Wightlink

Wightlink provides an award-winning ferry service between the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, bringing 4.2 million people together every year.

During my 4 years at Si Digital, one of the projects I worked on and played a key part in was Wightlink I was heavily involved in the research part of the project along with the design and prototyping of the site.

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The challenge

WightFerry, a ferry travel company based in Portsmouth, needed a website redesign to align with their updated branding and incorporate a complex CMS system for easy updates. The main challenges included:

Brand Alignment: Updating the website to reflect the new branding while maintaining a professional and appealing look.
Complex CMS Integration: Developing a CMS that allowed the business to update schedules, promotions, and content effortlessly.
Conflicting Ideas: Balancing the conflicting ideas between the design team’s focus on user experience (UX) and the business stakeholders' requirements.

Research

To ensure the redesign met the needs of both the business and its users, we conducted comprehensive research:

User Surveys: Collected feedback from frequent travelers to understand their pain points and preferences.
Stakeholder Interviews: Engaged with business stakeholders to gather requirements and understand their vision for the website.
Competitor Analysis: Analyzed competitors’ websites to identify industry best practices and potential improvements.

This research revealed key insights into the user journey, highlighting areas where the current website fell short, such as complicated navigation and outdated aesthetics.

Brainstorming solutions

With the insights from our research, we brainstormed several solutions to address the identified issues:

Intuitive Navigation: Simplifying the navigation structure to make it easier for users to find information and book tickets.
Responsive Design: Ensuring the website was mobile-friendly, catering to the increasing number of users accessing the site from their smartphones.
Enhanced Visuals: Updating the visual design to align with the new branding and create a more engaging user experience.
Dynamic CMS: Developing a robust CMS that allowed the business to update content, schedules, and promotions effortlessly.

Designing a great user experience

Given the complexity of the CMS and the need for a user-friendly interface, we focused on simplicity in design:

Clear Information Hierarchy: Organized content logically to guide users through the booking process without confusion.
Minimalist Aesthetic: Adopted a clean, minimalist design that reflected the brand’s identity and reduced cognitive load on users.
Consistent Branding: Ensured all elements of the website were consistent with WightFerry's updated branding guidelines.

Insights & findings

During the design process, we encountered several challenges and key findings:

Balancing Stakeholder and User Needs: It was crucial to mediate between business requirements and UX best practices. Regular workshops and feedback sessions helped align the team's vision.
User Testing: Conducted usability testing with real users, which provided valuable feedback and highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in the booking flow and information presentation.
Iterative Design: Embraced an iterative design approach, making incremental changes based on feedback and testing results, which helped in refining the user experience.

Summary

The redesign of Wightlink’s website was a complex project that required balancing conflicting ideas and focusing on user-centric design principles.

Through comprehensive research, brainstorming, and an emphasis on simplicity, we were able to create a website that not only aligned with the updated branding but also provided an intuitive and engaging user experience. The implementation of a dynamic CMS empowered the business to keep the website current, enhancing operational efficiency and user satisfaction.

This case study underscores the importance of collaboration, user feedback, and iterative design in successfully executing a digital transformation project. The new WightFerry website stands as a testament to the power of aligning business goals with user needs, resulting in a seamless and enjoyable user journey.