To improve usability and visual design for a performing arts organization, I created high fidelity mockups to inform strategies for redesigning their website.
The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company needed to make their website easier to use and have increased social media integration, but they lacked the resources to develop an internal web strategy. Noticing they needed support with their web efforts, I connected with them to strategize their outreach with a more intuitive website design.
Due to time and budget constraints, the timeline for this project was 1 month.
To answer these questions I first had to consult the primary stakeholders for this project, the USTC staff, so I met with USTC's Director of Development and Communications and Communications Assistant to learn more about their website and social media goals. The insights I gained from this conversation gave me a clearer understanding of the primary purpose of the USTC website and the types of users it is intended to cater to. Some key takeaways were:
My final step of research was to evaluate visual design problems on the USTC website. Not only did I apply my knowledge of common visual design principles to conduct the study, I referenced several W3C guidelines to recognize and define accessibility issues. The primary issues I found were:
Page layout and infographics lack visual consistency and readability. The homepage, header, and footer in particular contain very low color contrast and small text sizes that are difficult for people with low vision or color blindness to read
In addition to these issues, I observed that much of the header navigation lacked visual balance (e.g. Donate and Get Involved were lumped into the same tab so that it made each function stand out less prominently.
Not only do the inconsistent page groupings make it tedious for users to navigate the site, but the lack of clear spacing and grid-based alignment in many parts of the website's layout project a sense of unprofessionalism and impede users' ability to process content efficiently.
Synthesizing the research I gathered illuminated 5 primary areas to target for revised mockups. After consulting with my team of stakeholders, the specific areas we sought to improve for the redesign were:
To simplify header navigation, I made the following revisions:
Before creating the final mockups, I standardized the website's typography to only include Rajdhani and Open Sans for headings and body text respectively. Not only were these fonts already being used in the current design, they also had clear, legible letterforms that conveyed the Unusual Suspects' bold and playful identity.
My final step of the visual design process was to create high fidelity mockups presenting more refined layout and consistent visual design for the target areas identified during the analysis phase, which include the infographics section, footer, and blog page. I then created an additional mockup to demonstrate a video archive page for past event recordings.
Not only did this project result in a web design strategy that evolves The Unusual Suspects' information architecture, accessibility, and brand consistency practices, it also sharpened my problem-solving skills. Throughout several phases of this project, I was challenged to find quick and efficient alternatives to complex processes due to time and budget constraints. Although I would have preferred to conduct more extensive research, given the constraints I faced, I'm confident that the solutions I delivered to USTC outline a successful redesign strategy.
