ELI MTZ
Landscaping
A responsive website for a landscaping contractor service
Role
UX Designer and Product Designer
Timeline
80 hours (2 weeks)
Project Overview
Tools
Figma/Figjam, Maze, Optimal Workshop
EliMtz Landscaping is an emerging contractor in the Monterey County, CA, area. Whose mission is to bring homeowners' landscaping visions to life. This project involves crafting a responsive engaging website and crafting a online identity for the Elimtz landscaping, with a the focus on intuitive design and a seamless user experience.
Through user research, wireframing, and iterative testing, the website aims to amplify EliMtz's online presence, showcasing services, past projects, and simplifying connections with homeowners in the local community.
The Current Problem
EliMtz Landscaping lacks a website and logo to effectively promote it’s residential contracting services in Monterey County area.
What ELiMtz Landscaping wants to change
Currently the owner relies on Facebook Marketplace to promote themselves for clients. The challenge is to transition to a professional website, establishing an online presence and craft a logo for the company that attracts potential customers actively seeking landscaping services in .
In order to identify any possible solutions, I needed to identify our objective and business goals:
Before beginning my research I wanted to start off by having a kick off meeting with the stakeholder. I wanted to gain some insight about the buisness’ in detail and set the stage. Through this meeting I was able to identify two clear objectives, the first set was the buisness’ goals and secondly our objective
Business Goals
Develop a user-friendly website to showcase EliMtz's contracting business and services.
Design a unique logo for ELiMtz Landscaping to use as a central element in branding.
Reduce FAQ’s and expand the client base
Our Objective
How might we transition from Facebook Marketplace to a dedicated website that serves as a comprehensive platform for potential customers actively seeking landscaping services?
Research & Discovery
Let’s listen to potential users. Who are they ?
Let’s start with research
To begin this project, I conducted moderated user interviews with 3 people who had expereince utilizing a landscaping service in the past, present or in the process of looking for one.
The objectives in mind was to collect qualitative data on the following:
Define and identify the characteristics and preferences of potential users who might visit a landscaping contractor’s website
Determine the primary goals and expectation users have when seeking landscaping services
Obtain insight on the desired features and functionality users would find valuable on the website
“Needs to be able to trust, a solid referral goes a long way to building trust in landscaping”
“Always have contact info readily available to someone looking at your website”
“Yelp & Facebook were the places I mostly clicked on since most landscapers don’t have a site”
A bump in the road…
Although the plan was to collect insights from five user interviews, a minor challenge arose as the recruitment of participants reached a temporary standstill. I wanted to assure the project timeline for completion of a 2 week span was met, and in order to optimize efficiency I shifted toward employing a survey based methodology.
Getting back on the road!!
Switching gears through a quantitative approach
By pivoting to a survey approach, I was able to well-refine the questions asked in the survey derived from my initial user interviews. I successfully gathered 5 new participants that aided in unveiling additional insights.
Combining our data, user interviews and survey
Compiled and synthesized crucial insights using affinity mapping, based on findings from both user interviews and surveys, has revealed the following key takeaways.
Key Findings
Our target audience are primary homeowners over the age of 30 with full-time positions. They care a lot about trust and cost
Users emphasize trustworthiness as crucial factor and expressed a desire to see reference of pervious work before making a decision
: Users value landscaping websites that address their queries and concerns, They express a dislike for a lack of online presence for the landscapers they have in mind highlighting the importance of websites providing comprehensive information and visible references to facilitate their decision-making process.
Let’s learn from direct competitors. How exactly do our competitors run their online businesses?
Next, I conducted my own research and in parallel contacted our stakeholder to compile a roster of local competitor local to that of ELI MTZ Landscaping. Once the list was established I conducted an analysis of their strengths, weakness and potential areas of improvement in their website.
Key Findings
Two business have been in buisness’’ for a few years not and built up a large set of clients expanding their online presence.
Design patterns I should consider are minimal UI elements, a simple navigation section addressing questions and concerns as requested by stakeholder and gathered through analysis.
Reveled insights on avoiding information overload, small font size, unclear information
an emphasize in trust-building through presented information, selection of testimonials and past projects.
visual display of contact information for immediate user access
Define
What was learned in the research process
As the research phase came to and end, my focus and learned knowledge centered around two points
The owner of Elimtz landscaping and his mission to reach a greater audience through a online Prescence and showcasing his passion in agriculture and landscaping by being an aid to others vision.
The Users goals to prioritize trust, credibility, budget and a source of information to answer common questions that influence their decision making process on a landscaper.
Let’s meet our potential users. Defining our user persona
Following thorough research and validating our solution, our findings unveiled insights into the potential characteristics of ELiMtz Landscaping's visitors.
Say Hello,
Sitemap
With our user goals in mind and our stakeholders vision, I began mapping out ELI MTZ Landscaping navigation and information architecture.
The research concluded the importance of what users expect to see when they visit a landscaping, such as contact information, who they are, what they offer, testimonials and/or reviews, images all contributing factors to their decisions making process and trust building with a potential landscaper.
Task Flow
After mapping out what the navigation I began building a scenario and task based around our potential visitors and what that flow would look for.
Design
With a comprehensive grasp of our intended audience and their goals and needs, I identified essential design elements and key functionalities necessary for our website. Concurrently, I considered and incorporated any design patterns requested by our stakeholders.
Initial concepts, Desktop and Mobile wireframes
Building a Brand & UI Kit
The stakeholder emphasized the importance of developing a logo and brand for the business's online presence that aligned with the stakeholder's specific requests. Following a concise series of iterations, we finalized the logo and then proceeded to gradually unveil our UI guide for the website.
High-Fidelity Desktop wireframes
High-Fidelity Mobile wireframes
Test & Iterate
Prototyping and putting the designs to the test
After finalizing the primary design layout the next step involved gathering further insights through user testing. The goal was to determine whether users could complete the key task flow given with ease, Identify any confusions or frustrations in the navigation and/or overall design.
Brief overview of our testing method,
Conducted remote testing via Maze tool in which a total of 7 participants completed the following tasks.
Navigate Home Page and learn more about a service offered
Request a free estimate via the contact form.
View gallery of past project and send a message of interest.
Metrics to measure
Task Success Rate
Error Free Rate
User feedback
Test Results
100%
Task Completion Success Rate
Users completed task presented, no users left or unfinished a task.
89%
Avg. Error Free Rate
Based from testers who had to re-read their task or a misclick
86%
Avg. Rate of Nav. Ease
Testers rated navigation to be very easy.
User Feedback
4 out of 8 users emphasized wanting to see more photos of their projects and categorization on images
1 out 7 users presented a issue with font being a bit smaller
UI and layout was appreciated by a majority, “the flow and UI was good!”
Usability and ease of use for a majority of users was highly regarded as very straightforward, and use.
Users valued the simplification of the navigation, clear and to the point with what a potential client would look for in a landscaping buisness’’.
User expressed would be nice to have a “Home” navigation
A step in the right direction, with minimal improvements
Overall our gathered finding through our research were validated, in that users valued minimal navigation, ease of use, and straightforward website with only the necessary's information's need when hiring a landscaping services.
Prioritizing Revisions
However, I successfully pinpointed areas requiring revisions based on user feedback during our testing session. In light of our approaching deadline, I focused on making minimal yet impactful changes, resulting in the implementation of just 2 key revisions.
Categorize images in past projects gallery with details.
Add additional testimonials to gain additional trust and reliability with potential clients
The Final Designs
ELI MTZ Landscaping
Final MVP (Desktop)
Final MVP (Mobile)
Reflection Time
The current solution
Created a website design for EliMtz Landscaping first website and crafted a logo that would adhere to the stakeholders requirements, buisness goals and overall introduction of its online presence.
Why the design works ?
The design is crafted to cater to the needs and goals of our audience as they navigate through the landscaping site.
Its purpose extends beyond mere convenience for potential clients; it aspires to foster a profound sense of trust, reliability, and credibility in every visitor. The ultimate goal is to inspire users to seamlessly engage with the services and site, effectively addressing their questions and concerns.
The impact for a buisness
From a business standpoint, a website of this nature is intended to establish a strong brand identity, be taken seriously, and in hopes to grow their cliental. A great starting point for the buisness’ online presence and brand as a whole that will allow them to be efficient with their recruitment process of more clients and larger audiences.
Lessons Learned
Keep the focused on buisness’ goals and addressing potential user goals and needs, sticking by this will reduce the amount of times you can go on tangent trying to unveil insights not regarded for in the scope of the project.
Prioritizing the timeline and adapting to missed marks. Often times is is best to be efficient and find a workaround when you need it is to meet deadlines and make note of revisit if time allows.
Draft up reflections early on for each design process, I often times skip this step in the design process but I realize it should be prioritized in every step of my design process to organize thoughts after each step to make it easier when outlining my case study.
Next Steps
If given more time I would ensure to conduct additional user testing on the revisions made to dig deep into the little things as well as continue with working alongside Eli Mtz Landscaping stakeholder to deploy the the website to live.