Waterfront Seattle
Art page redesign
We want to design a new art page to showcase artworks that will include along Elliott Bay. It aims to be an efficient guide to engage people with the artists.
Client:
Waterfront Seattle
Role:
Lead UX Designer
Project length:
9 months
Brief:
Redesign the website's art page to enhance the user experience and highlight the artist's works.
Visitors love having the map along with the artists which helps them visualize where the arts install and who creates it. However, it was not clear which artworks are installed and which are not. Also, the artist's layout was too overwhelming and doesn't have options for the user to see each artist's work. Here are old designs:
Old desktop design
Overview
For 9 months, I led the UX design efforts, collaborating closely with a project manager and three developers to enhance the user experience of exploring waterfront projects. Over 2 months, I gathered insights from clients, project managers, and artists to understand their needs, then researched and designed desktop and mobile solutions. During development, I ensured the design effectively showcased artwork and improved user experience. Following launch, we observed a significant increase in website traffic and user engagement, with visitors spending over 70% more time on the page than before.
Problem
Visitors appreciate having the map alongside the artists, which helps them visualize where the art installations are located and who created them. However, the artist layout was overwhelming and lacked options for users to view each artist's work individually. Here are the old designs:
Previous art page's design
Previous artist page's design
Goal
We evaluated and measured the success of the projects based on the click rates and the percentage of the mailing list we received.
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Increase click rates by 12%
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Help visitors see the value of connecting with an artist
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Encourage visitors to engage with the projects and get involved in future events.
​Challenge
There is currently no seamless experience inviting residents and visitors to explore the waterfront and stay updated on new artworks. Additionally, designing a product with complex content that needed to integrate with a map posed a significant challenge, as we were unsure if the concept could effectively convey all the content while maintaining ease of navigation.
Constraint
Solution
Considering valuable visitor information and areas for improvement, I brainstormed ideas and collaborated with project managers, a creative director, and developers. My responsibilities encompassed the entire creative process: project analysis, ideation, content importance assessment, user research, sketching, wireframing, usability testing, and final product design.
Design process
Mind mapping
Research
Due to the lack of a dedicated research team, I conducted user research in collaboration with project managers and requested involvement in their outreach event in two weeks. We developed a set of questions to understand user behavior and planned the languages and methods for conducting the research. Additionally, I mapped out key artist information to determine engaging content that would enhance user engagement. My objective was to identify current user pain points, preferred features, and areas to avoid.
Style guide
Process
I aimed to create a vision that integrates design and art to showcase and cultivate the unique character and identity of this site. Additionally, I sought to highlight the project's purpose: physically reconnecting downtown Seattle to Elliott Bay and developing a program that engages artists and the public in this cultural reconnection. Here is the process:
Rough sketches
Wireframe
Previous map design
New map design
New map design
Previous art page design
New art page design
Previous artist's page design
New artist's page design
Lessons learned
This project taught me how to effectively collaborate with developers and hand off the final design. I also gained experience in finding solutions and learning from mistakes.
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I learned the importance of verifying user analysis results. Continuously referring to user research for necessary adjustments, and testing and validating new ideas were crucial takeaways from this experience.
Result
The final design has garnered a significant increase in visits, with 82% of visitors spending more time on the site compared to before, and click rates have increased by 17%. Additionally, there has been a notable rise in user interaction with the map.
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Click the button to experience the art page.