Conclusions & Future Development
The primary challenge for this project was the need to work closely with the stakeholder over the holidays. The short deadline sometimes required me to work ahead while waiting for confirmation and approval from the stakeholder. Ultimately, I did complete this project on schedule and on budget, and I enjoyed working with the stakeholder. I definitely learned that while I can go out of my way to ensure that the stakeholder's needs are met, and that the users are kept in focus throughout the process, it is sometimes necessary to complete a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and continue iteration post-launch.
Challenges Encountered
The most useful part of the process for this project was the fact that branding and design systems were put into place early. This allowed us to focus on the functionality of the site, and allowed us to maintain cohesion throughout iterations.
Future Development
The Problem
REBel LLC did not have a web presence outside of Facebook, and the company did not have a firm understanding of who their user was.
The Solution
R.E.B.el LLC utilizes their website to help 2 distinct segments of their user base (veterans and authors) through two separate ventures:
Transitioning Warrior
helps veterans thrive in their civilian lives through educating, coaching, and connecting veterans.
Publishing Pathfinders, a branch of REBel LLC, also seeks to help new authors self publish for the first time.
This project sought to create a brand identity for both ventures and a site that clearly indicated which segment was currently engaged.
The Impact
-Clear branding
-Improved adherence to WCAG accessibility standards.
Project Context
Meeting Stakeholder Expectations and Managing Feasibility
Challenge to be overcome: The stakeholder is a very "big picture" person, but rarely thinks about the feasibility of implementation. I needed to first develop a clear branding strategy and narrow down the scope of the project.
Stakeholder Workshop: I conducted a 3 hour stakeholder workshop in which we investigated 1) Target user personas for each venture 2) Brand voice characteristics in comparison to her personal voice
3) Color pallets for each venture that overlapped but were still distinct 4) Image constraints
5) Typography brainstorming 6) Scope and feasibility of features
As a result, we conducted a card sort and user flows to demonstrate what users currently need and what she would like to eventually grow into. The result brought expectations within feasible limits and created a breakdown and understanding of the budget proposal.
Discovering competitors: The stakeholder recognized that she had competitors within both service domains, but was reluctant to really look at what they did well. I conducted a competitive SWOT analysis to demonstrate the things that worked (like calendar interfaces for events) and things that didn't (overly complex sponsorship tiers).
Planning
Ideation was not a single sprint
Because of the timeframe and limited interaction time with the stakeholder (who insisted on involvement at this stage) we engaged in paper wireframes first.
Wireframing on paper during our ideation session allowed me to test out several component types (calendars, brief event items, and detailed cards) until an event page could be agreed upon. I used guerilla user testing in the coffee shop to determine the most favorable layout.
The stakeholder needed to see mid-fi wireframes before I built it out in Wix.
This approach allowed us to minimize re-design once the page was in development.
We iterated on several plans and explored how the design would adapt responsively to tablet and mobile until arriving at the following design:
Once these wireframes were approved, high fidelity prototype was made, the designs were annotated, and it passed into development.
Execution
The site went through 3 iterations prior to launch on December 15, 2023.
The end result is live at https://www.rebel-llc.com/veteran-breakfast
