K&T Colors
Concept website redesign
reviving a local art store
Focus
My Responsibilities
Problem Space
Other than it being impossible to checkout, the current flow from the homepage to the shopping cart pages lacks key information to help users feel confident in the products they are looking for or buying. How might we keep the local charm of the site while improving the user experience?
Homepage
- Unclear services
- Lack of clear navigation
Product Overview
- Lack of information
- No Categories
- No filtering
Item Page
- No product photos or item details
- Only access point for 'account' and 'cart' navigation
Cart
- Unclear shopping cart overview
Checkout - Error
- Checkout does not work
The Refresh
We kept the store’s original color palette and layout, while modernizing the visual identity with intuitive navigation, high-quality product images, and engaging descriptions. The result was a more functional, user-friendly site that still felt true to its local feel.
How Did We Get Here?
Heuristic Evaluation Using L.e.m.er.s.
After performing a heuristic evaluation on the current site, these l.e.m.er.s were most offended by violations in error management, memorability, and efficiency because users are not able to efficiently or successfully complete their shopping experience. Being a local small business, issues with learnability and satisfaction were not as offensive.
Error Management
Memorability
Efficiency
Learnability
Satisfaction
Problem Breakdown
Core Issues
Error Management
- Checkout process fails after payment
- Item dropdowns have multiples of the same selection options
Memorability
- Cart is only accessible through product pages
- Account page only accessible through product pages
Efficiency
- Products do not have filters or categories
- Products do not have images
- Original artwork tab has "call for details" but no contact number listed
Learning from Leaders in the Industry
Competitive Analysis
Among art stores, the other smaller business was on par with the current site, but both were extremely lacking compared to popular brands.
Comparative Analysis
Compared to other stores where users buy general supplies, a big difference can be seen in features to promote shopping.
Understanding the issue
We talked to 5 people who have experience shopping for art supplies and gained insight on their interactions and thoughts with K&T Colors through a usability test with 5 tasks.
What we learned
- Testers could easily tell what the business was about and liked that it was local.
- Testers rely on photos and want to see exact color swatches when looking for products.
- Testers had the most difficulty when tasked with finding specific art supplies.
What Were the Biggest Pain Points for Testers?
Empathizing with Users
What Users Are Saying
When tasked with finding a specific product, all testers felt confused and defeated.
User Journey map
User Info
Scenario
Expectations
Users are enthusiastic about the store being a small local business but quickly became frustrated due to a lack of information when shopping and an unclear checkout experience.
defining the Objective
Consumers shopping for products have difficulty finding relevant items without clear navigation, the ability to filter, and adequate information.
What Do We Do About It
Navigation + Layering
When looking at the site map, how might we improve navigation, and add information based on user feedback
Site Map - Existing
The existing site has an unclear story on the homepage and multiple levels to reach the shopping tab. Many tabs like 'Original Artwork' and 'Contact Info' are also lacking information.
Site Map - Revised
The main services on the homepage are given a breakdown of information and added filters to facilitate finding products. Other tabs also have added clarity on what the call to action entails, and the 'About Us' is now a section under the homepage since that is where users expected it to be.
Prioritizing + Organization
Getting crafty can mean making art out of a range materials. How do we ensure that users can appropriately and efficiently filter or select the correct category to find what they need?
card Sort - Open
People say art is open to interpretation but I think most users would agree that 23 categories for 30 cards is overwhelming.
Card Sort - Closed
I moved to a closed card sort with 3 testers and received a more unanimous grouping. Users only disagreed on 5 items, with erasers being the only item to have no overlap.
Design Process
Ideation
From there, I started to sketch out the refreshed K&T Colors website. While I wanted to improve usability and navigation, I did not want to drastically change the business's visual identity so that it remained familiar to its local community.
Initial Sketches
Feedback from user testing showed that users wanted an efficient shopping experience and did not want to go back and forth between product pages.
a Site that Is Familiar Yet New
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes | Homepage
Inisghts
- Clear global navigation
- Dropdown categories give context to each tab
- Store Info on Homepage highlights brand identity + locality
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes | Product Overview
Inisghts
- Ability to sort, search, and filter products
- Optional quick view popup for additional information without clicking away
- Understand product offerings with images, descriptions, and buttons
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes | item page
Inisghts
- Clear product image with multiple photos
- Easy to view buying and selection options
- See customer reviews from local community
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes | cart
Inisghts
- Informative product thumbnail in cart
- Ability to save items for later in thumbnail
- See recommended items to continue shopping
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes | Checkout
Inisghts
- Progress bar maps checkout journey
- Confirmation status creates satisfaction
- See recommendations based on search history
Final Prototype
Retrospective
Balancing modern updates with a brand's original identity was essential in keeping loyal customers happy. Listening to user feedback also helped me figure out what to keep and what to improve, and even small changes like adding photos and descriptions made a big difference. Moving forward, I would keep refining the site by improving the recommended shopping items, test the amount of information provided on each product, and potentially featuring more local activities.
