Grove Salon
Redesigning for better usability
Client
Grove Salon
Category
Responsive web design, UX/UI design, UX research
Tools
Figma, Optimal Workshop, Miro
Role
Sole UX designer & researcher
The Problem
Grove Salon is decreasing in revenue up to 10% year after year through limited online booking. They need to improve the traction, and functionality of their website by promoting their online booking, and “Meet Your Stylist” systems.
Business Goals
Increase amount of online bookings, leading to an increase in revenue
Improve information architecture for better functionality
Improve “Meet Your Stylist” system to help users better connect with a hair stylist
How do users feel about the existing website?
70% of users said they wouldn’t know what this website was for, the photos were not specifically of hair, but of people (specifically the first image on the meet your artists slide). When scrolling down the landing page, they got more information but overall, it was still a bit confusing for them.
50% said the titles of buttons were confusing, like “gift certificate” and “new guest gift”. They wondered “what’s the difference?”
20% of users desired more information about the salon and it’s achievements.
100% of users emphasized on the importance of seeing the actual stylists and their work before booking an appointment.
What information would be most helpful when visiting a salon website?
After interviewing the salon owner and 4 participants, I identified pain points within the existing website. A reoccurring theme amongst the participants was wanting to see the actual stylists and their work before deciding to make an appointment. Users seemed more inclined to book an appointment if they could find a stylist they could connect with.
User interview consensus: clients want to know more about their hairstylist
Common themes when looking at a salon website, or as someone looking for a new salon were:
Seeing or connecting with a stylist and their work before booking an appointment
Preferring to see reviews before booking
Preferring to see services and pricing before booking
Based on user findings, I discovered users desire to connect more with the hair stylist directly.
Users want to see images of stylists work, and build a connection with them before and after booking a service. To help build on this, I created 2 user personas that identify with this theme:
Once I knew what the user goals were, I performed a competitor analysis to see how other businesses and local hair salons are helping their clients connect with their stylists.
The common themes for the competitors were:
A page of stylists with clickable links to their social media
Photos of stylist services
Information underneath buttons/links to give users more context
An obvious CTA button to book appointments
The competitor analysis helped me to also gain insight on how other sites handled their navigation and information architecture, so I performed a card sort to confirm how users grouped their information:
Based on all the themes I had gathered, it was time to start mapping the user flow.
This helped me when sketching my solutions and creating wireframes, which you can see below.
After usability testing, I discovered 2 common issues.
Users desired the services menu to have more interaction and images rather than it just being simple a list of services.
For the stylists page, it would be easier for users to see key words about a stylist that related to their specialties, so it might be easier to see which stylist would be best for them.
Services menu before & after
Icons to help give clearer indication of services
Images on each menu selection changes relating to the services
Easier/cleaner navigation for users
Meet the stylists before & after
Stylist headshot and about info
List of specialties with icons to help clients better select a stylist
Button that directs user to a selected stylists Instagram
All desktop and mobile screens
Prototype
Key takeaways & next steps
Salon owner is currently looking for a developer. Three months after the website is launched we will analyze the metrics compared to before the redesign to evaluate impact.
Our hypothesis is there will be a 20% increase of bookings from the previous web experience and a 10% increase in word of mouth referrals. Iterations will be made based on findings, with potential to add a messaging feature for easier client communication.
When looking to book services at a new place, whether it be a salon, spa, nail salon, clients desire seeing photos of completed work.
A business website is a lens to seeing the reliability, trust and energy of a place before ever entering through their actual doors. It’s important that the values we uphold in real life are showcased here, showing the potential of what could be to new guests/clients.
