UX DESIGN
Creating seamless digital experience to boost kids' camp registrations
ROLE
UX Designer
timeframe
3 weeks
tools
Figma, Miro
Vinewood Camp is located in Muskoka, Ontario. It has been in operation since 1978. It is rated as one of the top children camps in Ontario for children 6-13. Vinewood provides specific camps for children of different age groups and also offers seasonal or event-based group packages.
Main Task
The main task is to define the persona, organize the sitemap from the pages given by the client, and create and 8-10 step user flow based on the persona.
Team
Group of UX Designers and UX Researchers
Challenges
One of the challenges we've faced through this project was the diverse user base, as anyone can be a potential persona for a kids camp. The diversity somehow made it difficult to capture the accurate motivations and needs of each type of user.
We needed to balance between being specific and general to ensure that each persona was detailed enough to resonate with individual experiences while also still encompassing the general users. It was a challenge for our researchers to come up with a comprehensive data especially with the limited access to real parents, which hindered our understanding to inform our user stories.
However, with collaborative alignment among the team and continuous discussions, new insights were formed.
Making the User Story
We used the main ingredient of what a user flow should be as a guide to laying out a comprehensive approach to the intended users ↓
We then brainstormed what insights can our users learn from the flow:
Where they can most likely hear about the Vinewood camp
The kind of pages to include for the user to book reservations or learn about the camp
What features would the users need to accomplish the task
The kind of content that they need to make a decision/what would help them convert
In order for us to successfully create a user flow of each persona, we brainstormed about building the components such as writing their user story and its implications, their narrative, and their starting point. This way, we will be able to know more about a specific type of user we have and what they may want out of the page.
Sitemap
Client gave us a list of pages we need to reorder to create a proper sitemap that users can navigate easily.
After we came up with the structure approach taken to make our research into actionable design solutions, we developed personas next to represent what type of users we need for the camp. We also analyzed the sitemap to map out the site's architecture and made user flow to visualize the step-by-step journey through the site.
This process served as the foundation for designing a user-centric, intuitive platform.
Personas
The persona we came up with are the different types of parents seeking meaningful camp experiences for their children.
NETWORKER PARENT
“Vinewood Camp isn’t just a camp for kids; it’s a community where families grow together, and lifelong friendships are built.
Robert is a marketing executive and interested in building a strong network with other like-minded parents. He is interested in finding opportunities for his children that will also allow for parental involvement and community building. He values social connections that will create an impact on his both personal and professional growth.
Interests: Hiking, camping, reading
Expected Actions: Register his children, read reviews and vew the programs
SINGLE PARENT
“I want a place for my son to grow not just in height but in spirit, a place where fun meets life lessons.”
Emily is an elementary school teacher who is passionate about child development and education. She enjoys outdoor activities and she values experiences that promote physical health and well-being. She wants to advocate programs that will improve creativity, teamwork, and personal growth in children.
Interests: Child Dev & Edu, outdoor activities
Expected Actions: Register her child to the activities
PARENT OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD
”I’m so excited for my son to have an amazing time at his first ever camp but I need there to be trained staff who know how to work with children with Down syndrome.”
Marcus works as a financial analyst and a father of two (7, 12) and is looking for a summer camp for his son (12) who has Down syndrome. He wants to send his son to a camp that can cater to his needs and make his summer memorable. His son is an avid swimmer and enjoys a good game of baseball.
Interests: FInance, Programming, Rallies
Expected Actions: Register his child to have a spot at next summer’s camp.
CREATIVE PARENT
"My daughter is coming back from Vinewood Camp with new friendships and a wealth of creative experiences."
Laura enjoys creative arts and believes in nurturing creativity in her children. She values outdoor experiences and the development of social skills through play and interaction. She looks for programs that offer a balance of structured activities.
Interests: Creative Arts, outdoor experience
Expected Actions: Register her child to the activities
Sitemap
User-Friendly Roadmap
The sitemap was developed through a careful and collaborative process where we focused on the diverse needs of our target personas. We analyzed the user journeys and identifying key features that resonates with each persona, making sure that the navigation would be intuitive and accessible.
By organizing the pages into clearly defined sections, we created a structure that would highlight our main offering while having it easy to explore the site.
There was an iterative feedback from the stakeholders which helped refine this sitemap and aligns the camp's mission and the desires of the parents seeking best experiences and activities for their children.
User Flow
Mapping the Parent Experience
The user flow that we structured for the camp was meticulously designed with the specific needs and motivations of our personas. We initiated the process considering each of their journey and identifying key touch points and decision-making moments from initial awareness to registration. Through the collaborative workshops done with the team, we outlined what each persona would take to access relevant information—such as offerings, different age groups, support resources, etc. We made sure that all user interactions were intuitive and streamlined properly.
With multiple iterative testing and feedback loops, we refined the user flow to enhance clarity and accessibility which helped us in creating an experience that empower parents to navigate the camp's offering confidently.
Takeaways
Learnings
Improved User-Centric Mindset
From this project, I learned that defining what "done" means for users when they complete outlined tasks is critically important. I realized that understanding when they finish a task helps shape the success of the whole user experience.
My user-centric mindset was put into practice by thoroughly analyzing each persona's journey, which allowed me to identify specific steps that needed to be taken and who would be responsible for each. Writing detailed narratives for each persona not only clarified their needs but it also informed the larger processed of creating the flow and organizing the sitemap.
Thank you for reading! 👋
I appreciate you taking the time to read through my work on Vinewood Camp.
I hope you found valuable insights on my thought and work process.
If you'd like to discuss ideas, collaborate, or just simply connect, don't hesitate to reach out!
See more of my projects 👨🏼💻
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