Collaborative Divorce Tacoma Case Study
This is a concept project that focused on improving the user experience of a divorce-related website.
To improve the user experience in a meaningful way, we need to know, first of all, who are users of divorce-related sites?
- While we may not be able to pinpoint specifics, we know they are married people who are somewhere along the path toward divorce; they are seeking information and/or professional guidance on next steps.
- Another thing we know about these users is that, according to various studies, the marital break-up has caused radical changes in their brain chemistry.
- These chemical changes disrupt cognitive functions like attention and memory, and are affecting these individuals’ completion of everyday tasks.
- These users may very well feel overwhelmingly frustrated and distracted, as well as unable to take in information, or make even the simplest decisions. While having a clear and organized website should always be a goal, in order to serve the typical user in this field, it’s even more essential that a divorce-related website be easy to navigate, read and understand.
- Users of divorce websites are also at a difficult crossroads, one that they may feel unprepared to meet. They need to believe that they’re putting themselves in the hands of understanding, competent professionals in this confusing time.
- Last, but not least, I say from personal experience that users want to feel confidence—not only in a specific professional or firm, but in the divorce process itself, as well as in the future.
The Challenge
Here are some of the challenges for the revised website to address, in order to meet the goals of a well-designed and well-organized site, with the user in mind:
- Create a more organized and legible navigation
- Create a more user-friendly experience by answering key questions upfront and eliminating lingo
- Present the firm in a way that’s commensurate with their experience in the field
- Demonstrate the firm’s understanding of current developments and trends
The Solution
Here is the revised homepage, as well as screenshots of various features on the new site, which:
- Presents a site that is easy to navigate, read, and understand
- Presents the firm as knowledgeable leaders in the field
- Inspires confidence that the divorce process will be manageable, and that the future can be positive
- For ease of navigation and understanding, the new site:
- Answers users’ main questions right away, through a quote in the hero image, as well as organized bullet points and text
- Showcases a streamlined nav bar with clear and relevant categories
- Provides information in a succinct, easy-to-follow format
2. Copywriting and photo editing create an updated and professional look that presents the firm as a knowledgeable leader in the field of divorce law
3. Savvy use of color and visual elements project a smooth process, as well as hopefulness for the future:
- Bright colors in an attractive palette convey positivity
- A variety of colors – in the hero image, text boxes, and revamped logo – visually communicates harmonious activity
- Different (yet harmonious) colors and fonts in the headline text curve around the image, bending expectations of how text usually appears. By gently using a different approach to a common experience, the visuals suggest the cooperation that is a part of the Collaborative Divorce model
This revamped site takes user needs and experience into account, setting up both the user and the firm for success.