The cruisewatch.com redesign was done to help customers navigate the site with more ease and for a better overall design. This included a new logo, different drop-down menus and new page organization. I first redesigned the UX using principles from Fitts Law, Millers Law and Hicks Law. Then I began the redesign of the visual experience by picking a new color palette and adding more photos. These changes helped with both functionality and readability.
Try the live site here.
DEVELOPMENT
Hero image and navigation
Body content
Body content
Footer
Original Site & Pain Points
- No incentive to scroll
- Pixelated images
- Repetitive wording
- Color scheme
- No organization under tabs and drop downs
New Process Flow & Branding
- Revised drop down menus and navigation bar
- Refined logo, new fonts and a refined color palette
Paper Wireframes
- Simplified the filtering system
- Refined drop downs in the nav
- Added more overall imagery to the site
- Took into account Fitts, Miller and Hick's Laws
Fitts Law
The amount of time required for a person to move a pointer to a target area is a function of the distance to the target divided by the size of the target. - The longer the distance and the smaller the target, the longer it takes.
A lot of this law is about breathing room, grouping and location and I kept this in mind when designing. I made sure things were not too close together, and reworked the nav to make more sense. I also put the price drops towards the top of the page to prioritize the deals.
Miller's Law
The number of items an average person can hold or process in their working or short term memory is 7 (+ or - 2), making the average range 5-9 items.
I kept this law in mind when designing the navigation drop downs. I kept 6 or 7 options per drop down, ensuring there wasn't too many choices.
Hick's Law
The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices.
I prioritized this law the most when designing the middle of my site. I wanted to make sure all the cruise options and deals were easy to read and understand. This is why I opted to include more images. The original site was very word heavy which I felt was overwhelming and confusing.
