CASE STUDY
UX & UI Process for a new website for EcoTurism Hudičevec
Read time: 6 min
Slovenia’s popularity among tourists is rapidly growing and with that trend, EkoTourism Hudičevec is also becoming a more and more desired destination for a short break in nature.
Good location with cozy accommodations, a wide range of home-prepared food and great hospitality are just a few to mention that bring tourists to come (back) to Hudičevec. The experience that tourist gets on the farm is perfect.
However, this could hardly be said for Hudičevec’s website. The UX was never really good and the UI also needed updating to bring the experience on the website as high as the experience on the farm.
Good location with cozy accommodations, a wide range of home-prepared food and great hospitality are just a few to mention that bring tourists to come (back) to Hudičevec. The experience that tourist gets on the farm is perfect.
However, this could hardly be said for Hudičevec’s website. The UX was never really good and the UI also needed updating to bring the experience on the website as high as the experience on the farm.
THE CHALLENGE
"Old" website was just too old
Main goal: well thought UX, modern UI and online booking
The existing Hudičevec’s website was not only visually outdated and less attractive, but it also had major problems with user flows. It just wasn’t as intuitive as it should have been, therefore, the drop of the users was too high.
Due to poor UX of the current website and its bad navigation, the analytics did not show any useful data about past user flows, which made the UX research even tougher.
In regards to other improvements – the client wanted to replace the online form for booking with a direct online booking plugin integrated with their main booking system and therefore optimize the booking process.
It turned out that the goal of this project was very clear after all:
New website with well-thought UX and modern UI that converts well, with the new functionality of direct online booking.
Due to poor UX of the current website and its bad navigation, the analytics did not show any useful data about past user flows, which made the UX research even tougher.
In regards to other improvements – the client wanted to replace the online form for booking with a direct online booking plugin integrated with their main booking system and therefore optimize the booking process.
It turned out that the goal of this project was very clear after all:
New website with well-thought UX and modern UI that converts well, with the new functionality of direct online booking.
THE PROCESS
Time spent on UX research is time well spent
Everything fitted in its place nicely
Focused on the main goal I jumped right into creating the project plan.
It started with an in-depth interview with the client and a thorough analysis of customer reviews, followed by creating personas and a complete analysis of the old page’s analytics. That, together with market and competitor analysis, enabled me some quality data-driven decisions.
Finally, I was ready to define user flow and set up the initial wireframes for all pages. In that step, I also paid extra attention to make site navigation as intuitive as possible. After some basic testing, it was time to proceed to design the UI.
It started with an in-depth interview with the client and a thorough analysis of customer reviews, followed by creating personas and a complete analysis of the old page’s analytics. That, together with market and competitor analysis, enabled me some quality data-driven decisions.
Finally, I was ready to define user flow and set up the initial wireframes for all pages. In that step, I also paid extra attention to make site navigation as intuitive as possible. After some basic testing, it was time to proceed to design the UI.
THE RESULT
When the UX is done well the UI is a pleasure to do
All UI elements were created from scratch due to recent rebrand
I have started with defining some basic UI elements and am building the design system ever since. This keeps the experience pleasant and style consistent across all pages. Due to a partial rebranding of the Hudičevec brand, all UI elements needed renewal.
Once the initial high-fidelity design was completed and confirmed by the client, I created a functional prototype that showed all the potential and functionality of the new website (except the online booking – external plugin).
Comparing new website design with the “old” website and at the same time checking the final result towards the initially set goals, I am happy to realize that the time and effort spent on the UX and UI design was well worth it.
Once the initial high-fidelity design was completed and confirmed by the client, I created a functional prototype that showed all the potential and functionality of the new website (except the online booking – external plugin).
Comparing new website design with the “old” website and at the same time checking the final result towards the initially set goals, I am happy to realize that the time and effort spent on the UX and UI design was well worth it.
THE CONCLUSION
Although this project is not yet completed, namely the page is not live yet, I am happy with the implementation of new design and with the results of user testing through the prototype. Feedback received from the client and test-users is great and we all look forward to getting the page live as soon as possible.
This case study will be updated on the go, so make sure you keep an eye on it for the updates.
This case study will be updated on the go, so make sure you keep an eye on it for the updates.
Interested in
collaboration?
I would really like to hear about your idea.
Let’s discuss how to turn it into a successful business or project and bring the potential clients your way.