Kai Ming Head Start Website Redesign

"Building an intuitive and resourceful website for parents and staff members"

1 | Process

2 | Design Question

The problem with the current website is that it is outdated in both content and design. The team would like to redesign the website by improving the user experience and adding features and content that parents would like to see. The goal is for the website to provide more value and resources to parents.

How might we design a website that provides value and resources to new and existing parents?

3 | User Research

In order to know what information and features parents want to see on the website, we have to put ourselves in their shoes. We deployed an online survey to current Kai Ming parents to understand what information is important to them while evaluating a head start problem or to keep up with school information. We collected 100 survey responses from parents during this phase as well as 2 expert interviews.

• The top factors that parents look for in a childcare program are:

  • Environment of school and surroundings (safety, play space, air)

  • Teacher quality and qualification

  • Curriculum Location (close to home, easy pickup)

  • Schedule

• Most parents would like to have a shortened application process and clear expectations.

4 | Ideate & Wireframe

During the wireframe stage, we tried to translate parent’s feedback into website features and design.

• First, we prioritized the information that parents would like to see by making them accessible and above the fold so they don’t have to go through many pages to find the information they want.

• Second, we developed new features based on the team’s vision and parents’ feedback. For example, photo gallery, interactive map, application page and more.

5 | Iteration 1.0

After we’ve completed the wireframes and the initial interactions, we discovered that the navigation bar was not clear to the users. As a result, we conducted a quick card sort to come up with a better grouping approach for the menu items. Our goal is to make sure users can navigate to the pages that they are looking for without friction.

6 | Hi-Fi Prototype

7 | Iterated Design

After discussing with the team to finalize the functionality and usability of the website, we proceeded to tighten up UI. Some of the iterations in this phase include:

• Boost brand identity

• Create consistency and rhythm through spacing and 12-column grid

• Edit components to account for edge cases

I decided to go with a bold and bright color theme to create energy and trust through the website UI. The first iteration had lower contrast and lacked identity. Therefore, I wanted to use a variation of the Kai Ming blue that is brighter and bolder and use it throughout the website to create consistency and a strong brand personality.

8 | Current Stage

Thank you for your patience, the current website is under development. Project detail will be updated once the new Kai Ming site is live.

9 | Results

With the redesigned website, we are able to achieve major milestones in just a couple weeks after launch.

1. Improved information architecture and usability

2. Responsive design and increased applications transparency

3. Improved site performance - Site speed increase 50% from 60 to 90 on Google PageSpeed

4. Improved SEO - Kai Ming’s website improved from second page of Google search results to #3, outperforming long-time competitor. .

10 | Optimization Metrics

Looking ahead, I am excited to see the results of our new website. I would like to measure success with the following metrics:

• User engagement (track clicks via Google Analytics)

• Average time on site & average pages visited (Google Analytics)

• User acquisition (Google Analytics)

• Returning users (Google Analytics)

• Task completion rate (Usability)

• New applications submitted (Business)