And here’s a selection of work that showcases my broad skill set in user experience, interaction design, content development, visual design and programming!
04
Wildechoes
Restructuring a website for ornithologists and nature enthusiasts
A client project executed independently, which required overhauling and redesigning an old website.
Content Design & Information Architecture
Section overview
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The brief
The client came to me with a website that was falling apart. Not being a particularly tech-savvy person, they had bugs, hacks and security issues resulting from not being able to update their CMS.
The website was old, out of date and not user-friendly.
The client was
An ornithologist and wildlife recorder.
The client needed
To be able to publish their writings and recordings easily.
To have their content be interesting and useful for their readers.
A CMS that they could easily use and manage.
A CMS that is secure and remains secure.
The users were
Ornithologists, bird enthusiasts, wildlife enthusiasts, Swiss bird and wildlife enthusiasts, and Misoori nature reserve visitors. They are from Switzerland, Europe and India.
The users needed
To be able to find the birds they see and hear and learn about them.
To be able to find more information in the form of pictures, sound and notes on birds they already know about.
A more usable and more accessible website structure.
More readable and accessible content.
Clear taxonomical and explanatory references in audio video and written form.
Easy structure, searchability and clarity for a complex taxonomic index.
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The team
I was working independently, but the project was carried out very collaboratively with the client.
My role
Content design - content production - content writing
Information architecture - user research - usability testing
Media production - graphic design - frontend modifications
Web standards - media standards for web
The clients role
Definition of project’s general direction and requirements.
Expert knowledge on ornithology and taxonomy.
Expert insights on his users and their needs.
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The solutions
The requirements and needs were met by
Creating a cohesive visual style
That was appropriate for the context and that facilitated readability.
That used images for each part of the site to facilitate search and identification.
Revamping information architecture
By creating a clear and robust navigation system.
By restructuring the whole website.
Advising on content and style
Through prototyping and improving upon existing pages.
By stripping down pages that were too dense.
By advising on the inclusion and use of headings to facilitate readability.
By advising on the use of summaries to improve ease of use and facilitate readability.
By improving content structure and layout.
By advising client on best practices for web regarding their own content.
The tools used were
Speaking to experts (the client, their peers, website users)
Card sorting
Usability testing
Prototyping and iteration
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The challenges
Some difficulties and obstacles encountered were
Tackling the client’s fear of change.
Convincing the client of the value of content design.
Easing the client’s apprehension upon learning new tools.
The quantity of content to update and restructure from the old site.
Organising and displaying lengthy taxonomy.
Cutting through technical jargon.
Fitting the structure within the CMS template framework.
Limited budget.
Let’s focus on one
Convincing the client of the value of content design
Handling client hesitation is always a challenge. The value that clear and usable design brings to products can sometimes be difficult to explain with no reference at the start of a project. This can be especially hard when it comes to content. Unlike other areas of design where it is easier for the client to justify relying on an expert, most people know how to write and have pre-existing opinions about how they like things to be written.
This is even more tricky when making changes to content that a client feels personally attached to, as was the case here. I had to be persuasive but not pushy with my advice. In many (but not all) cases I was able to win the client over by showing them through prototypes and examples how the structure, content and style could be improved.
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The takeaways and results
The successes were
The client was very satisfied with the results.
The client has since received fantastic reviews from users praising the clarity and ease of use of the site.
In usability tests, users were able to navigate easily. But wherever and whenever issues arise they continue to be readdressed to improve usability.
I was successfully able to nudge client towards following best practices by showing them through examples, prototypes and usability testing how newer versions are actually working better than the original.
Some next steps and thoughts on how to improve the project
There is still room for improvement on this project - we are planning on implementing a more robust filtering system that uses categories and tags.
We are testing different home pages periodically to see which ones are clearer and more usable.
