can contribute to the story.
The Relationship
The creator of "The Lives of CC Mercy," had previously made a WordPress website on her own and immediately realized that the design did not live up to the story she had spent so long writing. She also didn't have the technical skills to implement the level of user experience and functionality she desired.
With 10 seasons and over 70 characters written, the content was there. However, the author was uncertain if the concept would be sustainable and draw interest.
The team at August Ash ultimately suggested creating a minimum viable product. That is, a website that would highlight the story and concept while eliminating any fluff.
The end goal for the website was for it to become a monthly subscription-based site where seasons would be gated to readers. Before introducing eCommerce, our first objective was to validate engagement through a “Create An Episode” call-to-action.
A big focus was striking the balance between too many and too few pages. We needed to provide enough information to educate visitors on this unique concept but not so much that it was overwhelming. Similarly, we compiled the most common questions into a concise FAQ section.
It was equally important that we put the right information in the right place, especially on the homepage. Right when you enter the website, you're presented with an explanation of the concept. Then, a call to action for those who are interested in learning more. Just above the fold, you're introduced to the story with the synopsis and episode 1.