Process
🔍 Discovery & Research
Kickoff: Learned about Quay Arts’ mission (supporting local creativity) and key goals (increase attendance, simplify site management).
Benchmarking: Analyzed competitors → found issues with Quay’s current site (poor contrast, unclear structure, missing contact info).
Target Audience: Islanders, especially retirees (large text, high contrast) and parents (easy event discovery).
Interviews & Surveys: Confirmed users mainly visit site to find events & booking info — pain points included confusing navigation and outdated look.
🧠 Define & Ideate
Created Value Proposition Canvas and mapped user stories (e.g. “As a visitor with free time, I want to see events quickly”).
Ran open card sorting → reorganized site into a simpler menu (< 7 items).
Built new Information Architecture and main user flows (focus on event booking).
Sketched low-fidelity wireframes → then created interactive Figma prototype.
🎨 Design & Prototype
Developed responsive designs for desktop + mobile.
Designed calendar + list views for events, clear CTAs, and accessible typography.
Wrote new UX copy to make navigation friendly and actions obvious.
Built a moodboard to set visual direction (modern, clean, island-inspired).
🧪 Testing & Iteration
Conducted two rounds of usability tests → first round revealed confusion with date selection.
Iterated designs, fixed flow issues, tested again → no blockers reported.
Sent follow-up surveys to validate improved experience.
Final result
Event booking became fast and intuitive.
Users could subscribe to newsletters easily and find opening hours/contact info without searching.
Clear hierarchy & consistent style improved trust and brand feel.
The site now works seamlessly on web and mobile, accessible for diverse users.
Learnings
This project taught me the power of early user research and clear information architecture — simplifying the navigation dramatically improved usability. I learned how accessibility considerations (contrast, text size) benefit all users, and how iterative usability testing saves time by catching issues before launch. Most importantly, I saw how good UX writing and stakeholder collaboration create a product that meets both user and business goals.