Full Service UX
Sanders K-9 Inn
The Challenge
Sanders K-9 Inn is a local doggie daycare in Downtown Fullerton, CA, run by father-daughter team, Rick and Jessica Sanders. We started from the ground up, creating a redesign of the company website backed by generative and evaluative research that solves usability issues current or potential customers face when interacting with the company website.
MY ROLES
Brand/Art Director
UX & Design
THE TEAM
Aaron Singh: IA Director, UX & Design
Ben Hamler: Branding/Art, UX & Design
Braden Thuraisingham: IA, UX & Design
DATE
2018–2019
Process
Every step of the way
Research.
After conducting several hours of research on the functionality and usability of the website, along with an analysis of the market and the client’s competitors, we determined the most common usability needs facing Sanders’ online users.
Design.
Through an iterative process, the team generated design plans with increasing levels of fidelity, from low-fidelity sketches and wireframes, to high fidelity mockups.
Result.
According to our evaluative research, we were able to increase usability of the website by over 30%, which could result in a substantial increase in sales for such a small business.
A Simplified Palette
User-focused design
Information Architecture
- The original site relied on users’ own memory, rather than intuitive menu navigation to get users where they needed to go. The redesign focused on a sleek, pared-down navigation that allows users to discover new services while also easily accessing what they’re there for.
SEO & Modern Marketing
- This mom-and-pop business got a crash course in how to make their business stand out. By rewriting and optimizing all copy, the redesign will allow the site to see the traffic it deserves.
Pricing Made Simple
We understood that many of our users would visit the site to gather information about the business, and we wanted to make functionality that would allow users to see up-to-date pricing, including multi-use passes, promotions and sales, as well as a toggle feature that allows users to see pricing for more than one dog.
Copy & Aesthetic
We didn’t want the cold, sanitary look of a corporate website, but we also wanted the business to seem credible and be taken seriously. A simple blue and white palette paired with fun, laid back copy struck the balance we were striving for. We wanted users to trust and rely on Sanders K-9 Inn as a business, but also value the quirky human touches only a small, local business can offer.
Getting Organized
The original website had an FAQ page that could only be linked to from the Contact form. We added FAQ to the main navigation bar and created a sleek accordion-style menu for easy reading, ordered based on how many times they were asked. In this image all questions are expanded to show copy.
The Outcome
With a four-person team working remotely and a mom-and-pop business client with a shoestring budget, I’m incredibly proud of the work we were able to accomplish in. According to our evaluative research, we were able to increase usability of the website by over 30%, which could result in a substantial increase in sales for such a small business.