Yes Entertainment
Website Redesign
About The Product
The Yes Entertainment website serves as a hub for event planners seeking efficiency and choice. Redesigned for intuitive navigation, the site facilitates quick and informed decision-making, aligning diverse entertainment options with the specific needs of each user.
TOOLS
Adobe XD
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Illustrator
Photoshop
DURATION
16 Months
ROLE
UX/UI Designer
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Solo Project
The Problem
The primary challenge was to distill the complexity of event planning into a seamless digital experience. Users needed to filter through extensive options without feeling overwhelmed and find relevant offerings quickly, ensuring the site’s variety did not compromise individual relevance.
The Goal
My objective was to refine the Yes Entertainment online presence into a strategic, user-friendly interface that empowers event planners. The goal was to present a coherent brand story and a suite of services that cater to the nuanced demands of each event, underpinned by easy navigation and actionable insights.
Success
The project’s success will be evaluated by enhanced user engagement metrics, conversion rates, and direct feedback from site interactions. Through improved user journeys and clear communication, the redesigned website aims to increase inquiries and bookings, demonstrating its value as an indispensable tool for event planning.
First Things First
Competitive Analysis
In a saturated market of entertainment and event agencies, distinguishing Yes Entertainment involved a meticulous competitive analysis. I scrutinised direct and indirect competitors, examining their digital presence, service offerings, customer engagement strategies, and value propositions.
Insights
USER INTERFACE
While competitors provided a range of options, their platforms often felt cluttered and overwhelming. Yes Entertainment needed a design that streamlined choice without sacrificing variety.
SERVICE ASSURANCE
Competitors' reviews highlighted a mixed experience, pointing to the need for Yes Entertainment to build trust through transparent service quality and performance metrics.
PERSONALISED OFFERINGS
There was a clear opportunity for Yes Entertainment to differentiate itself by offering tailored solutions, reflecting the individual style and preferences of each client.
ENGAGEMENT AND SHARING
Few competitors leveraged the power of social proof and sharing. Incorporating features that allowed easy sharing of selections could enhance customer confidence and decision-making.
User Research
With a zero budget for research, I had to rely on tenacity and persuasion to secure interviews. The aim was to unearth deep insights into why clients choose event companies and what they truly need from them. I focused on interviewing two existing and two potential clients of Yes Entertainment, despite the small sample size, their feedback proved invaluable.
Discovery Process
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Interview Goals: I set out to understand clients' rationale behind using event companies, how they organise events, and their experiences and expectations from an agency's website.
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Interview Techniques: Long-form interviews were used to delve into clients' decision-making processes and feelings about event planning services.
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Think-Aloud Protocol: was employed, where participants were observed in real-time as they searched for event companies online. This method provided unfiltered insights into their immediate reactions and thought processes.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
While competitors provided a range of options, their platforms often felt cluttered and overwhelming. Yes Entertainment needed a design that streamlined choice without sacrificing variety.
DON'T TAKE OVER
Competitors' reviews highlighted a mixed experience, pointing to the need for Yes Entertainment to build trust through transparent service quality and performance metrics.
THE 5 SECOND RULE
First impressions count. Clients equated the website's visual appeal with the company's ability to deliver quality events, making a strong case for high-end, luxurious visuals.
PUT SOME CLOTHES ON
Imagery featuring performers in scant attire across many event company websites detracted from an inclusive and diverse representation.
Insights
Brainstorming
How Might We
In addressing the core challenges identified from our research, I posed strategic "How might we" questions to drive creative solutions that cater to our clients' specific needs. Here’s how I translated a selection of these questions into actionable solutions:
How might we......
Solutions
provide immediate clarity on pricing to align with clients' budget expectations without compromising the bespoke nature of the services?
Introduce a dynamic pricing tool that gives instant quotes based on user-selected options.
Implement a feature that allows users to select a budget range to display only the services and packages within their means.
Create an interactive budget calculator that helps clients plan their event finances in real-time
Design our service to reinforce the role of clients as the primary architects of their events while still offering our expertise?
Provide a platform for clients to create mood boards that can be use to suggest tailored options.
Develop a customisable event planning toolkit that clients can adapt to their specific needs, with optional expert guidance.
Set up a consultation feature where clients can have in-depth discussions with event planners, ensuring their vision is prioritised.
streamline the user journey to efficiently guide clients to the information most relevant to their event planning needs?
Implement an intelligent search feature with filters for event type, size, and theme.
Create a 'Smart Suggestions' feature that proposes content based on the client's browsing history and preferences.
Design an intuitive step-by-step guide that leads clients through the website based on their inputted event details
Building Empathy
Defining The Personas
In response to the research, I sculpted three distinct user personas, each embodying unique characteristics. Jamie Smith, the resourceful personal assistant thrown into the deep end of event planning; Samantha, the wedding visionary crafting her dream day with a touch of magic; and Trudi, the detail-oriented event planner orchestrating corporate functions to perfection.
User Journey
Scenario
Trudi Larkins is tasked with organising frequent, high-caliber corporate events. With her expertise, she knows what her guests enjoy but struggles with the time-consuming process of booking entertainers and managing logistics. She stumbles upon Yes Entertainment's website, which stands out for its professionalism and variety of services.
Goal
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To efficiently plan and execute impactful corporate events that are memorable and provide significant value.
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To partner with an events company that offers transparent pricing and understands the importance of her role in the process.
Insights
Based on Trudi's experiences and the research conducted, Yes Entertainment must:
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Facilitate a seamless planning experience that respects the event planner's intimate understanding of their audience, avoiding any overbearing tendencies.
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Provide clear, immediate pricing information and streamlined communication channels to maximise Trudi's planning efficiency.
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Offer a comprehensive view of past successful events to build confidence in their capability to deliver quality and professionalism.
User Flow
In streamlining Trudi's online experience, the primary aim was to ensure her journey through Yes Entertainment's website was intuitive and efficient. The user flow was designed to guide her from initial intrigue to decisive action, with clear, logical steps and minimal friction.
Trudi
Event Planner
Information Architecture
Sitemap
The sitemap, crafted with the user's journey in mind, is tailored for ease and precision. It guides personas Trudi, the Detail-Oriented Event Planner, through Yes Entertainment's offerings, ensuring a seamless path from discovery to making a booking with Yes entertainment. It also resonates with the swift decision-making style of Jamie, the Resourceful PA, and the creative flair of Samantha, The Wedding Visionary.
Ideation
Wireframes
Pen & Paper
To kickstart the design process, I dove into rapid paper wireframing, sketching out a myriad of ideas for each feature. This hands-on approach allowed me to quickly iterate and visualise the potential layouts and user interactions for Yes Entertainment's website.
Mid Fidelity
In the shift from ideation to digital form, I focused on creating responsive design wireframes. I ensured each interface element was scaled and optimised for a range of devices, enhancing usability and ensuring visual consistency across the user experience.
Responsive Design
Full Site Wireframes
Testing The Solution
Usability Testing
Covid restrictions easing marked a turning point for the events industry. The industry's resurgence, including Yes Entertainment, shifted priorities. Website redesign was deprioritised due to operational needs. Usability testing, initially planned, was sidelined due to resource reallocation. Independent recruitment of testers was hindered by budget constraints and difficulty in finding suitable participants, risking skewed data and misguiding the design process.
Overview
Pain Points & Solutions
Home Page
Partner, Not Dictator:
Clients seek a cooperative event service that respects their insights and complements their event planning without dominating.
Quick Service Match:
Prospective clients need a rapid way to ascertain if Yes Entertainment offers the specific services they're looking for.
Content Relevance:
By categorising suppliers according to event styles, clients can easily navigate to options that align with their specific vision, ensuring a more targeted and relevant browsing experience.
Trust Assurance Challenge:
Prospective clients grapple with uncertainty about an event company's reliability and quality. They seek reassurance that their chosen partner will meet their high expectations and deliver a successful event.
Innovation Expectation:
Prospective clients seek novel, creative ideas from an event company, looking for inspiration and unique concepts beyond what they might typically envision.
The Hidden Gems Dilemma
prospective clients were often overwhelmed by the vast array of event types, styles, and entertainment options showcased on event companies' websites. The intent to display diversity paradoxically diluted the appeal, leaving clients feeling that the showcased events didn't align with their specific vision, despite the presence of suitable options.
Solution
Recognising the challenge of one-size-fits-all event categorisation, the website now organises options by style rather than event type. A concise inspiration quiz guides visitors to select preferred styles and supplier types, leading to a customised search that aligns closely with their unique event vision. This approach ensures that clients easily find suppliers matching their specific style criteria, streamlining their experience and enhancing relevancy.
Pricing Clarity and Event Insights
Clients often face difficulties in understanding the costs associated with event planning and lack a comprehensive view of what can be achieved within their budgets. There's a need for transparent pricing and tangible examples of event management outcomes.
Case Studies with Transparent Pricing
I introduced a 'Case Studies' section, providing detailed breakdowns of past events managed by Yes Entertainment. This section includes videos, photos, event briefs, a full list of supplied items, event highlights, client feedback, and, crucially, a guide price. This feature offers clients a clear understanding of what their budget can accomplish, alongside showcasing Yes Entertainment's capacity for high-quality event organisation.
All Screens
Conclusion
What Did I Learn?
Proactive User Testing Plans
In future projects, I would establish more robust plans for user testing, including alternative approaches to accommodate unforeseen changes, such as industry shifts or budget constraints. This would ensure valuable user feedback is always integrated into the design process.
Broadening User Research Scope
While the insights from interviewing a limited number of clients were invaluable, expanding the scope of user research to include a more diverse range of participants could provide a richer, more varied understanding of user needs and preferences.
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