This assignment focused on redesigning a small business’s website that previously lacked strong design elements. As you scroll, you will see an overview of my process and the reasoning behind each decision made throughout the redesign.

The problems i have identified and tried to solve are: The website is not clean, it’s minimally organized and it isn’t minimal. It’s chaotic and cramped. 

 ------  RESEARCH: 3 benchmark websites

Carlos Bakery:

What they do: They specialize in custom cakes and other desserts. They have multiple retail locations + an online store.
Why it matters: They ship nationwide, They’re famous due to a TV show called “Cake Boss,” They’re unique from other bakeries which makes them stand out. 

Torrid:

What they do: Retail store that targets Plus-Size women fashion
Why it matters: Similar to “Something Sweet by Maddie Lu,” they’re also located in malls so they both compete with mall traffic. 

Zumiez:

What they do: Retail store that sells skateboards, snow gear, streetwear clothing, etc.
Why it matters: Similar to “Something Sweet by Maddie Lu,” they’re also located in malls so they both compete with mall traffic. 

 ------  RESEARCH: Heuristic analysis and User Testing

How These Helped Guide Design Decisions: These personas and user stories helped me make my design decisions because it required me to put the customer first. It helped me think more about what customers want or what draws them in versus thinking about what i mainly want to do. Some people, like Jaxon, are overwhelmed by technology so i made the website super minimal, straightforward and not so intimidating. Kellie says one of her “Pain Points” is poor photography so i made sure to put high quality photographs of bakery goods on the website. 

 ------  Information Architecture:

What changes were made on it and why: I actually didn’t get as far as to make the checkout page but everything else is pretty much the same. Only thing I had changed was, instead of “Custom Cake” or “Order,” I put “Request” and made a request form. 

 ------  User Flow:

The Homepage sketched out roughly. This pretty much stayed consistent in my final webpage.

The Menu page sketched out. This turned out very different in the final. 

The Request page sketched out. This is very similar in the final. 

------ Mood Board & Visual Exploration:

What did you design mood board 1: I wanted to play around with very different colors and see how they’d compete or work together. I’ve never done a cute, pink and very feminine web page layout before so this mood board really got me wanting to see what i could create.

What did you design mood board 2: This mood board was the one i chose to work from for the final. I designed this one because i really admire a cohesive and consistent color palette. I like that i could play around with different shades or tints of blue to make it less boring or flat.

------ UI Style Guide:

------ High-Fidelity Design:

The final Homepage: It’s function is to create an inviting introduction to the company and webpage as a whole. 

The final Menu page:  It’s function is to show a variety of baked goods offered at the shop along with prices. 

The final Request page: It’s function is to provide a fill-out sheet to submit to the shop with whatever desserts you’d like. 

What I Learned: I learned a lot from this project. I realized how helpful it is to plan out ideas and steps before making any final decisions. I also learned that sometimes things won’t go exactly as expected, and you have to adjust along the way. Colors, fonts, and layout can shape an entire webpage and completely change the way it feels, so being intentional with each choice is important.