Background
The screenshots below depict the original website, which suffered from a lack of engagement, fun elements, and transparency. The absence of SEO on any of the pages contributed to minimal traffic to the site.
Users
Individuals interested in adopting cats or kittens
Goals
1. Establish a strong brand identity.
2. Revamp the website for a more engaging and enjoyable user experience.
3. Boost website traffic and promote adoption, fostering, and volunteering engagement on the website.
4. Transform paper PDF forms into Google web forms.
5. Be transparent about adoption fees, rescue costs, and what's included with the adoption.
Key Finding #1
The website lacked proper SEO and keywords, resulting in missed opportunities to attract potential traffic.
Proposed solution: Create specific keywords for each page and add page descriptions to help increase traffic to the website.
Key Finding #2
Volunteer and foster forms necessitated users to download and manually fill them out, potentially discouraging volunteer participation.
Proposed solution: Establish Google Forms for online application submissions, ensuring the rescue doesn't miss out on potential volunteers.
Key Finding #3
Insufficient transparency regarding available cats, adoption fee coverage, and the rescue's expenses in saving a cat.
Proposed solution: Integrate a third party system that automatically pulls in new cats or kittens, add content that address adopt fees and costs to the rescues
Key Finding #4
The website lacked engagement, cross-linking, and effective calls to action, resulting in an overall poor user experience.
Proposed solution: Incorporate playful imagery and illustrations across the website, introducing rounded corners and fun shapes for enhanced visual appeal. Incorporate links in the content across the website, connecting to other helpful pages, and strategically add calls to action on specific pages to drive traffic.
Requirement Gathering
I collaborated directly with the rescue owner to gather essential project requirements, engaging in close communication during adoption events and via phone. The inquiries covered various aspects, such as details about the target audience, desired website elements, preferred content, the primary focus, and the overall goal of the website.
Research and Analysis
Following the initial requirements gathering, I conducted thorough research on cat adoption agencies, including the humane society and local rescues. I assessed what worked and what didn't among competitors. Simultaneously, as part of establishing a brand direction, I curated a moodboard to capture the envisioned look and feel for the website and future print materials
Brand Direction
For the brand, my aim was to convey a sense of fun, incorporating imagery of cats throughout to enhance engagement. I opted for bright and lively colors, intending to make the website visually vibrant and appealing.
Site architecture
I developed the site architecture for the website by analyzing competitors. This resulted in the following pages:
1. Adopt with subpages to Adoption Process, Adoption Application, Adoption Events, Available Kitties - (subpages newly added based on feedback from the community) - users found it difficult to find the adoption application or events.2. Get Involved with subpages to Foster and Volunteer
3. Give
4. About
5. Events
6. Shop (newly added)
7. Contact
8. Donate button
Wireframes
I created wireframes to conceptualize the page layout. As I delved into designing page elements, adjustments were made based on feedback and time constraints.
Design iterations
Throughout the project, I iterated on designs using the moodboard created at the project's inception. I presented different color variations to the owner, seeking feedback and identifying the design that resonated best with her preferences.
First Launch
The final design underwent slight changes due to shifts in my availability. Eager to assist the rescue in launching their new site, I utilized the designs I created as a guide while constructing the pages in Wix.
Website Optimization
In addition to designing and constructing the website, I optimized it by incorporating keywords and page descriptions for each section. I seamlessly integrated everything with Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
In addition to designing and constructing the website, I optimized it by incorporating keywords and page descriptions for each section. I seamlessly integrated everything with Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
Outcome
The rescue and customers have expressed great satisfaction with the newly responsive website. Since its publication in May 2023, there has been a consistent monthly increase in Google search clicks, rising from 400 to over 1,000 clicks. Over the last 90 days, when compared to the same dates in the previous year before the site launch, site sessions, unique visitors, and page views have nearly doubled.
Retrospective
While I'm passionate about contributing in a pro bono capacity, it can be challenging due to my limited availability after work. Additionally, I faced the challenge of learning how to build specific elements in Wix, which presented its own set of difficulties.
I would also like to investigate why the bounce rate remains similar to the previous website, exploring opportunities to decrease it.