Overview
I co-organized a volunteer group and collaborated in redesigning the website of Oklahoma's largest professional tech network, Techlahoma. This project aimed to elevate the organization's visibility and credibility to prospective members and sponsors.
Role
Tools
- Figma + FigJam
- Wordpress
Timeline
Problem Statement
Users wanted to access Techlahoma's free education and career resources. However, the site was inaccessible for those using assistive technologies, unresponsive on mobile breakpoints, and overall confusing to navigate - even for most tech-savy folks. When people couldn't find what they were looking for, they flood Techlahoma's email with questions or lose interest altogether. This friction hurts Techlahoma's mission to foster a growing tech community.
Understanding Pain Points
In order to design for our users, we have to get their input directly. I drove up to Tulsa, OK during Techlahoma's developer conference, 200OK, to interview tech professionals and enthusiasts.
Core Findings + Insights
Core Findings
Insights
Sampled user demographics:
- 4 males, 3 females, and 1 NB
- Average age: 30 years old
- Professions: developers, UX designers, students, and non-tech workers
It's important for us to keep in mind that Techlahoma isn't only for veteran tech professionals. There's people from all walks of life- all different ages, genders, careers, goals, etc,- who make up the target audience.
Main reasons for using the website:
- Access the Slack
- Browse through events
- Discover education opportunities
- Learn about the organization
The interviewees say they're using Slack in lieu of the website. However, is that because they prefer it or is it because the website is difficult to use?
Most frustrating part about the website:
- UX/UI issues + bugs
- Site map vagueness
- Lack of visibility on opportunities
While users were aware of some membership perks such as meetups and the Slack, other perks were unknown because the information was buried under the site's technical issues.
Exploring Solutions
With the information gathered from user interviews + the information my teammates gathered from Board Members interviews, we prioritized tackling these three issues:
1. How do we highlight the perks of Techlahoma?
Display the perks up-front.
The user interviews uncovered that people mainly use the website to sign up for the Slack, view upcoming events, and explore education opportunities. These task flows were streamlined and placed on the home page to increase visibility.
Clear up any confusion.
Techlahoma utilizes Slack and Meetup. Explanations on what they were and how to use them are described on the site for those who aren't acquainted with popular apps in the tech world.
2. How do we make information easy to find?
Present pages logically.
The information architecture was condensed, combined, and culled for faster navigation. Pages were rearranged under appropriate sub-menus.
Recognize points for improvement.
While users were able to complete tasks, the follow-up leaves more to be desired.
Ex: Users can find sponsorship information quickly, but the steps to inquiring about sponsorships and how long it will take to get a response is still murky. This is due to Techlahoma leadership still working out the details on how to handle sponsors.
It's important that we identify ongoing issues for future review.
3. How can we fix technical roadblocks and improve the UI?
Resolve major accessibility issues.
Common issues like poor text contrast, missing alt text, and skipping heading levels were fixed. Those using assistive technologies will readily have access to Techlahoma's resources.
Make the site responsive on all devices.
Information is no longer cut off in modules, and the site is now mobile-friendly.
Establish visual consistency.
The prior site was built with no design system. One was created from an old brand guideline. Using this for the new website gave it a cohesive, beautiful look.
Impact
From a lukewarm reception to enthusiastic praise, the feedback for the redesign from the community was very positive.
Before
"This website makes me feel stupid. I don’t know where anything is..."
"It’s fine. I’ve seen worse and better."
After
"Oh wow, it works on mobile now! Great job!"
"Well done to the whole team...This is a big win for Techlahoma!"
Unfortunately, the old and new sites' analytics can't be compared, because the old site was on Squarespace and wasn't tracking any metrics.
Since the launch will have skewed the data as people want to check out the new site + OK Coders opens registration in January which prompts more people to use the site, more time will be needed to get a holistic view of the site's performance.
There are some positive trends to still glean from the available data.
Views are high and concentrated on pages that either inform or foster virtual and in-person meets.
This supports Techlahoma's main goal of providing help and growth to the local tech community.
Reflection
Getting to collaborate with a large group on a long-term project was new for me. Seeing the reasoning, workflow, and organization of more senior designers has leveled up my own design thinking and skills. I left feeling more confident in UX research and project management especially.