Jon Orris Design

Rochester Website Redesign

Role

Research, UI/UX (Solo Project)

Timeline

September - November 2023

Skills

UX Design, User Research, Prototyping

Tools

Figma

View process deck →

Role

Research, UI/UX (Solo Project)

Timeline

September - November 2023

Skills

UX Design, User Research, Prototyping

Tools

Figma

View process deck →

Role

Research, UI/UX (Solo Project)

Timeline

September - November 2023

Skills

UX Design, User Research, Prototyping

Tools

Figma

Project Summary

Rochester's current website is outdated, with overwhelming text and too many links, leading to poor user experience. I was tasked with redesigning a section focused on helping residents easily find information about the city's recreational programs. Key goals include:

Provide clear navigation and make information readily accessible
Prioritize readability and ensure a visual cohesion
Provide effective call to actions and visual cues
Integrate interactive elements (search bar, city maps, etc.)

Target Audience & Device

Target Audience &
Device

The Rochester website faces several key issues that negatively impact user experience. These issues, when combined, create a disorganized and frustrating experience for users, ultimately diminishing engagement with the website.

Inconsistent color schemes and type hierarchy confuse users, leading to misinterpretation of content.
Unclear call-to-actions reduce engagement, as users struggle to identify the purpose of buttons or links.
Hidden links blend into regular text, making navigation difficult.
Poor use of white space, especially on the homepage, creates emptiness and weakens the overall design cohesion.

Audience Persona

I conducted two user interviews where participants navigated Rochester's website to find the sports and recreation pages. This allowed me to observe their interactions and identify navigation pain points. Here's the consensus:

"There is too much of a sensory overload. It’s very colorful, but there’s also no specific color scheme. There is too much info jammed into each container."

"Very confusing, I had to think about what I was looking for. There was too much to sift through, and I didn’t find what I was looking for."
"I found the use of the chronological order effective, but there were too many words and not enough graphics to guide me along."

I conducted two user interviews where participants navigated Rochester's website to find the sports and recreation pages. This allowed me to observe their interactions and identify navigation pain points. Here's the consensus:

"There is too much of a sensory overload. It’s very colorful, but there’s also no specific color scheme. There is too much info jammed into each container."

"Very confusing, I had to think about what I was looking for. There was too much to sift through, and I didn’t find what I was looking for."
"I found the use of the chronological order effective, but there were too many words and not enough graphics to guide me along."

UX Trends

I mainly drew inspiration from both the State of Mississippi and City of Silverthorne websites, particularly in their effective use of UI elements and visual design.

Mississippi's site enhances user accessibility with a prominent search bar and chat box. Its blue tones and vibrant accents create a cohesive, appealing color palette, while the background imagery sets a professional yet welcoming tone. This inspired my approach to making key interactive elements on Rochester's site—like the search function and call-to-action buttons—both prominent and user-friendly, with a consistent color scheme to prevent confusion.
The City of Silverthorne's website uses vibrant photography and colors to showcase its attractions, with effective buttons, calendars, and blog posts to keep users informed. Inspired by this, I integrated local imagery and key Rochester attractions into the redesign, while refining interactive elements to make buttons and event sections visually appealing and easy to access.

Concept Sketches

Inspiration

After diving into wireframing and creating high fidelity mockups, I wanted to establish a clearer direction for the project. To explore different design possibilities, I developed two contrasting moodboards, each experimenting with elements like color, form, and structure:

The first, inspired by Urban Elegance, provides a mix of super sleek and modern vibes with a touch of classiness. Think of clean lines, cool colors, and carefully chosen layouts.

In contrast, the second, Vibrant Utopia, emphasizes energetic colors and playfulness, creating an immersive and lively interface that balances visual energy with a harmonious user experience.

Designing two contrasting website iterations was challenging but ultimately enhanced my approach to balancing design principles. Here’s a breakdown:

Urban Elegance focused on minimalist design with clean structure and muted red tones for a sleek, modern feel throughout the interface.

The Vibrant Utopia approach uses a clean, grid-based layout with soft greens and neutrals, creating a calm, professional, and highly accessible user interface.

Result: Iterating on both styles helped me experiment with balance and contrast, leading to a more cohesive user experience across the designs.

After diving into wireframing and creating high fidelity mockups, I wanted to establish a clearer direction for the project. To explore different design possibilities, I developed two contrasting moodboards, each experimenting with elements like color, form, and structure:

The first, inspired by Urban Elegance, provides a mix of super sleek and modern vibes with a touch of classiness. Think of clean lines, cool colors, and carefully chosen layouts.

In contrast, the second, Vibrant Utopia, emphasizes energetic colors and playfulness, creating an immersive and lively interface that balances visual energy with a harmonious user experience.

Project Summary

Rochester's current website is outdated, with overwhelming text and too many links, leading to poor user experience. I was tasked with redesigning a section focused on helping residents easily find information about the city's recreational programs. Key goals include:

Target Audience & Device

Target Audience &
Device

The Rochester website faces several key issues that negatively impact user experience. These issues, when combined, create a disorganized and frustrating experience for users, ultimately diminishing engagement with the website.

Audience Persona

I conducted two user interviews where participants navigated Rochester's website to find the sports and recreation pages. This allowed me to observe their interactions and identify navigation pain points. Here's the consensus:

I conducted two user interviews where participants navigated Rochester's website to find the sports and recreation pages. This allowed me to observe their interactions and identify navigation pain points. Here's the consensus:

UX Trends

I mainly drew inspiration from both the State of Mississippi and City of Silverthorne websites, particularly in their effective use of UI elements and visual design.

Concept Sketches

Inspiration

After diving into wireframing and creating high fidelity mockups, I wanted to establish a clearer direction for the project. To explore different design possibilities, I developed two contrasting moodboards, each experimenting with elements like color, form, and structure:

Designing two contrasting website iterations was challenging but ultimately enhanced my approach to balancing design principles. Here’s a breakdown:

After diving into wireframing and creating high fidelity mockups, I wanted to establish a clearer direction for the project. To explore different design possibilities, I developed two contrasting moodboards, each experimenting with elements like color, form, and structure:

Wireframes

Iterations

Visual Assets

Final Designs

Takeaways

Project Summary

Rochester's current website is outdated, with overwhelming text and too many links, leading to poor user experience. I was tasked with redesigning a section focused on helping residents easily find information about the city's recreational programs. Key goals include:

Target Audience & Device

Target Audience &Device

The Rochester website faces several key issues that negatively impact user experience. These issues, when combined, create a disorganized and frustrating experience for users, ultimately diminishing engagement with the website.

Audience Persona

I conducted two user interviews where participants navigated Rochester's website to find the sports and recreation pages. This allowed me to observe their interactions and identify navigation pain points. Here's the consensus:

I conducted two user interviews where participants navigated Rochester's website to find the sports and recreation pages. This allowed me to observe their interactions and identify navigation pain points. Here's the consensus:

UX Trends

I mainly drew inspiration from both the State of Mississippi and City of Silverthorne websites, particularly in their effective use of UI elements and visual design.

Concept Sketches

Inspiration

After diving into wireframing and creating high fidelity mockups, I wanted to establish a clearer direction for the project. To explore different design possibilities, I developed two contrasting moodboards, each experimenting with elements like color, form, and structure:

Designing two contrasting website iterations was challenging but ultimately enhanced my approach to balancing design principles. Here’s a breakdown:

After diving into wireframing and creating high fidelity mockups, I wanted to establish a clearer direction for the project. To explore different design possibilities, I developed two contrasting moodboards, each experimenting with elements like color, form, and structure:

Wireframes

Iterations

Visual Assets

Final Designs

Takeaways

Target Audience &
Device