Redesign Website
Education Business
UX Research
Redesigned the website to vibrant, intuitive experience for Nine Studio.
Nine Studio is a creative art studio for a wide range of art enthusiasts, from K-12 students to adults. As the sole UX Designer, I led the end-to-end website redesign process, which included data analysis, user research, and implementation on Squarespace. My goal was to create an engaging and straightforward user flow for busy parents, reduce teacher workload, and align the website with Nine Studio’s delightful and vibrant brand.
You can check out the redesigned website here!
Role
UI/UX designer
Timeline
September 2023 - May 2024
Project
Redesign Website
tools
Figma / Figjam
Adobe Illustrator
Squarespace Analytics
Overview
The Challenge
The website is unclear while parents are busy and teachers get interrupted
Parents struggled to find class information on the existing Nine Studio website due to confusing navigation and scattered information. This led to frequent complaints, which disrupted teacher's workflow. Because parents are busy, the studio needed a more intuitive and accessible flow that quickly provide class details and process registration, thus reducing the administrative burden on staff.
Solution & Impact
Intuitive design and linear user flow that enhance website effectiveness
I addressed these challenges by simplifying user flow and creating a visually inviting interface aligned with Nine Studio’s creative spirit. This redesign ultimately made the site more intuitive for parents, reduced teacher interruptions, and improved overall studio operations.
Final Design
Research 1
Explore Nine Studio: Understanding the Environment
I started this project by learning about Nine Studio. I held meetings with studio owner and immersed myself in the studio space to understand the environment and its brand identity. Then, I thoroughly examined the website and mapped out the existing user flow based on my experiences at Nine Studio.
Teacher Interviews: How Website Inefficiencies Impacted Workload
Since teachers often worked as intermediaries between parents and the studio, uncovering underlying issues caused by the website’s inefficiencies was crucial to understanding both user pain points and operational challenges. I conducted 1:1 interviews with 3 teachers and analyzed teachers' email logs to identify recurring parent complaints.
Current User Flow & Opportunity Areas
I started this project by learning about Nine Studio. I held meetings with studio owner and immersed myself in the studio space to understand the environment and its brand identity. Then, I thoroughly examined the website and mapped out the existing user flow based on my experiences at Nine Studio.
Exploring Metrics and Data Analysis using Squaresapce Analytics
Since the beginning of 2023, bounce rate went up and down but the highest record was 85.53% and average of 65%. Nine Studio was 9% higher comparing to average bounce rate of 56% for art and entertainment business.
65%
Average bounce rate
for 10 months
70 sec
User engagement time
46%
Dropped off after 2nd page
Research 2
Survey: Started as Setback But Deeper Understanding of Users
To better understand the needs of parents using the website, I sent the survey to 48 parents. However, I received only three responses—a clear indicator that my approach wasn’t working. But instead of waiting for more responses, I reflected on why - and realized this was actually a key insight: parents are extremely busy. Even if they want to share their thoughts, they may not have the time to sit down and fill out survey answers.
Receiving only 3 responses out of 48 parents
Parents are BUSY!
Pivot to Usability Testing with Parents
I quickly pivoted to short, in-person usability testing with 5 parents when they came to the studio to pick up their kids. This method allowed me to gather richer, more actionable insights in just a few minutes per interaction. These testing revealed key pain points, such as difficulties navigating class registration and poor legibility of course description, which directly informed my redesign.
Findings & Insights
Based on the quantitative & qualitative research, these are the most significant issues that needed to be addressed.
01
Discovered Underlying Problems
Distinctive problems are interconnected, all pointing to a deep-rooted central issue: an inconvenient and confusing website. This means that redesigning the website can address different issues.
02
Scattered Information in Home Page
Users expressed that the landing page does not accurately reflect the studio's environment. This was also a particular difference noted in competitor research.
03
Unclear Navigation
A major issue expressed by every tester was the difficulty in navigating the menu in the navigation bar due to its unclear wording, unnecessary items, and lack of intuitive design.
04
Legibility & Readability Issues
Most users were confused about understanding the descriptions for programs, and often, users would ask for detailed elaboration through email or messages. Additionally, unclear fonts and colors hindered readability.
"How might we simplify website navigation and streamline the registration process so that parents can quickly find and enroll in classes, reducing disruptions for teachers?"
Ideation
Exploring Possibilities
Before I make any design decision, I mapped out major issues from research and their potential solutions.
New User Flow with Linear and Minimalist Design
Given current complexity of choosing the program and course registration, I mapped the steps to checkout in a straightforward and sequential manner for our target users. By combining ambiguous two menus of programs and registration, I made easy path to program registration, minimizing users' cognitive load and risk of losing customer by frustration or confusion.
Visual Identity
Design Concept
Design
Interface Design
Following the research results, I made major changes in website interface design after engaging in an iterative process.
Course Registration
Course Details
Add to Cart
Visual Design
In addition to UX Design, I also created poster, banner, and character design which goes cohesively with website design system.
Major Improvements
Final Usability Testing
After implementing the final design, I conducted usability testing again with three same users from the first testing and two new users.
The result has amazingly improved to 95% successful completion out of 40 tasks.
Impact & Data
Impact
Because the business was ongoing so I started implementing new design changes gradually from mid-September. By the time when completing redesigning the website, the bounce rate has decreased to 45% which is about 20% lower comparing to average of last 8 months.
User Engagement Time
Additionally, average user engagement time increased to 2 minutes 20 seconds, which is 200% growth from the past.
Takeaways
01
Data-driven project
This project has been more focused on data analysis than ever before, requiring me to learn new vocabulary to understand its implications in data metrics fully. It has significantly broadened my analytical skills and deepened my understanding of web dynamics.
02
Precise design concept
The most significant visual improvement stemmed from implementing a unified design system. Every user from the second usability testing mentioned its notable visual design and showed high satisfaction. A consistent style of design attracts users to stay longer, potentially leading to further exploration.
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