Skateboarding Website
Scate is a skateboard-making eco-friendly company that allows users to make their own skateboards quickly and efficiently. The typical user is between 19-30 years old, and most users are college students or early career professionals. Scate’s goal is to make skateboarding accessible and customizable for everyone.
My Role
UX designer leading the Scate website design
The Goal
Design a Scate website for a clear, efficient, easy and comfortable navigation flow to order custom or ready made skateboards for everyone.
Sitemap
Difficulty with website navigation was a primary pain point for users, so I used that knowledge to create a sitemap.
My goal here was to make strategic information architecture decisions that would improve overall website navigation. The structure I chose was designed to make things simple and easy.
Initial Design Concepts
Research
I conducted user interviews, which I then turned into empathy maps to better understand the target user and their needs. I discovered that many target users treat online shopping as a fun and relaxing activity when they need a break from school or work.
However, many skateboarding websites are overwhelming and confusing to navigate, which frustrated many target users. This caused a normally enjoyable experience to become challenging for them, defeating the purpose of relaxation.
Findings
Cart
Once at the checkout screen, users didn’t have a way to edit the quantity of items in the cart
Checkout
Users weren’t able to easily copy the shipping address information into the billing info field
Account
During the checkout process, there wasn’t a clear way for users to log in to their account to pre-fill previous billing and shipping info
Accessibility
I used headings with different sized text for clear visual hierarchy
I used landmarks to help users navigate the site, including users who rely on assistive technologies
I designed the site with alt text available on each page for smooth screen reader access
Final Designs
What I learnt
I learned that even a small design change can have a huge impact on the user experience. The most important takeaway for me is to always focus on the real needs of the user when coming up with design ideas and solutions.
Next Steps
Conduct follow-up usability testing on the new website
Identify any additional areas of need and ideate on new features