In taking a closer look at the business' founding principle of community plus gathering of research and data, I made the decision to approach this project with recommendations not only on improving their e-commerce experience, but to implement a strategy where an updated online presence supported their physical store and business identity.
By doing this, my design is to remain true to the owner’s business purpose while helping bridge a connection for improving the user experience for both new and existing customers.
The business would be able to continue building a community of comic fans, and users will have an improved website to discover and learn from an authority in comic books.
HEROES AREN'T HARD TO FIND needs to:
1. Attract and keep new customers so that they can continue bringing comic fans together online and at their in person comic conventions
2. Improve online identity and shopping experience
3. Bring their community based in store quality customer service online
How might we enhance community and increase shopping appeal for core customers and new shoppers?
DESIGN PROCESS
STEP 1A : SKETCHES & SPACE PLANNING
1. Spacial planning and layout of pages
2. Features and highlights of existing services
3. Informative navigation
STEP 1B : MOODBOARD
I also created a visual mood board to develop a look & feel for the design - taking into consideration art/craft, community, the symbolism of superheroes, typeface and color
STEP 2 : WIREFRAMES
For the next phase in design development, I created digital wireframes for the new website from my initial sketch ideas. Page layouts, product and service features, as well as content organization and navigation were considered.
Developing the mid-fidelity wireframes for desktop and mobile was the next step. I worked to finalize typeface, text layout, created visuals for product images, added content information, and revised the wire-flow for different possible user paths.
In creating a new website, the paths users may take when visiting were taken into consideration. In addressing new users who want to explore the website, I spent time with making a clear wire flow with each possible scenario.
For visual guidance, I created features on the home page to highlight areas of expertise from the comic bookstore. The intention is to create a feel of personalized customer attention for users unfamiliar with the available products and a way to connect with comic fans.
See PROCESS DECK for payment process design.
The heart of the business is the founder of HEROES AREN'T HARD TO FIND. It made sense to provide an About Us page for customers to learn about the person who created the store. Another addition to the new website is a Calendar page listing store events. An updated page highlighting the store's comic convention was also created to give visitors clear and in depth information for an event created by the store owner and currently one of the top annual events for the community.
DELIVERABLES
A desktop and mobile site were created to show how content would be organized and shown on both platforms.
Initial responses after conducting usability testing were that the redesigned website was clear and simple for a new user to navigate. The identity of the business was also clear. When given a task to search for a product and proceed to payment, participants were able to follow through the steps and felt that the site functions were familiar.
NEXT STEPS:
Continue developing sections
Review navigation bar layout
Continue developing color/typeface
Consider some animation
OUTCOME
While working on this project, I learned that many people will be affected; the direct customer (the user), but also the business (the owner), the community (the stakeholders) who have rallied around and supported the store. Creating a redesign that didn't consider the impact on others would have been a disservice to the founder's vision and would have resulted in a less substantial website design.
My background in small business helped me to recognize the dreams of another business owner and their drive to survive and succeed. Small businesses care about their customers - and the people who start their own businesses do so with idealism and determination; the financial benefits are secondary to bringing a dream to reality. By providing an improved website, customers new and old will have a shared connected experience with Heroes Aren't Hard to Find. I was excited to be designing a user experience that could better serve customers and enhance the business' founding principles.
WANT TO SEE MORE? CHECK OUT THE PROTOTYPE!