A laptop on a wooden table showing the Percy Dillard Painting & Drywall website design, beside a plant and a stack of books.

03: Percy J Dillard Painting & Drywall

Building a digital front door for a growing business

Designed and launched a modern website to help a local contractor build trust, showcase his work, and turn referrals into more qualified project inquiries.

Visit website

User-centered discovery
Aligned customer needs with the owner’s business goals.
Simplified service discovery
Organized services, project examples, and contact options.
Structured estimate requests
Designed a clearer way for customers to describe their projects.

About the Client

A trusted local contractor with a growing reputation

Percy J. Dillard Painting & Drywall is an owner-operated painting and drywall company serving residential and commercial customers across Central Virginia. Built largely through referrals and repeat business, the company provides interior and exterior painting, drywall repair, refinishing and related services.

My Role
UX StrategyAccessibilityWeb Design
Timeline
8 weeks
Tools
Figma · Claude CodeZoom · Otter.aiVercel · GitHubVercel Web Analytics

A tan two-story house during a repair project: a tall extension ladder leans against the siding, and a primed trim board waits beside the front door with a miter saw, tools and a blue tarp on the steps.

The challenge

Referrals weren’t enough

Prospective customers needed to quickly understand what services were offered, see proof of quality and know how to request an estimate. The owner needed those requests to arrive with enough detail to follow up productively.

With no central place for this information, the business relied on word of mouth, which led to repeated questions and inquiries that lacked key project details. The design problem was to give customers one clear path from interest to a well-described request, without adding work for a small, owner-operated business.

Common questions about services and process
No online presence to showcase previous work
Inquiries lacked key project details

Owner discovery session diagram: three overlapping circles for business goals (grow beyond referrals, showcase work, qualify leads earlier, reduce repetitive questions), customer goals (understand services quickly, see proof of quality, know the service area, request an estimate easily) and digital constraints (small-business bandwidth, simple to manage, clear on mobile, scalable). At the centre: create a digital front door that builds trust and turns interest into qualified inquiries.

The Solution

A simple, trustworthy website designed around customer needs

Owner interviews and competitive research shaped a task-focused experience built around the questions customers ask most. Services are grouped so visitors can find what applies to them. Photos of previous work come early because, for a trade business, proof of quality builds trust faster than description.

A structured estimate request replaced open-ended contact, prompting for the details the owner needs, such as location, services and project notes, so customers know what to share and the owner can respond with context. The layout is designed to work across phones and desktops, with accessibility considered throughout.

Visit website

The live estimate request form on percydillardpainting.com: a dark panel headed “Tell us about your project” beside fields for name, phone, email, city, services needed, project details and optional photos, with a Request a Free Estimate button.

Where I’d take it next

Expanding the experience.

The current site creates a strong foundation for lead generation. The next opportunity is reducing more of the manual work that happens after a customer submits a project.

Digital invoicing & payment
Remove friction from getting paid
Create a simple invoice experience where the owner enters an invoice number and balance, and customers receive an email or text to securely pay deposits and final balances online.
AI-assisted project estimates
Turn project intake into a smarter quoting experience
Use customer-submitted project details and photos to generate an initial estimate that the owner can review, approve, or refine before scheduling an onsite visit.