Example Project
Every project is distinct, and each team possesses its own unique dynamics, while timelines often differ. The following provides a fictional illustration of an end-to-end research project. Follow the links to artifacts from my past work.
The Cat's Meow
We conducted research for 'The Meow,' a newly founded cat cafe in Saint Paul, MN, the brainchild of two passionate women. Our project focused on enhancing user experience and functionality for 'The Meow' website. Our key goals were to ensure that visitors could easily place orders for delicious food and drinks, find cat adoption forms, and explore a selection of delightful merchandise available for sale. We aimed to create a user-friendly and engaging online platform that catered to both cat enthusiasts and cafe patrons, making it a one-stop destination for all things feline and delightful.
Create a Roadmap
The research project consisted of multiple phases, each carefully designed to create a user-centric, captivating website for 'The Meow.' The primary goal was to build a brand-new website from the ground up, ensuring it resonated with our target audience.
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Understanding Our Audience: The initial step involved in-depth research to identify our patrons' preferences and expectations. We were committed to tailoring our website to meet their specific needs.
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Competitive Analysis: I conducted a comprehensive analysis of local cafes to understand what similar establishments offered. This analysis guided us in setting our unique offerings apart.
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National Benchmarking: We extended our analysis to cat cafes across the country to gather insights, best practices, and innovative features, ensuring our website stood out on a national scale.
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Effective Internet Architecture: With the insights gathered, we crafted a new Internet architecture that prioritized efficiency, user-friendliness, and interactivity.
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Initial Testing: This architecture underwent testing to guarantee seamless performance and responsiveness.
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Elegant Design: A visually appealing and user-friendly website design was developed, keeping the user experience at the forefront of our priorities.
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Iterative Testing: The design underwent multiple rounds of testing and refinement to ensure it aligned perfectly with our users' desires.
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Strategic Marketing: We embarked on strategic marketing campaigns upon website launch, emphasizing cat adoptions. We employed A/B testing to identify the most effective campaigns.
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Continuing User Feedback: A robust feedback system was established to gather user suggestions and comments, facilitating continuous improvement.
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Traffic Monitoring: We closely monitored website traffic to gauge the effectiveness of our design, marketing efforts, and user engagement.
This comprehensive approach aimed to create a website that not only met the immediate needs of 'The Meow' but also evolved with time to remain a vibrant and inviting online platform for cat lovers and cafe enthusiasts.
Understanding Our Audience
The initial phase revolved around defining our core user group: those who were interested in cat cafes and those who currently patronized 'The Meow.' To achieve this, I employed a multi-faceted approach.
Our journey began with creating detailed user profiles. I aimed to understand the demographics, preferences, and behaviors of individuals who liked cat cafes. This insightful groundwork helped us tailor the website experience.
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Data-Driven Insights: I leveraged powerful tools such as Google Analytics to glean quantitative insights. By examining current web traffic patterns, we better understood our existing audience.
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User Surveys: In parallel, I conducted user surveys, engaging with current patrons to elicit more comprehensive information.
These surveys unveiled personal anecdotes, motivations, and expectations, allowing us to create a more personalized and engaging online experience.
This approach ensured that we were attuned to our users' needs and preferences, empowering us to design a website that resonated with both current and potential patrons of 'The Meow.'
Competitive Analysis
I started by identifying a list of cat cafes across the country. I used internet searches, social media, and industry directories to compile a comprehensive list.
I visited the websites of these cat cafes to get a sense of their online presence and user experience.
Each website was judged on the following criteria:
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Menu: What food and drink options were available?
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Merchandise: Did they sell cat-related merchandise?
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Cat Adoption Information: How did they promote cat adoptions?
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User-Friendly Design: We assessed the ease of navigation and overall aesthetics.
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Integration of Cat-related Content: Did they have cat-related content like blogs, videos, or photos?
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Contact Information: How accessible were they for inquiries or reservations?
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Pricing and Promotions: What were their prices, promotions, and discounts?
Also, I determined what made each cat cafe unique with special features. We conducted a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) for each competitor. This helped identify areas where 'The Meow' could excel.
Based on the research, I drew insights into what strategies and features were working well for our cat cafe competitors."
Benchmarking
I collected and analyzed the data from our competitor analysis to create our benchmark. This data served as the foundation for creating a set of standards to evaluate cat cafes. These criteria encompassed various aspects, including cat cafes' features, pricing, offerings, and website content.
Additionally, I conducted heuristic reviews of cafes that closely resembled our own, ensuring that our website would not only meet but exceed industry standards. The insights gained from this comprehensive analysis played a pivotal role in evaluating and enhancing our website."
Effective Internet Architecture
Our team organized an insightful workshop where we brought together key stakeholders in a collaborative setting. During this session, we collectively crafted an affinity diagram. The primary objective of this diagram was to capture the collective desires and requirements of the stakeholders, which would then serve as valuable insights for our website development, ensuring that their input was integrated.
We combined the insights from our affinity diagram with the industry benchmark standards to formulate a basic blueprint for our cat cafe's website design. This blend of stakeholder aspirations and industry best practices laid the foundation for our website's creative and functional development.
Initial Testing
Our subsequent step involved a card sort. Utilizing guerrilla recruiting, we extended invitations to approximately two dozen patrons, enticing them with a complimentary drink as a token of appreciation for their participation. These participants were tasked with the organization of a pre-selected set of cards. They were asked to organize the cards into different groups. This served as the foundational step in shaping the architecture of the website.
Once more, we used guerrilla recruiting to expand our pool of participants. This time, we went to a local library and offered gift cards to thank our participants. We conducted a tree test to validate the robustness and usability of the website's architecture across diverse demographics.
After a thorough analysis of the results, we refined the site's navigation, ensuring its alignment with user expectations, before progressing to the design phase.
Elegant Design
During the design phase, a research plan for a usability test was carefully crafted. The overarching objective was to formulate a comprehensive test ensuring that the end product was user-friendly and fulfilled all the users' needs.
This test plan was collaboratively developed with input from the stakeholders. Furthermore, the designer carefully reviewed the test plan to ensure that it addressed all of her inquiries about the new design."
Iterative Testing
"Iterative Usability testing was conducted to ensure that the changes we made addressed the problems we had identified and did not introduce new issues. The lead designer created an interactive prototype of the design using Figma. This provided a realistic user experience.
Following this, I employed the test plan I had developed during the design phase to organize and conduct usability testing. We had three group participants, including volunteers from the tree test, card sort, and a few new individuals sourced through a local vet's office that had previously partnered with the cat cafe. These participants were offered a cat-themed water bottle and lunch as tokens of appreciation for their involvement.
The study's results highlighted areas where we could enhance the website and even influenced changes at the cafe's physical location. After revising the website based on the initial usability study results, a second study was conducted to validate these changes. This subsequent study confirmed that the modifications had a positive impact and prompted us to fine-tune certain elements within the design.
The end result was a beautiful user-friendly website.
Strategic Marketing
Following the successful launch of our new website, our next objective was to design a strategic campaign to guide visitors to one of three key destinations.
The three areas were the cafe, the store, and cat adoption.
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The Cafe: We aimed to direct individuals to the cafe, allowing them to order drinks and food and explore the cafe's amenities.
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Shopping: We wanted to offer a shopping experience for cat and coffee-themed merchandise in our online storefront.
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Adoption: We also sought to engage users in learning more about our cats available for adoption and encourage participation in our rent-a-cat program, especially focusing on senior cats and those who may face challenges in finding forever homes. Furthermore, we aimed to showcase our resident cat, who regularly visits the cafe with the owners.
Once the social media campaign designs were ready, we leveraged Optimizely to conduct testing directly on our website homepage. Each campaign was run for a 30-day duration, ensuring sufficient web traffic to gather valuable insights.
Continuing User Feedback
Utilizing Pendo, I had the opportunity to craft targeted surveys for each section of the website, providing us with real-time insights into the user experience. These surveys empowered users to share feedback about their journey through the site, offering a mechanism to voice any concerns.
This approach was twofold: it not only ensured customers could readily provide feedback if they encountered issues but also allowed us to monitor the website's overall health proactively. By promptly addressing any concerns or a surge in negative comments, we could maintain a positive user experience.
Traffic Monitoring
The final step in this project involved implementing a comprehensive monitoring system. We leveraged Google Analytics to ensure the business owners could effectively track the performance of their campaigns and swiftly identify any fluctuations in various aspects of their business.
The setup was designed to empower the business owners to independently monitor these metrics, equipping them with the information needed to make well-informed decisions.