Pincushion

Following a comprehensive onboarding of what I will do, what I will charge and what to expect (to put Karen’s fears to bed) I set about making a WordPress website.

We settled on WordPress so that Karen could edit the site should she take more of a forward role or the site would be easily transferable should she go with another designer. It turned out Karen had previous success Blogging on WordPress at work.

We agreed a budget, and part of that was that I make the design from zero overhead to minimal upkeep elements. This minimises the cost and through the use of open source Karen taps into a greater community, the very essence of blogging.

When building this website, I opted for an approach that involved working directly within the web browser using user research and feedback obtained from sewists and bloggers. Plus, the absence of any strict corporate guidelines allowed for a more flexible and responsive design process, with the initial direction being primarily driven by the client’s preferences.

To gather inspiration and get a better understanding of the client’s style and preferences, I created a temporary mood board using Pinterest, a platform familiar to the client (see above).

This served as a visual reference point for the designer and helped me create a design that aligned with the client’s vision. Additionally, the mood board acted as a tool to showcase potential designs to future clients and demonstrate the range of possibilities available. Overall, the collaborative nature of the project and focus on meeting the client’s needs resulted in a successful outcome that met their expectations while also performing well and looking great.

In many cases, companies or individuals may struggle with creating a product or service that effectively meets the needs of their target audience. Traditional methods of market research can sometimes miss important insights and perspectives from users, which can lead to suboptimal results. However, incorporating user research into the development process can help identify and address these issues early on, leading to improved outcomes.

By engaging directly with sewists and bloggers during the creation of the website described above, I was able to gain valuable insight into the specific needs and desires of the target demographic. By utilising platforms like Pinterest to share ideas and gather feedback, I was able to quickly iterate and refine the design to ensure it aligned with the end-user’s preferences. This collaborative approach ultimately resulted in a product that satisfied both the client’s goals and the users’ requirements.

Overall, integrating user research and feedback throughout the development process can solve problems related to identifying customer needs and ensuring products are tailored to those needs. Companies and organisations should consider adopting similar strategies to improve the success rate of new offerings and maintain a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced marketplace.

We settled on WordPress so that Karen could edit the site should she take more of a forward role or the site would be easily transferable should she go with another designer. It turned out Karen had previous success Blogging on WordPress at work.

We agreed a budget, and part of that was that I make the design from zero overhead to minimal upkeep elements. This minimises the cost and through the use of open source Karen taps into a greater community, the very essence of blogging.

What would I have done differently?

• I could not have charged more; this was on a shoe string budget because I believe design should be democratic and not only in the hands of the affluent. I am glad I did not charge a regular wage.
• Hosting: I help host the site for a nominal fee and I am constantly on hand to help should any issues arrive. Thankfully there hasn’t been a need for me to step in. I should have found adequate hosting in the contract phase of the design, for Karen.