Website redesign - Rogaland Arboret
Overview
On this project, I wanted to improve the information architecture in addition to giving the website a new look. The original website has a large amount of subpages, which makes the information appear cluttered. The main goal is to "modernize" the website and present it in such a way that the user can find the key information they are looking for on the main page, while simultaneously giving them a possibility to go further for exploratory seeking. I tried to keep the elements of the website that worked well for users while simplifying areas that did not add to the user experience.
Designed using Figma.
The old homepage on the left, and the new one on the right.
Rearranging the practical information
The practical information is located in the main navigation menu on the original website, and it is great to keep it visible, but it could be displayed in a different way. The old website sends you to a new subpage for each category, and that is inconvenient both for data usage and loading times. My proposal is to keep it as a part of the main navigation, but rather have it slide down to a collapsable menu containing the information at the bottom of the page when the user clicks it. This way there are less subpages, and the information is still gathered in an overview.
Color usage and contrast
The new website uses a similar color palette to the old one, as it includes colors that are in harmony with what we associate with nature, such as various shades of green. In addition, the colors are tested with a contrast checker to make sure it's readable for everyone. To make the website feel less straining on the eyes I used hexcolor #F5F5F5 instead of a completely white one for the main background color.
I decided to go with a light blue for the "Praktisk informasjon" part, as it makes it stand out compared to the colors that are used on the rest of the website, and at the same time it fits in with the nature color scheme.
Summary
The main navigation menu now holds 5 subpages, while the old one had 12. I chose to move some pages from the main navigation onto the landing page as bigger modules instead, to make them stand out more and to encourage exploring the website. I wanted to display the address right as the user arrives on the homepage, as well as a description of what Rogaland Arboret is and the uses of the area.
I recognize that although the website is "modernized" and looks and feels different to use compared to before, there are still improvements that could be made to this project. I am always open and appreciative of any new ideas or inputs, they are incredibly valuable. A full size image of the website can be found below.
