Overview
CLIENT
Monique is an inspirational speaker and administrative assistant coach. She offers courses and speaking services at events like the Executive Support Forum and the Be Ultimate Assistant Workshops Event. Monique wanted to have a presence on the web to attract more clients such as executive assistants and coordinators.
CHALLENGE
Design a functional and aesthetically appealing website that will give Monique a chance to demonstrate her services, attract new customers, and inform visitors about her future events.
OUTCOME
A usable and aesthetically appealing website.
Tools
Milanote, Trello, Sketch, Lucidchart, Squarespace, Whimsical, Pen and Paper
Duration
5 weeks
MY ROLES
User Researcher, UX Designer, UI Designer, Content Strategist
Research
During the research phase, I sought to understand what Monique envisioned her brand to be. I identified the type of information Monique wished to include on her website. Interviewing Monique helped me generate insights into the expectations Monique had and learn about the visitors she anticipated on her website.
Key Takeaways
“I want a website that’s very human”
“I don’t like a lot of white space”
“I want a few pages that highlight my services and who I am, nothing too complex”
After the initial interview, I began sketching ideas to help me think about the content and the overall design. Monique decided to name her company On Point. To reflect her vision I included bulls eyes, arrows and a lot of circles in the initial designs. I compiled the different ideas on a digital mood board and presented those ideas to Monique. She appreciated being able to choose between different designs and seeing all of the ideas in one place.
The feedback Monique provided me with looking at the mood board helped me think about the type of information I will include and how many total pages I would feature for her final website.
Site Map
To have a better understanding to whom Monique wanted to market herself, I visited the websites of other inspirational speakers and administrative assistant coaches who are doing similar work as she. The information that I gathered from looking at different websites helped me think about how I can structure Monique’s website. I created a site map to visualize my thoughts on information architecture.
Wireframing
Iterating
Before I translated my sketches to Mid-Fidelity wireframes, Monique informed me that she decided to split her business into two separate companies. Monique Helstrom would offer inspirational speaking and coaching services. On Point would offer Monique’s consulting services. We both agreed that I would work on the Monique Helstrom website first.
In the second version of the site map, I aimed for the navigation to show a clear view of the speaker services that Monique offers and information about who she is.
After prototyping the initial pages on Squarespace I showed the website to several people to identify potential issues.
Key Takeaways
“There is too much text on the home page”
“The service call to action buttons were not working”
Site Launch
After testing and iterating on the prototypes, we finally launched the website. With the website live, Monique Helstrom can redirect potential clients to her website when she speaks at events such as the Executive Support Forum.
Branding
In addition to my work with Monique on her website I helped her with branding. In the first few weeks of us working together I made several style guides for her to choose from. Having a style guide early on was important for Monique because she wanted to have business cards as soon as she could.
What I learned
Working with a client who is just starting a business, I learned to be ready for any changes and to be flexible. Constant check-ins and use of a Trello board kept both of us up to date and allowed us to maintain a collaborative relationship throughout the project.
In this project, prioritization was key. Monique valued having a website that was live more than she valued extensive user testing.
What’s Next
I am planning to communicate with clients that have booked Monique through her website and interview them to get more feedback about their experience. I would also like to update some photography as Monique speaks at more events.