Thread Wellness
Offering a range of holistic services through third-party platforms was how most users engaged with sign-ups. How could we increase long-term user engagement? This project allows users a first point of entry to book Thread Wellness services.
Brand identity and Responsive Web Design
Thread Wellness
UX / UI Designer
3 months (May - July 2021)
UX research
Stakeholder interviews
Prototype and user testing
Brand direction
Information architecture
Iteration
Design a responsive website for yoga products and services.
Design a website and develop brand identity for Thread Wellness (Lauren Cameron Prendergast) services, products, and events.
• Examine stakeholder’s needs
• Research users current behavior
• Branding direction
The company lacked focus and its use of third-party platforms added to the vague usage of its resources.
Through user interviews it became clear that they were not fully aware of the range of services and products that Thread Wellness offers. They were also unaccustomed to navigating directly to the pre-existing website for class signups. Instead, services are accessed through third-party studios. Users described the ease of booking, but would like to be better informed about all upcoming events.
The site needed to be representative of the users expectations regarding yoga wellness. Accessibility for the user who may be new to their services is a primary goal.
What would be the easiest way to stay informed about upcoming events and learn about services?
Through several cycles of user interviews we discussed current behavior in interacting with Thread Wellness services and it brought to light the following key insights:
1. Preference for email newsletter over social media. It was mentioned multiple times that this would be the most reliable method as they do not stay abreast of postings.
2. Needs more information regarding their available services. Most users shared they had a lack of awareness about what is currently being offered.
3. Easy to sign-up and not overwhelm. Most of the users voiced they would love to be involved with their future events and upcoming services.
To understand the booking process and how other competitors prioritize their in-depth content, I analyzed the following competitors.
• The majority of these sites use Mindbody as their scheduling platform. It is familiar and easy to use.
• 4 of these competitors websites are content rich, but do not have a search bar.
• In search filter section could also include time duration of class.
• Include studio space image gallery
• Focus on well organized informational content, imagery is secondary.
• Clean minimal UI
• Include search bar
• Prioritize instructor bio, testimonials, and review section for this service-based website.
Establishing company priorities and branding.
Through several cycles of stakeholder interviews we discussed branding direction and honed in on the focus of the specific services they would like to offer.
1. A yoga-centered design approach. Include their company values in branding: calm, serene, expansive, and minimalist.
2. Establish Thread Wellness offerings: yoga therapy, music events, classes, workshops, and weekend retreats.
3. Create a sense of cohesion by establishing a central informational access point. The Calendar is the primary focus of the website because it displays all offerings in a clear format.
4. Narrow focus of offerings by providing specific target pages: Wellness, Music, Calendar, About, and Contact Us.
The information architecture had to be simple, allow flexibility for future additional products, and provide clear organization of the content.
Users and stakeholders were asked to interact with the prototype as well as complete the process of a class sign up. Insights were gained regarding the interactive design, information architecture, as well as points of misunderstanding. Based on their feedback and my observations, these are the priority takeaways.
This project involved thorough, in-depth conversations regarding company direction and brand identity. It was a great opportunity to help in defining this emerging business's goals.
Consider the target audience. The primary user for these products are not tech-savvy. The website design had to approachable, have in-depth information, and be accommodating to the first-time yoga user.
Engage the client in the design process. To establish the brand identity it was important to integrate their personal style and values.
Be clear about constraints. When forming the information architecture, Lauren and Cameron were prompted to be decisive about their services offered so as to establish a sense of organization and leadership.
Allow for a flexible system. Rather than focus on definitive pages with separate categories, the use of a central destination, such as the Calendar page, will accommodate new offering changes seamlessly.
"Marisa was exceptionally communicative, professional and engaging throughout our work with her. She took the time to truly understand the mission of our business, and what we wanted to convey as our message. In fact, her insight as a designer helped us hone and clarify our vision through open-hearted conversations, advice and guidance in the design process. We highly recommend her services and look forward to working with her again."
- Lauren and Cameron Prendergast • Thread Wellness
Behind the scenes...
The overall development included many back-and-forth conversations regarding business priorities. It was important to flexible in adapting to new circumstances. This project was also for Designlab’s UX academy and involved student-peer feedback. My mentor, Chris Key, provided tremendous guidance during the development.
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