MIADORI
JAN 2019: An online beauty service provider and retailer based in Madrid.
DESKTOP PROTOTYPE & WEB APP
The Brief
For my co-founded freelance business Black Denim Design, we were tasked with a website redesign. Our client was Miadori, an online beauty service provider and retailer based in Madrid. We were given the task of providing them fresh designs for their website and designing their booking journey. The original design file was created in illustrator, so it was our task to both perfect the design and transfer it into Sketch files , so the developer could build the site with more precision.
Business Goals
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Provide redesigns of the site.
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Create a booking journey.
Two WEEK
SPRINT
4 INTERVIEWS
CONDUCTED
TWO
DESIGNERS
The final result
After completing the project's two-week sprint, I believe that we did a really great job in perfecting the original illustrator designs and transferring to Sketch files. This included realigning, font changing and focusing on bringing in much needed user-centric design into a design that was more based in print than digital.
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The landing page is where we really needed to focus and redesign the personalisation feature, so the users could clearly understand there was an option to choose your preferred sex and enter their postcode to give you a better selection of services and products. The existing personalisation feature was not an obvious component, especially for the postcode selector, as the previous designs lacked user-centric design and focused only on aesthetics.
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The main challenge and most enjoyable part of the project was the booking journey, as we had to design this from scratch, so had the creative freedom to create the best experience we could. We thought it would be a better idea to design multiple pages for the different steps, rather than being a scrollable page with all the steps squeezed onto it. This included a variety of pages such as categories, services, date and time, professionals selection, final review of purchase and confirmation page. Having a vertical progress bar did help provide the handholding assistance needed in this journey, especially to show the user how long it might take to complete the journey.
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We added in various lightboxes through the journey that would provide more info about the selected professional or service, without adding in further pages into the journey. This was because we wanted to make it as quick as possible for the user to finish their booking journey, but at the same time giving them all the necessary information to help their decision. The aesthetic and visual design was something that I was very proud of, as it is exactly the type of minimalist slick design that I enjoyed, as well as providing a consistent feel and look that existed around the whole site.
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The only personal complaints around the project were our naive approach of scoping how long it would take us to complete it, which again resulted in us working very long hours. This seems to be the ongoing trend and something that for the next project I really did hope I would not make the same mistake again.
NEXT PROJECT
Think Next
JULY 2018: Think Next is a business consultancy, specialized in the health sector.
DESKTOP PROTOTYPE & WEB APP
The Brief
For my co-founded freelance business Black Denim Design, we were asked to create a website design. Our client was Think Next, who is a new business consultancy, specialised in the health sector. The team only consists of two members. We were only given one week to design a website and app, due to the limited budget. We suggested to the client because of their limited budget to design the website on Wix, as they would not need to pay a developer to build the site after we designed it.
Business Goals
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Design a website that would represent the consultancy's values and services.
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Develop their branding and communications strategy.
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Bring awareness to events they are talking at.
One
WEEK SPRINT
2 INTERVIEWS
CONDUCTED
TWO
DESIGNERS
The final result
We managed to create the website in a one week sprint, and with that managed to create a website that has a landing page, about us, case studies, events, careers and contact page.
We started by completing some competitive analysis of other business consultancies, then followed by sketching out our ideas. Turning them into mid-fidelity wireframes, so we could show our client what we had come up with so far, for our mid-week meeting on Wednesday.
After that, we started designing on Wix to create the final high fidelity site for the client.
We both found out that our scope for the project was badly organised, as we were working flat out and long hours into the night to achieve the one-week deadline. This was down to a small budget and our willingness to be able to take on the project. Designing on Wix was another hurdle we had to cross, as there were lots of glitches taking place, especially with the alignment of the design.
Overall we were both proud to have completed the website with such a short 1-week deadline, though I have learned the importance to scope the project appropriately and convey this to the client properly.
NEXT PROJECT
Asylum links
APRIL 2018: A redesign of a record label & music platform
DESKTOP PROTOTYPE
The Brief
For my co-founded freelance business Black Denim Design, we were asked to create a website and web app design. Our client was an information outreach refugee charity Asylum Links, we were charged with the challenge of redesigning their website intended for a western audience.
The website they had previously been updating through Wordpress was outdated and was in serious need of an updated design to help them with their primary business objectives of the time - to gain more volunteers to join their cause and to gain donations and grants - in order to achieve this they needed a website that made them look far more legitimate and would incite confidence in both potential volunteers and potential donors within the cause.
One of the biggest issues that were prevalent within the previous website was the fact that what the charity actually did was vague and unclear, and we knew we would have to sort this out first.
Business Goals
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Get volunteers
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Get donations
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Appeal to a western audience
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Social media ecosystem
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Be inspired
Two
WEEK SPRINT
10 INTERVIEWS
CONDUCTED
TWO
DESIGNERS
Design Process
Within the limited scope we had to complete a final product, our research phase was cut shorter than we would have liked.
Alongside conducting 10 interviews for user research we conducted a heuristic analysis of the original website, comparative graphs of other, similar charity websites and constructed user personas.
Our process was streamlined by our ability to detach meaningful design concepts to work from - something that I've applied to all future projects.
We concentrated our efforts particularly on the humanity behind the project. One of our user pain points was the so-called 'victimising' of the charities subjects, which users felt embedded an ever deeper divide between the volunteer and the cause.
We knew that to bridge this divide transparency and clarity were key - potential volunteers needed to know that they COULD make a direct impact, and donors needed to know that even their money could make a direct impact.
The final result
Upon reflection of the project, I believe that we did a successful job in following the processes we needed to in order to implement the features that were best suited for what the organisation is trying to achieve.
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In terms of further development there were one or two areas that we could see ourselves were perhaps more suited to them as they developed as an organisation and had more team members to support the website, such as other fundraising options, a video section, and a more specific breakdown of the allocation of funds — such as we’d seen on competitors websites.
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The client was pleased with the final product and we’re confident that it’ll be a fundamental element in the progression of the organisation’s amazing work.
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As a team we were incredibly humbled and impressed with the work that they undertake and the positive attitude that they encompass as a team.
In fact, if you’ve checked out our prototype and were just as inspired as we were by this great organisation please do head on over to their current website (if ours has not been implemented yet) and please make a donation.
NEXT PROJECT
APRIL 2018: A redesign of a record label & music platform
DESKTOP PROTOTYPE
YAM RECORDS
The Brief
For my co-founded freelance business Black Denim Design, we were asked to create a website redesign. Our client was YAM, a record label and music retailer. The mission was to redesign a website that focused on both parts of the business, allowing equal care and usability to the record label as well as the e-commerce segment that focused on selling records.
They also wanted to have a website design that would cater to the original YAM music community whilst incorporating their forward-thinking vision. YAM Records had previously been a vinyl shop as well as a label but had moved from the physical to the virtual realm with their business as they were beginning to focus more on the record label side of their business.
Business Goals
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Build the brand by nurturing the YAM FAM with features they will love.
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Create a 50/50 label and shop focus on the site.
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Bring awareness to the record label & events.
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Sell records, digital music and merchandise profitably.
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Bring in a seamless Listening/Add/Preview/Buy feature.
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Discover & Recommending music — Bring the in-store experience online.
THREE WEEK SPRINT
25 INTERVIEWS
CONDUCTED
TWO
DESIGNERS
Design Process
With the three week-sprint, we managed to have the time to properly dive deep into a lot of useful research and design development.
Alongside conducting 25 interviews for user research we conducted a heuristic analysis of the original website, comparative graphs of other, similar record label websites and constructed user personas.
One research process that I really found useful, was our chance to look at the physical way a record shop sells its vinyl records, especially as YAM used to be al record shop. So trying to recreate the physical experience into the digital one, which helped us develop the user journey organically, which in return made the digital experience more authentic to YAM’s original shop customers.
When venturing into the design process, it was really useful to focus back to the core values such as of Community, Quirkiness, Vinyl sound and sentiment. With these in mind, we had a lot of fun coming up with solutions for these values, especially when sinking in YAM’s personality into the core digital experience.
The final result
All of the original goals set at the start by the client have been achieved, much to our delight. The project was fascinating. It was really interesting to learn about parts of the music industry, especially how vinyl is making a come back in the music industry.
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We definitely thought to add in additional features, like the music player, was one of the highlights for me, as bringing in a small feature can create a big impact on the user engagement and navigation.
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Bringing in the quirky personality into the design was a very enjoyable part for us, from adding the new wacky YAM genres to creating a very entertaining final checkout page.
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We enjoyed being able to convey this atmosphere and feel into the final design for YAM, especially as we consider ourselves to have a similar zany personality, so it is great when the user and your own ideas can align.
Overall this was a fantastic project to work on and we feel that we really have given the best solution for the users. If you want to read the whole case study then click on the button below.
NEXT PROJECT
YBP
APRIL 2018 : A redesign of a online fitness and nutrition companny
DESKTOP & WEB APP PROTOTYPE
The Brief
For the second community project as part of the UX RED Academy program, we were asked to redesign a website and web app. Our client was YBP, an online fitness and nutrition programme.
The mission was to redesign their website and web app, so users could navigate through it with more ease, as well as attracting more customers to their online programme.
Business goals
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To attract people to buy one of the many 3 month training programs YBP offers.
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To increase the social media awareness of YBP.
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To improve a plan for customer retention to get them on the monthly rolling contract after they finish.
THREE WEEK SPRINT
9 INTERVIEWS
CONDUCTED
TWO
DESIGNERS
The final result
Through out this project I was given new challenges that I really enjoyed encountering. It was the first client project where I had to redesign a existing desktop and web app.
The most exciting challenge for me on this project was tackling the information architecture, as I have come from an architectural background. Evaluating the hierarchy of features and information depending on our personas was an important part of this project for me, as I felt that I really took charge & led this section of the project.
Towards the end of the project when we moved from mid to high fidelity, the process of developing the UI was really enjoyable. It was great to get involved & strengthen my existing UI skills. Overall I felt this was the first project that I really got to grips with & took command over.
NEXT PROJECT
Piin DATING APP
JAN 2018 : A fresh design of a dating app, based on localised paring.
NATIVE APP PROTOTYPE
The Brief
For the first community project as part of the UX RED Academy program, we were asked to create an application for our client Piin, which is a geolocation dating app. The mission was to create a location-based, mobile dating and social network app that uses geolocation enabling real-time, natural connections. The sprint took three weeks.
Business goals
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Grow the user base
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Become the most popular dating app
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Make it safe for users
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Fast and efficient connections
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Monetise the product
THREE WEEK SPRINT
19 INTERVIEWS
CONDUCTED
THREE
DESIGNERS
The final result
We successfully created a location based, mobile dating and social network app that uses geolocation to enable real-time natural connections.
Though we did not have enough time to implement all the thought out features, we still managed to create a functional and well-designed dating app that manages to set the starting point of achieving the client's business goals. Though this was only an MVP, the client has launched the final product into the market.
CLIENT RESPONSE - Danielle Dodoo / CEO
"Kit was incredibly professional throughout our engagement and kept my expectations met. He was responsible for delivering a prototype for a new dating app concept I am launching and was involved in all aspects of the project from requirement gathering, user testing and design - through to the delivery of the clickable prototype. I was very happy with the communication and quality of his work and he was also able to showcase some illustration skills!"
concept PROJECT
Weather 101
JUNE 2019: A weather app concept for iPad.
IPAD APP PROTOTYPE
The concept
I wanted this to be a conceptual project that focused heavily on the visual side and partly on motion. I always wanted to put a spin on the traditional weather app, so without further ado, I give you Weather 101. I choose to focus the design for iPad consumption, as it was a device I had not designed for much and wanted a new challenge. This app is currently being made by my developer partner, so hopefully, you will be seeing it soon in the App Store.
two
WEEK SPRINT
0 INTERVIEWS
CONDUCTED
One
DESIGNER
Design Process
As this was a visual led conceptual project I really wanted to focus on the use of powerful imagery of the weather locations. I think this is something that I had not seen among most weather apps, and I know this is also down to the locational imagery sourcing difficulties, but never the less I wanted to design the app around this basis. With the use of orange, black, grey & mostly white, this design was starting to develop into the minimalist and bold design I had imagined.
For the purpose of the video I have created a button interaction to scroll through the different predicted weather temps for that day, but in practice, I would only have a smooth swiping interaction, as that is what most users are used to and would also be a more effective way to scroll through the weather forecast.
When I came to designing the city filter, I really wanted to think of a creative way to make this normally boring but fundamental function more visually engaging. I thought back to the projects core imagery values, and with that in mind, I placed the cities as the background of the filter. I also thought of including a vertical scrolling interaction between the cities, as it would be a quicker and more effective way to scan the available cites options.
This filter design was now was my favorite part of the app, as I loved the challenge of thinking how this function could look with a strong visual and user-centric approach.
concept PROJECT
U Go ECO
NOVEMBER 2019: A sustainable multi-ticket travel platform app, for Sync The City event
MOBILE APP PROTOTYPE
The concept
This concept was for the Sync the city event, which is a 54 Hour event (inspired by StartupWeekend) that brings together budding entrepreneurs and expert mentors to build and launch a startup in 54 Hours. During the event there was 12 teams with skills in Mobile and Web Development, UX and Graphic design, Business & Marketing. The teams will work for 54 hours to build their own digital business startup from scratch!
We created U GO ECO, which is a sustainable multi-ticket app platform, that offered eco-friendly solutions for travel while at the same time providing all the necessary individual tickets for that journey in one app, under one ticket purchase.
We had a team of 4 developers, 3 other business-related backgrounds and one designer being me. We had to come up with a business plan, and design and develop the app under 54 hours.
1.5 day
sprint
11 INTERVIEWS / 38 online surveys CONDUCTED
One
DESIGNER
Design Process
After the pitches, our team was created late on Thursday evening, however, we had to go straight to the drawing board to think out how our idea would work and whom our main users might be.
We had to ask our selves what was the problem we were solving? We realised that on a journey from Norwich ( where Sync the city was held) to Paris, there were 6 potential different journeys you would need to purchase tickets for. For example you would need to take a taxi to the Norwich station, then from there a train to the airport, fly to Paris, then take a bus or taxi to your destination. Our solution was what if we could provide one ticket that could provide all the different journeys into one overall ticket.
The second problem we need to solve was ‘How can we make this trip more sustainable’? Our solution was that we could prioritise tickets that offered non-flight options, for example, Norwich to London by train, then Eurostar over to Paris instead of a flight. We would highlight that in this preferred ticket that if the users decided to take this greener option they would use 16% less CO2 than taking an average flight instead.
We realised that we needed to have a more relatable way to present this data also, so we calculated that nearly half a tree would be saved for taking the full train option including return journey instead of an average flight to Paris and back.
However, we still offered alternative options such as direct flights that would prioritise lower carbon-emitting aeroplanes. We met the CEO of lift share and he said he would also partner with us, so we introduced lift share as a travel option as well.
On Friday morning, I started conducting competitor analysis, then soon after started designing, especially as we only really had Friday to get the design completed. The fact that I was the only sole designer in the team, did not help. I knew I wanted to use XD to design the prototype, as the developers could open the file and XD would also provide a fast prototyping software. I luckily managed to finish the final design on Saturday morning, then helped create the pitch before we had to present in the afternoon.
The final result
Trying to come up with a viable business idea, then to design and develop it in 54 hours was not an easy task at all. However, it was a really fun and eye-opening experience, to see what is possible in such a small window of time.
JUDGES RESPONSE TO U GO ECO PITCH
"Inventive response to a current issue. Your pitch was thorough, and you are clearly aware of your demographic. Financially your revenue model was well thought out, and we thought the idea of working alongside the travel providers was smart. Our main concern was how you would get customers on board in the first place, and how you could assure your carbon footprint analysis was accurate. Additionally we were concerned about how you would protect your template against competitors. If you were to take your idea forward, we suggest framing the green rewards more explicitly, educating users with a diverse range of impact empathy cues through fun science facts."
View the website we made for 'U GO ECO'
