VisitScotland.com is the main consumer facing site for Scotland’s National Tourism Organisation.
I am currently working as part of the project team tasked with redeveloping the site. I was brought onto the project as a UX resource and have been asked to conduct user research on several areas of the site before creating sets of wireframes based on my findings and recommendations.
I wanted to make sure I understood all of our existing user personas so their needs were met.
Carried out research of similar sites and a round of user testing of our existing pages.
Based on the research and user needs I developed wireframes for several areas of the site.
High fidelity mockups were then developed based on my wireframes.
Explore the World Enthusiasts
Travel is a significant part of their lifestyle and actively consumer holiday inspiration through Instagram, Pinterest or print.
Time Bound Solutionists
Have a specific time window for their next holiday but will consider variety of destinations based on feasibility.
Backdrop Hunters
They have one key question: Where am I going to have the very specific holiday experience that I have in mind?
Destination Romantics
They have an idealised mental picture of Scotland they want to convert into reality. Respond well to visual inspiration.
Complex Trip Planners
Committed to a holiday with multiple location stops so they can take in as much as possible. Detail is important.
Simple Trip Planners
Quiet relaxed and informal about planning. Don't create detailed itineraries but have clear ideas of what they'd like to see.
Using the in depth persona research I was able to get a good idea of what goals the user groups would be looking to accomplish on a given page. We undertook requirement mapping sessions as a group to properly annotate what information would be needed on a particular page.
This allowed me to carry out research into how other travel sites displayed similar content and begin to sketch module layouts.
I also conducted user testing using our current site to identify any existing pain points our users were facing. By doing this I was able to suggest layout changes that could simplify the site and make the most important tasks easier and more prominent for users. During these tests we found some quite interesting issues such as users misusing certain search functions due to where they were positioned on the page.
Initial sketches of modules were produced for prominent pages and sections of the site, allowing us to start coming up with design concepts that could be mocked up and reused throughout the site.
It was clear from this early stage that we wanted to design the majority of the site reusing only a handful of modules to make it simple for users to navigate and understand content.
An example of a destination page (in this example, Edinburgh) that I mocked up can be seen by following the link.
Once a wireframe has been signed off I will sit with one of our UI designers and discuss which parts of a wireframe can be open to their design interpretation and which elements are critical to a user's journey.
As we have signed wireframes off and began to finalise design elements they have been added to our design system site which allows all members of the team to quickly see what elements can be reused in future layouts. The design system also lays out guidelines for type, icon sets, colour palette and tone of voice.
