Research
To ensure the website truly resonated with the festival’s diverse audience, I began by gathering insights from potential attendees, vendors, and organizers. I reached out via social media and conducted informal interviews to understand their current challenges and expectations. Some of the questions I asked were:
How do you typically find information about cultural events or festivals?
What challenges do you face when trying to learn about event details online?
How important is it for you to see the cultural heritage and history of a festival highlighted on its website?
What additional features would you find valuable on a festival website?
Would a streamlined event schedule and easy registration process enhance your experience?
From these conversations, I discovered that many users felt overwhelmed by scattered, confusing information on existing event sites. They expressed a strong desire for a cohesive digital space that not only informs but also celebrates the festival’s cultural legacy. Additionally, both attendees and vendors emphasized the need for a simple, intuitive registration process.
To further validate these insights, I researched competitor websites for cultural events and festivals. I noted common pitfalls such as cluttered layouts and outdated designs that often hinder user engagement. This research reinforced the need for a user-centric solution that marries functionality with cultural storytelling
Pain Point
After reviewing competitors and gathering feedback from potential users (attendees, organizers, and vendors), I identified several key frustrations with existing cultural event websites:
Overwhelming Information
Users are often bombarded with excessive details, making it difficult to quickly locate essential event schedules, ticketing information, or vendor details
Complex Navigation
Cluttered layouts and inconsistent organization lead to confusion, especially for first time visitors who struggle to find what they need.
Insufficient Cultural Connection
Many sites do not effectively showcase the festival’s rich cultural heritage, making it hard for users to connect emotionally with the eventMany sites do not effectively showcase the festival’s rich cultural heritage, making it hard for users to connect emotionally with the event
Inefficient Processes
Both attendees and vendors experience frustration with complicated ticketing and registration workflows, which can deter engagement
Focal point
Based on these insights, I developed a set of focus areas to ensure the Oluyole Festival website delivers a seamless and engaging user experience:
Simplify Navigation:
Create a clear, intuitive structure that allows users to easily find key information without feeling overwhelmed
Design a Clean, Engaging Layout
Use a visually appealing design that highlights important content while maintaining a balanced, uncluttered appearance
Enhance Cultural Storytelling:
Integrate visual and narrative elements that celebrate and communicate the festival’s rich cultural heritage
Streamline Processes
Improve ticketing and vendor registration workflows to ensure they are straightforward and user-friendly
Ensure Responsive Design
Optimize the site for all devices, guaranteeing a consistent experience across desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Next, I used these focus points to define user personas and guide my design decisions, ensuring the final product meets the diverse needs of festival goers, vendors, and organizers
User Persona
Ideate
Design
Sketches
Based on the established pain points and key focus, I sketched out my ideas and then created low fi wireframes so I can have a guide in the right direction when I was ready to prototype
Wireframe
High fidelity
Conclusion
Once the website for Oluyole Festival was live, I reached out to festival attendees and vendors for feedback. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with users highlighting how easy it was to navigate the site and access essential information like event schedules and vendor information. Many users expressed how the clear, user-friendly design made them feel confident and excited to attend the festival, knowing they had everything they needed at their fingertips. Additionally, the festival organizers shared how the streamlined platform has helped with smoother event coordination and reduced the time spent on customer inquiries, making the entire experience more efficient and enjoyable for everyone involved