Rethink Yearbooks
Product + Service Website Design
Problem Statement:
Educational authorities and parents encounter difficulties comprehending the product and the process of yearbook ordering due to the absence of clearly delineated user flows. Additionally, webpages laden with excessive information contribute to a sense of overwhelm and frustration among users.
Proposed Solution:
Establish two distinct user flows—one tailored for parents and another for educational authorities—accessible directly from the webpage. These flows should offer clear, step-by-step guidance to facilitate the achievement of the users' specific objectives. Simultaneously, revamp the website's style guide to enhance usability and aesthetics, all the while preserving the core branding elements.
Usability Testing Interview Insights
We conducted interviews with six participants, who were assigned specific tasks to assess the existing website's user experience and flow. Our interviewees represented a diverse cross-section, including school administrators, parents of students, and teaching faculty.
2/6 participants found the color palette enjoyable.
5/6 participants found the web pages too busy and confusing.
50% of participants understood what the website was offering.
Only 1/6 participant was able to understand how to begin an order.
To gain deeper insights into our dual user flows, our focus was on delineating the motivations, objectives, and hurdles unique to each group: educational authorities and student parents. This investigative process enabled us to identify user requirements and recognize the necessary steps for achieving their respective goals.
User Personas
We conducted a comprehensive competitor analysis, developing site maps of prominent, well-utilized websites within the educational community that share similarities with Rethink Yearbooks. This exercise aimed to unearth valuable elements conducive to enhancing usability in our design. It also allowed us to pinpoint robust segments within their user flows, thus providing insights for our own improvements.
Competitor Analysis
Following our extensive research, we isolated three primary objectives that users employ to achieve the overarching goal of yearbook purchase. To structure our site map effectively, we further deconstructed these objectives into smaller, more manageable components. This approach helps delineate the user journey, ensuring that no critical elements of the overarching goal are overlooked.
Defining User Journeys
Based on the identified user journeys, we redesigned the website's sitemap to create clearer distinctions between user flows. This adjustment facilitates our target users in readily identifying their respective paths, thus enabling them to navigate their intended journey and fulfill their primary goals and objectives.
Iterated Site Map
We revitalized the Rethink Yearbook style guide, introducing a new color palette to better reflect its identity within the educational community. This adjustment aimed to evoke feelings of enjoyment, creativity, and commemoration. While we preserved the original maroon and teal color, enhancing their saturation and hue to create a more vibrant version, this also served to maintain the brand's original identity. This refinement was part of a broader initiative to streamline the complementary color palette and prevent user overwhelm from an excess of colors.
Updated Color Palette
In our ultimate design, we opted to present our users with two distinct buttons on the homepage, enabling clearly differentiated user journeys tailored to their respective needs. Additionally, we incorporated a top navigation bar to offer multiple points of access. The final design not only enhances accessibility and transparency of the product for the target users but also elevates its branding and aesthetics through a minimalistic design. Most importantly, the iterative design facilitates the business in maintaining its missions while enabling users to successfully achieve their ultimate goal: purchasing a personalized yearbook, which preserves lasting memories of their child's school years forever!
