Sugarcreek Natural Pet Site Overhaul
Client: Sugarcreek Natural Pets
Role: Visual Design, UX Design, UX Writing
Timeline: 2 months
Tools: Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch
I was hired for this short-term project focused on re-designing a responsive web site for this small pet supplies company. The company had a very minimal page that they had thrown together via Wix with an active shop. However, after finding that they were doing much more business online then originally thought, the company wanted a more efficient and user-friendly web presence.
The logo and general style guide (colors, fonts, etc.) were not to be changed. Instead I focused on the following needs of the company:
- More streamlined design with easy-to-access sections of the site
- A page that is enjoyable for people to shop from
- Account registration and sign-up
- Location & mapping services
- FAQ page
- Wholesale page and password-protected access
- Copy, copy, copy! They were in need of concise yet engaging copy for the entire site
About the Project
I was given a large leash with this project as the company is small and just starting out. They have no in-house designers. They did have a few small ideas thought, but in general wanted me to “do my thing.”
Iterations worked a bit differently for this project in that no wireframes or prototypes were submitted. Instead, I developed designs based on communications from the company owners, then sat down with them in-person to go over their thoughts, any potential changes, and what they needed next. It was a much slower process.
Lessons Learned
It’s important to maintain brand consistency even when doing a full re-design of a site.
Though building designs by starting with wireframes is probably more efficient, there is something to be said for company’s who prefer to start with a fully designed page to view (and iterate upon).
