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PROJECT HNC

HER NEXX CHAPTER

THE BRIEF

As the Virtual Digital Marketing Director of Her Nexx Chapter, I was able to learn about the brand’s culture and mission from experience and using the website for my own reasons. Female empowerment and diversity and inclusion topics are particular interests of mine. Therefore, it was a pleasure taking on this assignment.

CLIENT & PROJECT GOALS:

HER NEXX CHAPTER is an organization founded on the mission to help women to connect, explore and transform.  It is an online social media platform where, through a monthly membership, women have access to licensed, experienced professionals who host monthly webinars on topics in their respective fields.

DELIVERABLES:

  • Create a new pricing strategy to serve the needs of women of diverse socioeconomic standards

  • Redesign the desktop homepage and start page website

    • Incorporate more modern UI design trends

    • Have a more streamline access to virtual coach information

  • Change the logo and slogan

  • Remove the Diversity box to avoid confusion

  • Content Writer

  • Clarify target audience

SOFTWARE

ADOBE Photoshop

ADOBE XD

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PERSONA
USER INSIGHT

As the Virtual Digital Marketing Director, I have had the opportunity to informally introduce the organization to potential users and receive feedback and insight regarding the information provided on the website. In addition, through observation and attention to patterns in language used, I recognized similar commentary within the organization amongst other volunteers. Words used to describe the website, from non-members and Her Nexx Chapter volunteers, including the organization's hiring and recruiting department included "mysterious" and "vague". In addition, the vagueness in language used posed a consistent question amongst those who have interacted with the platform: what exactly am I paying for?

Taking these comments and feedback into consideration, I created a list of similar complaints and pain points that need to be addressed in the new design.

Problems of the current website (as of August 2020):

  • Unclear details about organization history and mission

  • Impersonal stock images

  • Awkward text wording and text alignment

  • Abstract and confusing imagery

  • Indistinct buttons

  • Too much pink

  • Unclear path to "Start Here" page that holds service information

  • Crowded content

THE PERSONA

As part of Her Nexx Chapter, I had the pleasure a receiving much of my target audience information from the organization founders. Not only does the current website emphasize "baby boomers transitioning into a new phase", the website also states,

"We focus on her need to be supported and uplifted whether she is a Baby Boomer, Gen X or a Millennial." 

 

Based on more recent divisions of generations, Her Nexx Chapter covers a large age range of those born from 1996 to 1946.  

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Image from 2019 Pew Research study

The emphasis on the older age range from both the website and founders led to a focus on women who are tech savvy, active on social media, and lean more towards Generation X and Baby Boomers. Because Her Nexx Chapter emphasizes building community, the potential user is one who values community and group settings, both in-person and virtual.

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OCCUPATION:

  • She works in accounting for a local business but has a business consulting startup she works on three times a week in the evening and weekends

  • Now suddenly teleworking, she finally has time to work out but is out of practice.

MEET SARAH

Our friend, Sarah, is in multiple transitions in her life. She is looking to connect with new people, particularly people with children, in a new home and during COVID19. She is looking for a support group, which is the primary service of Her Nexx Chapter.

Millennial tech savvy with Gen X values: hard workers “keep busy”, highest debt burden, all about collaboration

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RELEVANT HOBBIES & VALUES:

  • Born and raised in Massachusetts but moved with her then husband to the outskirts of Austin, TX

  • She frequently connects with relatives and old college friends on Facebook

  • She has a Twitter account mainly just to follow her favorite news celebrities

  • She has an Instagram but posts on average once every two weeks.

  • She is a consistent weekly Zumba and yoga goer at her local gym

  • Used to go to church often but has not due to the overwhelming responsibilities of motherhood and work

  • Currently with COVID19 she is looking for other women to talk to and connect with

  • She is looking for new ideas to keep her child entertained during COVID19

INSPIRATION
THE INSPIRATION

KEYWORDS: pink color palette, female empowerment, diverse women, strong women

View full Inspiration Board on Pinterest

FINAL DESIGN
THE WIREFRAME

In an informal usability test where I asked women to view the website and share their thoughts and understanding of the brand, I was not surprised by the similar responses. Although the organization's mission to empower women was clear, the exact execution of the goal was unclear. In addition, elements of the site were found to be confusing and unnecessary. 

The wireframe was designed to emphasize the description of the organization and reinforce the mission and execution of the mission. Another goal of the wireframe was to minimize the number of clicks to achieve tasks. Her Nexx Chapter's primary service is providing webinars to women through a membership. However, clear details of the webinars and webinar descriptions were not included on the landing page, and the only link to the primary task was located in the top navigation. 

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Landing Page Header Sketches by Faith Dismuke

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Wireframe Landing Page

Wireframe Membership Page

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THE FINAL DESIGN

The primary goals of the project to modernize the visual design and improve user flow and navigation were done through both written and visual communication. The copywriting for this project improved the introduction of the organization and a clearer description of its services, which primarily include various webinars covering topics relevant self-development and leadership. In addition, the navigation of the website was improved with a simplified top navigation and moving content from the "Start Here" page to the landing page to minimize clicks.

Creating a site that Sarah would like was a great opportunity to incorporate more modern visual trends to the current website. However, there were some difficult constraints that I needed to work around. First, Her Nexx Chapter is a totally virtual organization. This posed as a challenge because it is an organization dedicated to creating a community, but there were no faces associated with the community outside of the founders. Because of that, it was difficult to use images of Her Nexx Chapter members experiencing the benefits of the organization. This led to a lack of authenticity. To overcome that challenge, I used vector images. Vector images are a great way to add character to an organization because they can be designed in various styles that fit the organization image. Using vector images was also a great way to challenge myself. Some of the vector images were bought from online sources. Others were created and/or edited by me using Adobe XD.

Overall, the project accomplished its goals and objectives. However, for better insight, more formal user research and usability testing would be necessary. In addition, as the organization continues to change in values and services, the platform will have new user pain points to address.

Solutions to user pain points:

  • Used modern 2020 trend of vector images

  • Eliminated "Start Here" page

  • Used a more unique typeface for body text

    • Josephine Slab had a typewriter-feel to it which was a nice play on the word "chapter" and its association with reading and text​

  • Explicitly articulated organization goals in the header

  • Changed button styles to be more noticeable

  • Added direct link to services

Vector images by Faith Dismuke

Redesigned Website Prototype by Faith Dismuke

HEADING 1 FONT

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Josephine Slab 100px

BODY FONT

Josephine Slab size 20px

PARAGRAPH FONT

Josephine Slab size 40px

COLORS

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