Artizans -
Architecture & Interior Design Studio
MY ROLE
UX/ UI Designer, Research, Information Architecture, Design, Branding, Testing.
SUMMARY
I led the website research, refresh and re-direction for a local interior design firm based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Background
Artizans was established in 1987 as a design consultancy. The designers work on residential, commercial, and hospitality projects around East Africa and India. Artizans have had to restructure their company and come up with new ideas to stay ahead of the times. They have decided to improve their online presence and showcase some of the incredible projects they have worked on, in order to win over new clients, showcase their work, and in the future, sell interior design goods & artwork directly from their website.
The Challenge
Artizans has many years of experience in the design world. It is now looking to improve its online presence to appeal to a wider demographic and showcase its impressive projects. Artizans is also in need of new, fresh branding to align with its current and desired client goals.
1. Empathize
Research Methods
Market research
Competitor analysis
1:1 interviews with stakeholders
I completed 3 different research methods in order to gain a full understanding of the design market in Kenya. Competitor analysis was useful in illustrating the digital strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for interior design websites in East Africa. The 1:1 interviews were very insightful, as they provided an opportunity to delve deeper into user pain points and motivations.
Market Research & Competitor Analysis
I looked at 4 different interior design/ architecture websites to compare their features.
Clients look for in-house design agencies to bring their design visions to life.
These were my research findings
Clients look for in-house design agencies to bring their visions to life.
The best websites have professional project photography. This is the most effective way of showcasing completed projects.
Interior e-commerce sites are often seen on interior design websites to sell products that are endorsed by top designers.
4 different design firms were compared side by side to determine features used most commonly and areas for potential for growth.
1:1 Interviews
I interviewed 4 different female participants to gain a deeper understanding of their current pain points might be when looking for an interior designer for respective projects. These were their common pain points:
Difficult to get in touch with designers and engage in effective communication.
Had a hard time browsing past projects in order to determine skill level.
“Websites often feel crowded and unfocused” - #2.
Would like to speak to them on the phone or meet them in person, as a good working relationship and attitude are important.
Expectations
To contact and communicate effectively with designer
To be included in the design process and any major design decisions
To easily browse and get a sense of past projects and style
2. Define
Persona Development
I developed this persona from the information gathered during the research phase.
Important user attributes
Stays up to date with current trends in design, art, fashion.
Looking for a small company with a lot of experience.
Wants to be involved with design decisions and work closely with the designer.
POV Statement:
Artizans is looking to improve its online presence and appeal to a wider demographic by showcasing its portfolio of work. Artizans is also in need of new, fresh branding to align with its current and desired client and project goals.
How Might We statements:
How might we create and convey a cohesive brand experience for Artizans?
How might we showcase the company’s impressive portfolio of work?
How might we direct users to set up a meetings and contact designers for future projects?
Information Architecture
Site Map & User Flows
I consolidated my research findings to create a site map, user flow, and task flow using whimsical.
The sitemap shows the information architecture of the website and how information can be grouped to maximize usability according to user insight.
The next step was to create a task flow and user flow to map out specific user journeys. The task flow shows 3 different user journeys and the steps each user would take to get from start to finish, highlighting points of friction along the way.
3. Ideate
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Wire-framing
Now it’s time to create wireframes. I started off sketching some initial ideas, then translated them into Lo-Fi mockups with annotations using the whimsical wire-framing tool. This helped me visualize navigation at an early stage.
I spent more time working on the UI and layout of the e-commerce pages as they were essential to positioning the company as an established design company with their own products available for sale directly on their website.
The e-commerce shop would also alleviate the existing stock that had not been sold and free up designers to focus on project deliverables rather than product sales.
Branding & UI Design
Artizans is a very talented, reputable, and established company. However, their logo and branding felt outdated and did not reflect their modern outlook on design.
It took some convincing but after showing the head designer some logo options, that kept the integrity of the company, she agreed that it was time for an update.
The new logo is cleaner with overlapping, flat, lines conveying the ‘A’ in Artizans and evoking a sense of good design & architecture.
Old Logo
New Logo
Style Guide
I decided to add a neutral color palette to compliment the colors in the logo and opted for dark brown instead of black for all of the text.
For the style guide, I decided to pair Playfair Display (serif) as a stand out/ artistic header font, with Source Sans Pro (sans-serif) a clean, easy to read body copy to keep all body text minimal.
Prototype
I created a prototype on InVision using the desktop Hi-Fi designs and conducted remote usability tests with 3 different participants. Overall the feedback was positive, with minimal errors when completing tasks.
Feedback points
Users were unsure if contact message was sent
Shipping and billing information should be added to the confirmation pop-up
Gallery images should slide faster to show images at a more engaging pace and so users can see a wider array of project completions.
5. Test & Iterate
Following the feedback gathered during usability testing (UT), I intend on creating the website using Webflow or SquareSpace and handing the project over to the Artizans design team. Additionally, I created a style guide and component frame on Figma to keep the designs as consistent as possible going forward. This will be an important tool for the design team at Artizans.
Pages to design & iterate next:
Downloadable portfolio PDF.
Product listing/ categories page.
Specific project pages (pending designer write-ups).
Include full testimonies for download.
Include shipping and billing info on confirmation pop up.
Re-work customer testimonials section.
