Orlando Welcome
Overview
Orlando Welcome is a nonprofit organization that helps provide a "home away from home" to international Disney interns. Our goal was to design an open, welcoming webpage for the interns with a focus on usability and overall flow of the website. I worked with Orlando Welcome's design team to develop and implement strategies to improve the UX and UI aspects of their website.
Problem
Orlando Welcome wanted their branding to be fun and spark interest in students while maintaining an easy-to-follow format for non-native English speakers. The revisions were made using SquareSpace, where I had to overcome the challenge of having limited flexibility in our website design.
Solution
I gathered elements of presentation and layout design from various organizations' websites and adapted them to fit the specific goals of Orlando Welcome. I also created surveys and conducted interviews with international interns in order to learn what type of information they look for on this type of website. With this research, I was able to recommend effective updates to the website.
Role
UX Researcher / Consultant
Design Process
I used Orlando Welcome's original branding to direct my research. During my interviews, I focused on learning what expectations an intern has when going abroad with an international program. Reflecting on this information, I began the design process by making wireframes and prototypes.
Timeline
I followed the classic design process for this project as outlined below. The following sections of this case study elaborate on each step of this process.
Empathize
Orlando Welcome's original website design was plain, disorganized, and unintuitive. I began my research by analyzing websites of different nonprofit organizations, making note of their designs and the information contained in order to help me better understand how to reach an international audience. With this basic knowledge, I then wrote a survey and interviewed real international interns to gain an insider's perspective on what would draw an intern to a particular organization.
Research Findings
Survey Interviews: I found top categories that international interns/students consider when looking at websites.
Top 5: housing options, location safety, community/networks, reviews, and transportation
One on One interviews: I asked interviewees about what they thought of the Orlando Welcome website.
Target Audience
Ages of 18-30
Survey Interviews
9 survey questions
18 responses
One on One Interviews
5 interviews (21-24 years old)
1 in study-abroad program
4 international students; 2 went on to internships
Empathy Map
Define
I synthesized the information I gained from my interviews into a measurable design goal for the new webpage.
Key words: Focused, Welcoming, Clean, Crisp, Young, International
The “About” Page
“ I like it when I understand more of what the organization is about and there is an easy way to connect with them.”
-Abbi
International interns look for clear information about the organization and its goals. A well-organized "About" page helps people understand and get excited about the organization's vision.
Clear Images
“ I love looking at the images of different attractions on the website and having clear designs.”
-Abhi
Many of the interviewees noted that seeing sharp images and a clean website design would attract them to a particular organization when looking into interning abroad.
Headings
“ I want to be able to find all the information that I need without searching too hard for it. One important aspect is visa information!”
-Mercy
Visitors should be able to quickly and easily find the information they need (visa, housing, etc.) with simple, descriptive headings.
After each interview, I crafted a persona including the interviewee's background, individual needs, and challenges. These personas were used to improve Orlando Welcome's responsive web design and overall user-friendliness.
Persona
Site Map
I created the sitemap above to organize and define the information from my research.
Ideate
Throughout each step of the design process, I had to constantly return to findings from the user research phase to integrate into the revised website. Some of the major updates included adding more information about Orlando Welcome and compiling important forms that users would need.
Key Ideas
Show more about what Orlando Welcome does
Include easy “Contact Us” CTA
show user testimonials and image gallery
Have simple navigation to important forms, e.g. visa information
iPad Low-Fi Sketches
Low-fi Wireframes
Prototype
I wanted my prototype to have clear information for international interns who are looking for a community in their transition to Florida. My goal was for them to want to keep scrolling through the website. I created webpage mockups and consulted with the team at Welcome Orlando to finalize the design.
Steps
Created multiple high-fidelity webpage prototypes, including
Homepage, About/Mission page, Services/How We Help page
Housing & Transportation form, Cell Phone form, Visa form
Testimonial page, Contact Us page
Conducted user testing with the original interviewees, following a specific scenario within the prototype
Requested feedback to gauge whether users understood the organization's mission
Testing Process
Task
The interviewee has just been accepted for an internship with Disney in Orlando, FL. They are living abroad for the first time and have come across Orlando Welcome, an organization that provides free services and assistance to international interns. They want to learn more about Orlando Welcome!
Challenge
While the actual user testing process went smoothly, my challenge was to develop a design that would be easy to implement on the Squarespace platform.
Reflection
Overall, the users loved the new website and how it looked. Specifically, they were still looking for more visa information and more pictures. In my own analysis, I found that wording is very important so that speakers of English as a second language could still easily navigate the site.
“ The website was pleasing to the eye and very fun and colorful! I found it super welcoming and easy to use as well.”
-Abbi
Reflections
Future Steps
Continue to working on corrections with design team
Apply final wireframe to Squarespace
Continue updating the website information
The website was officially launched! Click down below to view.
Communication is Key
While working on this project with Orlando Welcome, I learned how to effectively communicate and share ideas with a team. Sometimes I almost had to over-communicate so that I could fully understand their expectations! I learned how I worked best with other people and how to use my skills most effectively in my role as part of a larger design team.