DecorPaint
Introduction
DecorPaint was the website that I designed and developed for the final project of my master’s degree. It is a beginner’s DIY site dedicated to painting. A one stop site that guides users through each step. From choosing a new colour to rolling on the paint.
Overview
DecorPaint was born out of the realization that there was a gap in the market for better home DIY content. User research was carried out in order to gain an understanding of the issue that people were facing with pre-existing content. The findings of the research enabled me to craft a website that provided a solution to these problems. The journey to achieving this is detailed in this case study…
Challenge
During lockdown, I developed an interest in home DIY, leading me to scour countless websites for interior painting tips. Frustrated by the scattered information, I envisioned a comprehensive platform catering to all my needs. Recognizing a common struggle, I saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the market. To ensure the viability of my idea, I embarked on user research to validate my concerns and uncover further pain points in home DIY content consumption. Armed with these insights, I aimed to develop a website that addressed these challenges head-on.
Target audience
- Males and females between 16 and 45
- People inexperienced in interior painting that want to learn
- People seeking guidance and inspiration in choosing a new colour palette for the room(s) they are decorating
- People from English speaking countries
User research
Due to the project’s scale, extensive user research wasn’t feasible. However, I collected six samples matching my target audience criteria and conducted qualitative research through usability tests and interviews. These insights helped identify strengths and weaknesses in similar sites, informing my design decisions effectively.
1.Supervised usability testing
Samples carried out open ended tasks on cognate home DIY sites that had a high ranking on Google. Example task – Use ___ to learn how to paint a bedside locker. Observed the samples’ actions and behavior while taking notes.
2.Post usability test interview
A short interview to gain insight into the samples’ experiences on these sites. Assessed whether they felt capable of carrying out the DIY task after consulting these sites. Recorded their answers on paper
User journey map
After analyzing the notes taken throughout the usability testing, I noticed a pattern in the user journey across these sites. I crafted user journey map to show just one example of this…
Affinity board
I used an affinity board to organize the feedback that I received throughout the interviews. Presenting common answers on a board helped me to take a step back and really see what the user’s pain points were and what they were needing. Here is the link to the affinity board that I made on Whimsical.
User Personas
Scott
25 year old student
Violet
33 year old mother
Maria
45 year old HR manager
Violet
Violet and her husband are upcycling an old farmhouse. They have three children under 6. They recently encountered unexpected structural problems which has drastically reduced their budget for decorating. Since her husband works, Violet is faced with trying to decorate the home as best as she can by herself.
- 33 years old
- Sligo, Ireland
- Stay at home mother
- Married
Wants
- Since Violet is now a decorator, as well as a full-time mother, she desperately needs information that is well organized, to the point and easy to absorb
- She has no experience in DIY so needs information that is beginner friendly
Frustrations
- Long articles that take a long time to read
- A lack of structure because she doesn't know where to start
Summary of user's problems
- Uncategorised, unorganized content
- Content not beginner friendly
- Information overload – no more long articles please!
- Designs lacking in any visual interest
Goal statement
Decorpaint will teach users how to decorate and paint the interior of their homes through guiding them through each stage with a structured approach. As beginners, the users won’t have to wonder where to get started or what information they need to search for next. The content will be beginner friendly and delivered in a way that is engaging and provides a pleasant experience to the users.
Information architecture
Planning an effective IA was the key to creating organized content. I thought that it would be helpful to group together sections of information that take the user through the stages of decorating – From picking a colour scheme to rolling on the paint. DecorPaint IA.
Wireframing
I stared my planning on a piece of paper. I began to sketch out some basic wireframes of different layouts to put me on the path to creating some low fidelity prototypes. Link to wireframe sketches.
Prototyping
After wireframing, I created some low fidelity prototypes. This enabled me to create a general plan for the layout, as well as see how many illustrations/images I would need to source or create. This stage was followed up with the creation of high fidelity prototypes. These were made once I had established an identity for the website.
The Design
The build
1.Static website
A static version of the website was built according to the designs specified in the high-fidelity prototypes. HTML5 and CSS3 were used to build the site.
2.Testing
Decorpaint was tested by some users. Their feedback was taken into consideration and gradually implemented.
2.Word Press Theme Development
The static version of the website was converted to WordPress in order to make content publishing easier. It also challenged me to learn a new skill. The Advanced Custom Fields plugin was used with PHP in order to achieve this. I uploaded my custom theme file. Below are the plugins I used…
- ACF
- Cookie Yes
- YOAST SEO
- Jetpack
Results & the future
Overall, I was happy with how the project turned out and I felt like my website provided a solution to the problems that I had discovered throughout my research. I checked the accessibility of my site using WebAim’s WAVE tool to measure potential accessibility and WCAG errors. I was lucky to only encounter minor issues. The site speed was assessed on Nibbler, and I was satisfied with my overall result.
This is an on-going project, and I am currently working on completing illustrations for the how to paint a ceiling page and how to paint a wall page. These illustrations will replace the images on these pages. I then intend on building the wooden furnishings and trimmings section. I plan to monitor the traffic to my site as I attempt to promote it more via social media. If the traffic increases, Decorpaint would possibly expand into broader areas of home DIY in the future.