%20(1).png)
Role:
UX Designer, UX Researcher
Key Skills:
Quantitative Testing, Usability Testing, Information Architecture, Content Strategy
Tools:
UXPin, MURAL, Excel, Userlytics. SiteImprove
Deliverables:
Department landing page and detail pages using our refreshed components and page schemas
We worked with three department stakeholders including a subject matter expert (SME), the manager of the film program, and the website content coordinator for the Office of Economic Development.
The existing site structure nested the majority of content in a single folder.
.png)
The existing site structure was side-heavy and nested the majority of content in a single location: The handbook.
Problems and challenges with the current experience:
Special Events permit reviewers spend a lot of time answering phone calls.
There's too much content in the handbook which makes it hard to use. How can we make it more compelling?
The handbook is currently sorted alphabetically, is this the most efficient way?
.png)
I have no prior knowledge of special events so we relied on our SMEs to help us identify the audience, constraints, and considerations for our redesign.
We chose tree testing because it was time efficient and to gather quantitative data on how successful the current navigation was. I crafted the initial questions mapping to popular pages based on analytics.
We coordinated and refined the tasks with the subject matter experts by working in a collaborative spreadsheet where we tracked and finalized the tasks.
I used MURAL to organize my findings, identify pain points and tasks with low success rates, and and propose changes to address these issues in the design refresh.
People defaulted to following pages to complete the tasks: Resources and Links, FAQ, Forms and Applications, General Special Events Permitting Guidelines, and Special Events Permitting Process.
Establish topic categories for main navigation for better, more balanced organization.
We also found that participants weren't sure what information these pages would contain. However participants said they expected these pages would guide them to the relevant information.
Rename ambiguous pages to ensure titles are informative and describe the content within.
Some of the content on various pages was duplicative and overlapped with other pages.
Combine duplicative content by combining pages if the content on each is sufficiently similar.
People were splitting tasks into two categories: Looking for information about planning a special event or obtaining permits for their event.
Design and group by user needs by separately content into events and permitting.
We proposed not only re-distributing the content in a more balanced way, we also suggested consolidating pages with related content.
We met with the stakeholders to share the results of the tree test, as well as the new proposed sitemap. We gave them a week to review the proposed changes to provide feedback or changes for our consideration.
.png)
We introduced our stakeholders to homepage creation best practices, a brief competitive analysis of similar sites, and some other departments' refreshed sites using basic components we could use to build their new homepage.
We allotted about 10-15 minutes for people to sketch their designs. We uploaded to MURAL and annotated with any additional information.
.png)
We were noticing some themes appearing in content strategy, ordering, and components throughout different people's sketches. The UX team went back and created a low-fidelity wireframe based on the most popular sketch ideas.
.png)
We disbanded the handbook and grouped content into 4 top level categories. We also add excerpts that appear on hover to preview page content from the main navigation.
Excerpt for Application & Instructions
I began writing the test script based off the usability test tasks from the tree test questions so we could track the progress of the pages with low success rates. Although the test format was different, we wanted to see if improvement was detectable.
UX sent the usability test questions to SEO and we collaborated to finalize the testing script.
.png)
.png)
All participants understood the purpose of the site was to help organizers plan and permit an even in Seattle.
All participants reported the main navigation categories and organization made sense.
Some participants began relying on the Plan an Event tab. When asked, they reported that they considered Permits part of the event planning process.
Most participants required more than one attempt to find a Special Events Committee member. Some expected to find this information on the Contact Us page.
Most participants reported the excerpts were helpful in determining where to go. However, some were missing key terms that people were searching for. Expected terms should be injected into the corresponding excerpt.
.svg){kind=small}
Multiple participants reported expecting some pages to cross-link to others with related content.
Changes to the prototype based on the usability test results.
.png)
.png)
.png)
The team was super receptive to the changes we suggested. We gave them time to review everything in more detail, and requested they help us with content changes as needed.
I updated the sitemap to reflect the nomenclature changes and additional cross-links. The final site map for initial launch is as follows:
.png)
This IA refresh is based on our existing components primarily, so we hand off directly to our CMS product team who assists the department in building the refreshed site out. UX conducts the QA before the site is launched.
By using quantitative and qualitative testing throughout the design process, we were confident in the efficacy of the design refresh even prior to launching the new site navigation and homepage. If I were to be involved in the next phase of managing this site's success, after launch I would ensure we set key progress indicators and initial analytics that we could periodically check to see how well the launched design weathers.
Based on what this data reflected, we could evaluate and provide recommendations for content strategy and UX best practices that could enhance their site's overall performance, and increase customer satisfaction.
Information architecture may be less glamorous, but it’s crucial for UX—especially for utility content. Proper organization, backed by user testing, ensures users can find essential information. The consequence of bad IA is that users might miss getting the necessary permits for events or misunderstand the public safety requirements they must follow.
In this project, we challenged assumptions about users' mental models and provided stakeholders with valuable insights into how people perceive the Special Events process and the information they truly need.
.png){kind=small}
.png)
.png)
%20(3).png)