SPIDERBOX PHOTOGRAPHY
Introduction
Raffi Alexander, founder of Spiderbox Photography, approached me for a website refresh after 40 years in business. Specializing in corporate photography and iStock imagery, he was nearing retirement and wanted to shift the site’s focus to include his creative work while maintaining its corporate service offerings. At the time, his current site was underutilized, and he relied on networking for clients. Together, we set out to change this.
This capstone was unique, for Spiderbox photography is a family business I was working for, part-time. By utilizing my project management skills, I carried out this capstone as a real contracting job. The designs proved to be a success, and the site is currently being developed.
Responsive Website
End-to-end Product Designer
July - August 2024
USER INTERVIEWS
AFFINITY MAP
I organized my findings through an affinity map which brought my most prevalent stakeholder attitudes and concerns to the surface.
A properly branded landing page and organized portfolio were a few of the pain points often repeated.
It was brought to my attention that Raffi and Connie are motivated by cohesive brand alignment, as well as resourcefulness within a website.
It was clear that they needed a user friendly way to navigate the different types of work Raffi does, while feeling confident and encouraged to book him for their photography needs.
The Task at Hand:
With these themes in mind, I set out dissect the current Spiderbox site, strip it for parts, and find an elegant, creative solution that would meet the company and client’s needs.
Research
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
After evaluating a few competitors using SWOT, I found that all maintain strong client relationships and offer specialized services for their markets. Gittings Photography excels in branding and trust, Hal Bergman leverages industry connections and unique content like drone footage, and Turning Art targets businesses needing creative art installations.
Each faced challenges with site issues and personalization, presenting opportunities to improve landing pages, typography, content organization, and branding. These findings suggested a clear opportunity to design a site that better serves both users and the Spiderbox brand.
Due to Spiderbox.com primarily being a portfolio site, I interview two stakeholders that belonged to the small family business, and focused on…
Knowing what is currently working for the site, and what is not.
Discovering what brings clients to the website, and how they intuitively navigate it.
Understanding the needs of both Team Spiderbox and their clients
Define
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Problem: New and existing clients would love to see Raffi’s current work to know what to expect when hiring him for his services. Right now, the site is unintuitive and messy, leaving the client guessing how to book, prepare for, and select images from a photo sitting. There is a lack of confidence in services provided that does not align with the seasoned expertise that Raffi holds.
How might we design a site that invites prospective clients, who are not familiar with Raffi’s level of expertise, to review his work and schedule him for his services?
PERSONA
With my problem in mind and considerations on how to solve for it, I echoed one of Spiderbox’s clients in a generalized representation called Michael.
Idea Exploration
FEATURE SET
As a designer, I consistently strive for quality over quantity. After a thorough brainstorming session resulting in many ideas for the company site, I carefully prioritized my concepts into four clear categories:
Must Have, Nice To Have, Surprising and Delightful, and Can Come Later
Information
Architecture
USER FLOWS
After running a user card sort, I analyzed my results via dendrogram, participant-centric analysis, similarity matrix, and standardization grid. I then fleshed out a user flow that focused on the
booking task.
Wireframes
LOW & HIGH FIDELITY
From just a few simple low fidelity wireframes, Spiderbox.com was transformed into a brand-forward, portfolio-centered site that provided user-friendly resources to its clients. The evolution here highlights the desire for a refresh, while preserving the company’s message and values.
Usability Testing
COMMON THEMES
Homepage: The homepage is visually appealing but lacks clear mention of "photography."
Navigation: Users prefer control over slideshows, dynamic images, and seek more detailed service information.
Device-Specific Menu: Effective tablet and mobile design, but needs better tab alignment and menu placement improvements.
Gallery Progress : Users suggest adding progress indicators to slideshows.
Resources Usability: FAQ readability proves to be difficult in horizontal format.
REVISIONS
Homepage Navigation: I included underlining to button text to clarify that they could be clicked on.
Hamburger Menu: I introduced a simple, navigable hamburger menu that functions on both tablet and mobile.
Progress Indicators: I designed progress indicators that would appear across all portfolio galleries to improve visual content navigation and orientation.
Manual Navigation: While still including an automatic slideshow, I made manual gallery navigation accessible for the user as well.
FINAL PRODUCT
PROTOTYPE
FINAL THOUGHTS
Spiderbox Photography’s website refresh proved to be a success. Through comprehensive user research, iterative prototyping, and detailed usability testing, the site was tailored to meet the specific needs of both the company and its clients. By highlighting Raffi’s seasoned expertise in the industry, the site not only informs his new and existing clients, but prepares them to receive some of the best corporate photography on the market. Spiderbox.com is currently being fully developed and continuously tested for satisfaction and success.
Moving forward, I will be working with the company to flesh out Raffi’s marketplace, where he will begin to post his creative work for sale.
