Background
The Inner West Creative Network (IWCN) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to fostering a supportive and collaborative environment for creative professionals within Sydney’s Inner West. The Network’s ultimate goal is to enhance the visibility and success of its members while contributing to the cultural vibrancy of the region.
One of IWCN’s main avenues for connecting with its members is its website, an online directory for creatives to connect with each other and with potential clients. Built with a web-based directory software called Brilliant Directories, the IWCN website offers their members a platform to promote their work, share resources, and advertise community-led workshops in the Inner West region.
Design Focus
The primary objective of my internship was to redesign and rebuild the IWCN website, with the help of a volunteer branding intern, to create a more engaging online experience for the Network’s members. The Network’s committee had a number of goals that they wanted to achieve:
Improving Website Usability
The committee believed that their existing website was lacking clarity, consistency, and user-friendliness. Accordingly, they wanted us to redesign the website to make navigation more intuitive for its users, and to improve the overall usability of the directory’s interface.
Increasing Member Engagement
Despite having over 500 registered members, there was little engagement on the website’s multitude of pages. Thus, we were tasked with implementing new features to facilitate more interaction among members, and between members and potential clients.
Refreshing the Brand and Visual Design
One of the committee’s overarching goals was to attract new members, particularly from the younger demographic. As the current website was designed in a hurry, they wanted a complete “brand refresh” to better align the website’s visual aesthetics with the Network’s identity — modern, welcoming, and “in the know”.
Enhancing Functionality
As there were no technically-proficient members in the committee, they were unsure of the extent that the Brilliant Directories platform could be modified to suit their needs. One of my tasks as the sole developer was to implement backend improvements to streamline user interactions and increase the overall utility of the website, where possible.
Initial Assessment and Planning
Usability Evaluation
After an initial meeting with our supervisor, the branding intern and I decided that our first step was to conduct a thorough usability evaluation of the existing IWCN website using Jakob Nielsen’s usability heuristics framework. After taking screenshots of each page and making annotations together, we identified several critical issues:
Competitive Audit
The next step was to devise a plan for redesigning the website’s overall structure.
To inform our redesign strategy, we conducted a competitive audit by analysing the websites of similar organisations. We examined elements such as navigation structure, visual design, user engagement features, and content presentation.
This audit provided valuable insights into industry best practices and potential areas for improvement, setting a benchmark for our redesign efforts.
User Research
As with any design project, it was crucial to understand the needs and preferences of the Network’s users. We conducted interviews with key stakeholders via Zoom video calls, including committee members and active members, to gather detailed insights into their experiences and pain points with the existing website.
Preparation
We developed a set of open-ended questions focusing on the purpose of the Network, their goals, as well as their thoughts on various aspects of the user experience, including navigation, content relevance, visual appeal, and functionality. We also included questions about specific features, such as the member directory and event listings, to understand their utility and any issues users faced.
User Testing
We used the think-aloud method during our interviews, encouraging participants to verbalise their thoughts as they navigated the website. As participants were able to share their screen with us in real time, this approach helped us capture live reactions and uncover specific pain points in a natural environment.
Analysis
Post-interview, we used affinity diagramming to systematically analyse the feedback. We categorised the insights into common themes and patterns, such as a perceived lack of context in the website content, the need for more compelling visuals and calls-to-action, uncertainty about the purposes of member dashboard features, and confusion about the naming conventions of post categories, among other issues. This structured approach helped us prioritise the most critical problems and further informed our redesign strategy.
Redesign Strategy
Based on our research and evaluations, we developed a comprehensive redesign strategy focusing on the following areas:
Navigation
One of the most pressing issues with the website was its disorganised navigation structure. Therefore, we prioritised simplifying the site’s information architecture to give users a more streamlined navigation experience.
Visual Design
It was a widely-held sentiment among participants that the website’s visual design was not as compelling as it could be. Thus, we decided to work on creating a cohesive visual design that appeals to younger creatives while still being aligned with the Network’s authoritative identity.
Engagement Features
While the Network aims to be a platform for creatives to connect with each other and potential clients, the notion of building an entire social network to replace other avenues for creatives to connect was not only too ambitious, but unnecessary.
With this in mind, we decided to leverage the customisability of Brilliant Directories to optimise conversion rates and help members drive traffic to their existing websites and social media profiles.
Sketches and Mockups
Next, we created sketches, low-fidelity, and mid-fidelity mockups of the redesigned pages to visualise the proposed changes. We also developed user flow diagrams to map out the interactions and ensure that the user experience was seamless. These visual tools were essential for communicating our ideas and receiving feedback from stakeholders.
Brand Refresh
Working closely with the branding intern, I undertook a comprehensive review of the Network’s current branding elements and created a new brand guideline to modernise their visual identity. This included multiple variations of new colour palettes, typography specifications, and new logos to be presented to the committee for feedback.
Once we had gathered feedback from each member of the committee, we decided on a final set of brand elements to be implemented in the website redesign.
To further promote the website and incentivise user engagement, we created custom badges for users to display on other platforms. These badges, designed to be visually appealing and aligned with the new branding guidelines, encouraged users to showcase their affiliation with the Network.
By embedding these badges on their personal websites and social media profiles, users not only increased their own credibility but also drove traffic back to the IWCN website. This strategy boosted the Network’s visibility and fostered a sense of community and pride among members.
Implementation
The development phase involved making necessary changes on a test site, followed by further usability evaluations to ensure the modifications met the desired objectives. Using a test site as a high-fidelity mockup offered several advantages:
Iterative Testing
As I had no prior experience with using Brilliant Directories, I was unsure about how customisable the platform was. Making small, incremental changes on a test site allowed me to identify and resolve issues early and efficiently. Additionally, it minimised the risk of introducing bugs or usability problems when deploying custom-built plugins to the live site.
Stakeholder Interaction
Using a functional site as a high-fidelity mockup enabled stakeholders and end-users to interact with the new features in a controlled environment, helping them visualise proposed changes and understand their impact. By validating modifications in a realistic setting, I ensured that the final implementation would meet user needs and enhance the overall user experience as intended.
Backend Improvements
As the sole developer, I reviewed the backend functions of the Brilliant Directories platform and identified several areas for improvement. My modifications included rewriting PHP functions to streamline user interactions and enhance the functionality of various built-in modules.
One significant improvement involved enabling prospective clients to access users’ LinkedIn service pages or a contact form via a dynamic call-to-action button, depending on whether users had provided their LinkedIn username. By implementing conditional logic in the PHP scripts, I ensured that if a LinkedIn username was present, the system generated a link to the user’s LinkedIn service page. If not, it redirected prospective clients to a contact form directly on the website.
The addition of a dynamic button facilitated smoother connections between website members and clients, enabling creatives to leverage the platform to gain social proof on a reputable professional network, via new LinkedIn connections and service reviews, while also providing an incentive to register an account on the Network. This approach enhanced the overall user experience and increased the platform’s utility for both clients and creatives.
User Testing
We conducted user testing with four non-committee creatives to validate our improvements. This testing provided unbiased feedback and ensured that the redesign addressed real user needs and preferences. Each session involved navigating the test site, performing specific tasks, and providing feedback on their experience. The insights gained from these sessions were invaluable in fine-tuning our design and functionality.
Key Takeaways
When I first started redesigning IWCN’s website, I thought it would primarily involve coding and some graphic design. However, it quickly became clear that designing and developing a social network involves much more. Managing the project required me to consider the user experience from multiple angles, ensuring the platform was intuitive, engaging, and met the needs of its diverse user base. Additionally, conducting user research taught me the importance of systematically identifying areas for improvement and prioritising user needs in creating a product that successfully serves its userbase.
Lessons in Product Management
The design and development process taught me several key aspects of product management. Working with the branding intern to create a roadmap for the website redesign and having regular check-ins with our supervisor and key stakeholders highlighted the value of clear goal-setting, effective communication, and adaptability. Involving users in the testing phase allowed us to identify pain points and areas for improvement that weren’t initially apparent, emphasising the significance of user feedback.
Overcoming Technical Constraints
Working on the backend of the Brilliant Directories platform was both challenging and rewarding. I had to quickly familiarise myself with the platform’s architecture and limitations, which pushed me to think creatively about solutions. Additionally, rewriting PHP functions to improve user interactions highlighted the importance of balancing technical feasibility with user needs.
Developing a web application involves navigating various challenges, from ensuring cross-platform compatibility to optimising performance. Balancing these technical aspects with the overall user experience was a critical part of my role.
Next Steps
My internship with the Inner West Creative Network made a significant impact on how I viewed my own capabilities as a professional web designer and developer. One of the most rewarding aspects of the internship was helping an ambitious team of creative professionals build a vision for their community, and helping them bring that vision to life. The opportunity to work on a project that brings creatives together showed me the real-world value of thoughtful web design.
As I move forward, I plan to focus on strengthening my expertise in strategic design and product management. This includes refining my ability to align design decisions with business objectives, ensuring that user experience improvements directly support long-term growth and engagement. Developing a deeper understanding of product roadmapping and prioritisation frameworks will allow me to make more informed decisions when balancing user needs, technical constraints, and business goals.
Additionally, I aim to enhance my skills in data-driven design by leveraging user research, analytics, and A/B testing to validate design choices and improve product outcomes. Strengthening my stakeholder management abilities will also be a key priority, as effective collaboration between design, development, and business teams is essential for delivering impactful digital products.
Ultimately, my goal is to apply these strategic and product-focused approaches to future projects, ensuring that every design decision contributes to a well-defined vision and creates meaningful value for users and organisations alike.
