Cooledtured Website Redesign
My Role
In the team project, my role focused on redesigning the fandom page, blog page, about us page, account login page, and cart checkout.
Timeline
May - July 2024 (12 weeks)
PROBLEM
How to effectively use UX research to redesign the website
As an anime enthusiast and customer for anime toys, I wanted to create a website that would feel engaging, efficient, and easily understandable to the audience. Most of the UX research claims that the website was not cohesive in design, hard to navigate, childish, and messy. This sparked the question— how do I redesign this website to meet the target audience’s needs and wants?
THE SOLUTION
Human-centered Design
Innovation
Design with rounded shapes, Making the flow of the website more intuitive and natural. Create the fandom website with more straightforwardness and direction.
Direction
Creating components that align with the holistic design, making the interactions with the audience more engaging and straight forward for the fandom page.
Creativity
For the blog page, I created new card like designs with the same color palette of lilac, dark blue, and light blue.
Structure
For the about us page, I created new banners that is clear and informational to the audience.
Adaptive
Similarly to the contact banner, I created the account login page with the same color palette, clear text, and straight forward direction.
Holistic
For the cart checkout page, I created the cart checkout with similar buttons, straight forward text, rounded shapes, and clear understanding of what the checkout cart is.
USER INTERVIEWS
My interviewees generally liked the design of the website, but it wasn’t enough to go back and use it for fun.
Cooledtured is a dynamic brand focused on promoting pop culture experiences and cool, curated content. Their goal is to become a go-to platform for discovering unique pop culture trends, anime toys, and anime news. As a brand dedicated to aesthetics and user experience, Cooledtured needed a website that reflects its identity while offering seamless navigation and a visually engaging experience.
USABILITY TESTING QUESTIONS
Were you able to find the webpage dedicated to latest news and updates easily?
How would you describe the overall layout and structure of the blogs page?
What suggestions do you have for improving the blog page?
Were you able to find the webpage dedicated to internship opportunities easily?
How would you describe the overall layout and design of the internship page?
What suggestions do you have for improving the internship page?
Were you able to find the webpage dedicated to videos easily?
How would you describe the overall layout and design of the video page?
What suggestions do you have for improving the videos page?
What features of the website did you find most appealing?
In what areas do you think the website could be improved?
How likely are you to recommend the Cooledtured website to a friend?
Do you have any additional comments or suggestions for improving the website?
THE MAIN INSIGHT
The website was not engaging enough to go back and use it for fun, lacked direction, was not cohesive with the rest of the design, and seemed messy.
Based on the positive components, the intended audience liked the color palette, felt like the website was welcoming, liked the features of the website, and thought the website was eye-catching. For the negative components, the website was messy, lacked direction, and was not cohesive with the rest of the design.
THE COOLEDTURED user persona
25 years old
Anime Enthusiast
USER STORY
Hello, I’m Jose. I’m 25 years old and I live in New York and working in finance. I enjoy my work but it can get stressful at times. I feel the burden of life, but I can easily get some stress relief by using cooledtured’s website to buy the newest anime toys. I like to read their blog page and look at the videos on the website and engage with the discord community as well.
GOALS
Create a bigger anime toy collection, better stress management, and spend more time with family and friends.
MOTIVATIONS
Sense of consumer satisfaction when buying newest toys, reduced stress, and richer personal life.
PAIN POINTS
Easily distracted, disorganized with toys, and goals easily become chores.
THE DESIGN
Project Goals and Setbacks
Brand Alignment: Create a web design that embodies Cooledtured’s brand values of recreational fun, pop cultural relevance, and modern aesthetics.
User Experience: Design a user-friendly interface that provides easy navigation and a seamless browsing experience, encouraging visitors to explore and engage with content.
Responsive Design: Ensure the website is fully responsive and optimized for all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones
I spent the 12 weeks designing wireframes, prototypes, and hi-fidelity designs with my team. We met twice a week and discussed what part of the designs needed improvement and how to synchronize our designs better to match the needs and wants of the intended audience. At first, I struggled a lot with coming up with my own design, but I ended up creating designs by checking out other websites and getting helpful feedback from my teammates.
DESIGN TESTING
Design improvements
During the 12 weeks, I continually gained insights from my project manager as well as team. I continued to redesign every week and also used the user research to innovate with a human centered design.
Challenges
Brand Consistency: Maintaining brand consistency while designing a visually appealing and functional website.
Content Organization: Organizing a large volume of content in a way that is easy to navigate and appealing to users.
Responsive Design: Creating a responsive design that offers a consistent user experience across all devices without compromising on design elements.
DESIGN TESTING
LINK TO CURRENT COOLEDTURED WEBSITE
With repeated testing, feedback, teammate insight, I was able to redesign the website that looked more welcoming, straightforward, and easy to use. My goals were to create with design cohesiveness and innovation.
the final project
The final product
Redesign of the fandom page
Redesign of the blog page
Redesign of the About Us page
Redesign of the cart checkout and login page
CONCLUSION
The Cooledtured web design project successfully met the client’s objectives, delivering a website that not only aligns with their brand values but also enhances user engagement and content management. The project showcases our ability to blend aesthetic design with functional requirements, creating a digital platform that stands out in the competitive lifestyle and culture space.
What I’d do differently next time
If I were to redo this project from the beginning, I would focus on blending more visual aspects with other parts of the website. I would also enhance the visual design by updating the color palette and typography to reflect the brand’s identity. Moreover, I would also focus on mobile responsiveness, and creating UI that would allow the user to easily navigate through the website with their phone.
LINK TO FIGMA FILES
For more information or for a quick meet up, email me at christinacseo@gmail.com
Thank you for reading!