Enhancing Information Architecture: Nightwood Theatre
UX Research and Information Architecture Case Study
Overview
The current theatre website provides visitors with the opportunity to book shows, make donations, access contact information. The information architecture of the website was improved to better suit customer preferences based on user research and business objectives.
MY ROLE
Responsible for user research, information architecture, prototyping and user testing.
TOOLS
Adobe XD | Sketching | Balsamiq | Adobe Photoshop | MS Office | Google Analytics | Miro
TEAM
Alison Pitcher, Daniela Buendia, Hailey Kim, Karen Zacarias
TIMELINE
October 2022 (2 weeks)
Project Brief and Objective
The primary objective was to enhance the user experience for Nightwood Theatre's clients and visitors. A collaborative branding approach was employed to reflect the emotions and goals of the theatre. It aimed to give its users a comprehensive understanding of the offerings of Theatre, from its plays to its about page. Hence, a simple yet effective IA was created to provide a user- centred experience that aligns with the company's creative vision.
Our Approach
1. Understand
2. Research
3. Analyze
4. Ideate
5. Prototype
1. Understand
Understanding the problem and business objective
Understanding the Problem
Currently, the Nightwood theatre website has a complex information architecture with difficult-to-understand label nomenclature. The navigation is confusing and lacks any call-to-action buttons to necessary tasks. Moreover, it has a depth navigation that hides important information under levels, making it difficult for users to complete simple tasks.
Understanding the Business Objective
Portray their branding simply and effectively and document their rich history in a human-centred manner.
Increase ticket and season’s pass sales and reduce support calls or emails.
Encourage education groups and artists to join and engage with the community to create an inclusive theatre environment.
Promote sponsorships and funding support for the theatre.
2. Research
Understanding the users through Personas
Personas were created based on user types to understand the different needs, goals, and behaviours of users, and to design information architecture that meet their specific requirements and allow them to complete their tasks with maximum efficiency.
Understanding User Goals
Understand and discover Nightwood Theatre and immerse themselves in the rich community-based history the company has to offer.
See available plays in the current season and buy individual tickets and season pass.
Find answers online and easily without having to dial calls.
Recruit and encourage up-and-coming playwrights, actors, and other artists.
Competitive Scans
The team then did a detailed analysis of the Information Architecture of 5 other theatre websites with similar user base and business goals.
Content Brainstorm
The team conducted a brainstorm session on what content were required on the website in order to justify business goals and what features were required by the client. We also considered user’s perspective and came up with content that would aid a better user experience.
Card Sorting with Participants
3. Analyze
Analyzing the Card Sorts
The card sorts were reviewed, and patterns and trends were noted. We noted the cards that were consistently grouped together, as well as the ones that were consistently placed in isolation.
We then finalized the labels for the clusters when helped create a high-level overview of the information architecture diagram.
4. Ideate
Building the Information Architecture Diagram
The team then organized the labels using the insights from user research into logical groups and categories and arranged them in hierarchical structure considering the user goals and business objectives, to come up with the final 3 level deep information architecture diagram.
5. Prototype
Building Web & Mobile Responsive Prototype
After finalizing the information architecture diagram, the team proceeded to create a low fidelity prototype to explore the placement of labels and options on both the mobile and web responsive versions of the website. Attention was paid on how labels and options were presented within the context of different screen sizes and device types. This involved considering factors such as visual hierarchy and ease of navigation.
Homepage
Plan your Visit Page with side bar
Homescreen
Plan your visit
Plan Your Visit Submenu
Theatres Page
Explore Spaces
Theatre
Hamburger Menu
Key Learnings & Takeaways
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Participants exhibited unique mental models for organizing labels on the website. Their categorization schemes differed from our initial assumptions, with some labels being grouped in unexpected groups and others being renamed to better align with their frameworks. This highlighted the importance of understanding user perspectives and behaviour to create a user- centered design that caters to their needs and preferences.
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We used certain industry-specific terms that was not easily understood by participants who lacked familiarity with the theater world. This underscored the importance of designing for a diverse user base as well as the need to ensure that the labels used were clear, accessible, and easy.
* The information from Nightwood Theatre website is used for educational purposes only. We acknowledge the company's intellectual property rights and do not claim ownership or intend to use the information for any other purpose beyond this exercise. No commercial or personal gain is intended :)