Responsive site for a Washington Veterinarian Hospital
-
Design a responsive site for an out-of-state veterinarian that includes the following:
reviews
staff bios / pictures
hours of operation
-
We were not operating under a strict timeline, though we needed to be strategic with design due to the hospital being newly acquired and the new owners expressing concerns about retaining the clinic’s long-time clients.
-
Solo designer
My initial objective was to obtain a clear understanding of the hospital’s goals for clientele and culture. Since the client was out-of-state, this understanding came in the form of inquiry and listening, requesting pictures, and taking note of overall tone. From there, execution needed to match—from colors, font, information architecture, intuitive design, and voice.
-
Using a 4D process (while also referring to the revamped double diamond process) allowed me to stay in ideation for an extended period of time, which was beneficial for this project in particular. This allowed me to explore many potential solutions, assess their feasibility and usability, and land on the solution that best fits the client/user.
Goal:
retain existing client loyalty and trust while transferring ownership of clinic
communicate that existing values of clinic will remain
odes to Washington and retiring owner
Persona
Understanding the long-time patients was the main objective for this project, therefore creating a persona was the first step of the process. This persona informed all decisions, from color, look and feel, tone, imagery, and content.
-
Process
This process provides further context to the well-known 4D process and breaks down the process into various steps. The research and synthesis portions converge with the ideation and implementation portions at a “how might we” point between the two. This is where I explored different design options both in terms of how to organize the site logistically and visually.
-
Ideation
Notes, competitive analysis, and a short draft of the IA.
Learnings from the competitive analysis:
- clear CTAs are necessary
- not too text heavy (progressive disclosure will be helpful)
- needs to communicate empathy (users want to feel like their vet will care about their pets as much as they do)
-
Wireframe
We wanted to begin with a nature/animal image to capture the Washington feel. Include a clear CTA in the top right. And include text that embodied the purpose of their clinic in a way that spoke to their small town clientele. I suggested including reviews directly after the hero section. Here’s why: the new owners bought this hospital from an extremely well-liked veterinarian who was retiring. The existing clientele expressed concerns about this transition. We needed the clients to be able to open the website and experience immediate validation from users just like them.
Mid-fid wireframe
Hero section containing logo, top nav, CTA, and compelling image
reviews
services
team
veterinarian
location
blog
Designing with intention
-
The theme and overall goal for this site is to:
validate and reassure existing clientele
communicate compassion and competency (which is why these exact words are on the home page)
ensure a seamless transition to the new vet for both pets and their humans
-
We needed to ensure the diction of the site was intentional, accurate, and communicated in a caring way. Based on the competitive analysis, many of the competitors were either being praised or criticized for their ability to show they are for both humans and animals. This seemed to be first on the clients’ priority list.
-
The owner had specific content they needed to include: staff bios/picture, hours, and a few odes to the retiring doctor. Beyond that, the sky was the limit; they gave me full creative control. Couldn’t ask for a better project! I knew including reviews would be valuable. I played around with the idea of including 3 key values; these made the final cut. And we ended up including a farewell letter from the retiring doctor in which he expressed full support for the new veterinarian. Such a team effort!
-
Both the hospital owner and I share this value of inclusion. We wanted to include all staff, the retired owner, an ode or two to him and Washington by including a specific flower (as seen in the hero image and in the footer), and honorary kennel members. The client’s values and direction were so apparent when speaking, and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to express those values through this web design.
