Highlighting humanity in the Edgemere Farm Website Redesign
Role
UX Designer
Duration
4 Months
What I Did
I conducted interviews, did desktop research, ideated and designed the visual identity of the new website.
Team
4 UX Consultants
PROBLEM
Complex information under the disguise of simple visuals
The single-page website looked simple and sleek at first glance, but we soon uncovered a lot of different information cluttered in one huge block of text.
Lack of Storytelling
The long paragraphs requires extra focus to read through, and the photos are not immersive enough.
Hidden CTA Buttons
Important actions like volunteer sign up are buried a sea of texts. Without clear visual cues, it’s easy to miss the opportunity to engage.
Hidden Crucial Info
Information like farm stand hours, and volunteer slots are not easily found on the website, leading the farm operator to answer these questions on social media over and over again.
SOLUTION
A redesigned site with engagement opportunities and community stories
Spotlighting community stories and images
With the use of portrait photos and quotes from the community, we brought the humans of Edgemere Farm to the digital world.
Offering alternative actions with every CTA
We present different levels of engagement opportunities to serve a range of users with different willingness to commit.
Refined IA serving visitors and the community
We balanced Farm introduction and engagement opportunities on the site, so that newcomers can get to know the Farm and members can easily engage with different activities.
PROCESS
How we got there
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
We gathered Edgemere's story and audited similar sites to get an idea.
Stakeholder Analysis
We understood that long-term volunteers run the Farm, and they are mainly looking to engage more contributors and present their identity to visitors and governmental grants.
We found out that visitors have a lot of different ways to engage with the farm, from purchasing produce to dropping off compost.
6 User Interviews with
Community Members
We got to experience the humanitarian nature of the Edgemere community by listening to stories from the co-founder, long-term volunteers, artists, and cooperating restaurants owner.
We further understood their mission of creating a sustainable farming cycle and provide accessible fresh produce for people on the peninsula.
Social Media Audit of
200+ Posts
Social media is the easiest way for the Farm to make timely announcements. Their social media account provided the latest information about produce sales, events, and other announcements.
We noticed that common questions people asked can be listed on the website to lift the burden of repetitive explanation.
30+ Website Audit &
15+ Literature Review
We researched websites and articles of urban farms, parks, winery, non-profit organizations, and more to understand how they tell stories, present events, and encourage volunteer and donations.
We concluded several visual and content guidelines, such as focusing on individual stories and provide alternatives for call to actions.
DEFINE
How might we tell moving stories, promote engagement, advocate for food justice and sustainable farming for users to understand and engage with the Farm?
IDEATION
Translating design goals to information architecture that serves newcomers and community members
With a clear information architecture linked to organization goals, we made sure that both farm information and engagement opportunities are easily findable and balanced.