THE PROBLEM
The Continental Shoppe (TCS,) though successful and established, had a rising problem in offering clients clear communication. Due to the lack of an informative website, the shop faced challenges in being able to effectively communicate to their community, reach new customers, and build trust in a new age. After learning the users' needs through extensive research- which included reading both positive and negative reviews for the store, we determined that we would need to create a website that is user friendly & pet centric, tailors information & has seamless navigation, and also fosters community connection and trust.
THE BRIEF
The Continental Shoppe was a rebranding and website creation project for a local Boston grooming and kennel shop. The goal of the project was to pay proper homage to the client's late father and previous owner while modernizing and making services accessible. The primary goals of the project include being able to provide users immediate reassurance that their pet is in good care, effortless information access, and creating a transparent communication hub.
THE TEAM
Kate Zeitler- Agency Owner, Communications with client + development team + design, Branding, Graphic Design
Navya (Me) - UX & UI Design, Illustrator, Communication with dev team + client
Copywriter
Developers
THE TOOLS
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Procreate
Canva
THE TIMELINE
January 2024- February 2024
Live
THE PLAN (& MY ROLE)
After Kate solidified the rebranding for TCS, we began work on the TCS website.
Below is the approach we took (my work is in bold.)
-
UNDERSTAND: Branded Web Direction Deck (contains : Website Goals, Goal Statement, Target Audience, Things to Focus On, Things to Avoid, Competitive Audit, Homepage Flow Ideation, Graphic Treatment, Design Direction Examples.
-
IDEATION: Paper Wireframes of Design options for Homepage (base for other pages as well)
-
DESIGN: Hi Fidelity (HIFI) Mockups (including designing page flow, section designs, UI elements)-> Client Review
-
Copywriting
-
Development
-
Client Review + Launch
Understand
THE GOALS
1
Is user friendly & pet centric: Potential clients need to know the exceptional care and personalized attention their pets will receive at TCS, so we need to showcase a visually appealing and user-friendly website that highlights TCS's grooming services, expertise, and commitment to personalized care, creating a reassuring online environment for pet owners.
2
Tailors Information & Has Seamless Navigation: Clients need to easily navigate and find relevant information about our grooming services, community engagement, and any special promotions, so we need to design an intuitive and organized website layout with clear navigation menus and sections, ensuring a seamless and informative user experience that reflects the warm and reliable personality of The Continental Shoppe.
3
Fosters community connection: Clients need a platform that fosters transparency and efficient communication, so we need to implement an accessible contact and update system on the website that is quick and easy to find- providing regular community updates, store information and timings, and easy to find contact information.
THE TARGET AUDIENCE WANTS...
Immediate reassurance about their pet’s exceptional care: Create an engaging and visually appealing website homepage that prominently features TCS's grooming expertise, personalized services, and the warm atmosphere of The Continental Shoppe.
Effortless information access: Visitors aim to quickly find relevant information about grooming services, community involvement, and special promotions. To meet this need, we must design a website with clear navigation menus, intuitive layouts, and concise content, ensuring an effortless and satisfying browsing experience.
Transparent communication hub: Clients seek a platform for easy and open communication. To address this, we need to implement accessible contact options, timely updates, and a responsive feedback system on the website, creating a transparent and reliable channel for client interaction and feedback.
Community connection: The target audience desires a sense of belonging to a local establishment. Therefore, the website should prominently showcase testimonials, local partnerships, and community events, emphasizing The Continental Shoppe's role as an integral part of West Roxbury's pet-loving community.
COMPETITIVE AUDIT
Ideate
DESIGN DIRECTION
Paper Wireframes
Below are some key takeaways from the feedback on these sketches.
Illustrations. Adding hand-drawn illustrations of dogs and cats adds a warm, fun atmosphere to the website- which is exactly what TCS wants their clients to know about their pets' experience.
Lots and lots of CTAs. Especially for the homepage, we want users to be able to quickly jump to the information they need, whether its from the navigation bar or while they scroll down a page.
Stick to the branding (colors.) TCS's rebranding helps establish them in a new light with their current clients and new clients. We want to reaffirm those design choices throughout the website.
.jpg)
.jpg)
HiFi Mockups
Design Motifs (UI & Design Choices)
Below are some of the elements I specifically designed for this project.
Buttons!
On the right are the various buttons we designed for the project. We were inspired by this template's button design. We adapted the animation and design to fit the TCS website's illustrated look and tilting page animations; by incorporating an almost "comic"-like button and a tilt hover-animation, the button naturally fits into the website's design.
Illustrations
On the right is one of many illustrations used throughout the TCS website. The use of illustrations is a unique way to showcase brand identity. The illustrations help highlight the positive, fun nature of TCS, while also serving as a way to connect various sections of a page's design. On the right is an illustration I made of Lauren's father (recently passed and previous owner of TCS) as surprise to pay homage to the shop's rich history, while also creating a strong emotional connection on the website. We also included an illustration of her father's grooming shears.
Uneven, asymetrical frames
On the left is an example of how we used uneven frames with a bold stroke to further the branding and tone of the website. When there is text in these boxes, the user's eye is also immediately drawn to the content. A fun yet intentional choice, these boxes were used throughout the website.
Tilt animation
Throughout the website, there are various tilt animations employed. As one scrolls, images all shift a few degrees- noticeable, but not distracting. The hover animations on the buttons also do their job- the user is notified that they can press that button to take them to a different page/section. These animations help subtly inform the audience that TCS is a warm, friendly, and fun environment that can ensure their pet a happy experience.
Reflections & Feedback
This was one of my favorite projects I've ever worked on. It's not often that a website primarily uses illustrations throughout their website. Creating these hand-drawn illustrations, and optimizing them for web as vector files is a unique talent that I am proud to being to the table. In addition, during the busiest time of this project, I got to step in for my boss while she was on vacation with her family; I was able to work on almost all the internal pages after finishing the homepage, communicate with the client to get her feedback to make changes, and finally even work with the developers to ensure that the designs were working as they should after going through development. Throughout all of this as the team's UX/UI designer, I also had to advocate for specific changes and designs to ensure that the user would have a seamless experience. After going live we went through and checked and double checked the website to ensure there were no errors and that everything would be working properly for the users. Working on TCS was also incredibly fulfilling as it held special meaning for all of us.
Below is some feedback from Lauren, the owner of The Continental Shoppe:
"Navya, this is incredible. I can't stop going through it and admiring it. The history and "meet Jack Kennedy" made me emotional in the best way. I really wanted to honor my dad and that's exactly what your team helped me do. Thank you so very, very much. I have nothing I want to change - it's perfect." - Lauren Kennedy, owner of TCS