Fostering Family Traditions and Encouraging
Eco-Friendly Activities
Meg Swayze | UX Researcher | UX/UI Designer
Each January, the National Christmas Tree Association conducts a survey of 2,000 to keep track of important consumer Christmas tree purchasing trends. The results for 2021 included:
20.98 million real Christmas trees were purchased
Average real Christmas tree buyer was 40 years old, lived in a household of more than 3 people and owned a home
Reasons for purchasing a real Christmas tree include the family experience of selecting the tree, the wonderful scent of a real tree, real Christmas trees are grown on farms in the US and Canada and are natural and fully recyclable
Choose & Cut Farms represented 26.8% of trees purchased
Responsive Web Design for Local Christmas Tree Farm
How Might We ?
Create a user-friendly digital tool that:
clarifies the process for getting a Christmas tree
streamlines the scheduling process,
promotes “pre-tagging” a tree,
fosters making family traditions and supporting local
provides educational resources, and
promotes eco-friendly actions for users.
PROJECT TIMELINE
4 weeks, July- August 2023
MY ROLE
UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer
THE CLIENT
Case study for a local Christmas Tree Farm.
Big Picture
Design with empathy and data. Understand the user and the pain points. Keep the design simple, intuitive, and delightful.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Data. As a case study, I don’t necessarily have access to the data I would like. I focused this project on finding what data I did have access to and designing with that data.
SKILLS
Figma, Adobe XD, Stakeholder interviews, User research, Competitor analysis, Personas, Information architecture, Wire framing, Prototyping, Design systems, User interviews, Usability testing, Responsive design, Iteration
Design Thinking
Many excellent design guides exist. However, I utilized Nielsen Norman’s guide because of the circular format over linear. The circle reminds the UX/UI designer not to be afraid to iterate when needed.
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Look, Listen, Learn, Ask Questions!
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What patterns emerge?
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What if? Think big and Refine.
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Make Tangible for Critiquing.
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“What works?” Evaluate and Iterate.
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Deliver.
Empathy
During the Empathy stage of the UX design process, I did a preliminary website analysis of local Christmas tree farms, a stakeholder interview, and usability testing on a site with target users. Then, I delved into the world of Christmas tree farms and Associations through secondary research. I conducted a competitive analysis to gain valuable insights into the current landscape and identified areas for improvement.
Primary Research
I began the process by conducting a stakeholder interview.
Through this one-on-one meeting, I gained a deeper understanding of the project. After the meeting, I conducted a website usability review of the current site.
I identified target users through research from the National Tree Association and a tree farm owner. I completed user interviews of current websites with target users and analyzed Google reviews to see the likes/dislikes of client customers.
Secondary Research
During my secondary research, I focused on gaining a conceptual understanding of the industry.
Additionally, I was interested in the impact local Christmas tree farmers had on sustainability issues- like reducing carbon emissions. Sources used were the National Christmas Tree Association, Kentucky Proud, Kentucky Tree Association, NASA, and the American Christmas Tree Association.
I conducted a competitive and feature analysis and google review of 4 websites.
Primary Research Data and Insights
QUALITATIVE DATA
Five users were selected for a moderated usability study. The users were asked to answer three questions about one specific website. This starting point would be my foundation. View the User Research Study here.
Describe your
first impressions
of the
website?
Describe what
the company provides
or does?
Does the
website provide
the needed
information for you?
Website was burdensome because: Information was inconsistent, redundant, inaccurate (last year dates), grammar errors, too much content, and not formatted for cell phone.
Key Take Away #1
The website vibe is lackluster and unengaging, with a plain and boring design that requires too much effort to find the desired information due to excessive text content and text that seems to contradict itself.
Key Take Away #2
The website’s primary focus is clear. If other items are offered like wreaths, then this should be communicated. If trees the only items offered, then this should be communicated.
Does the website provide the needed info for you?
USER LIKES:
Map (5)
Photos (5)
That it is a local, family farm (5)
USER DISLIKES:
That there is no info on costs (4)
Font is hard to read (2)
Some photos overexposed (1)
Key Take Away #3
Cumulatively the areas to be addressed are: Content Quality, Design, Layout, and User Engagement,
Secondary Research Data
QUANTITATIVE DATA- WHO IS THE USER?
Man or woman in their 40s that is married and has 3 or more persons in household
Homeowner
Person who is interested in creating family memories and traditions
Person who is interested in doing something positive about the environment
Person who is interested in supporting local services
Will purchase the tree the week before Thanksgiving (75%-80% of users)
QUALITATIVE DATA- WHAT THE USER VALUES
High quality and beauty of the trees.
Friendly and helpful staff, particularly the owner.
Overall experience, including the farm’s atmosphere and customer service.
Clear tree sizing and pricing.
Competitor Anaylsis
I identified two direct local and two indirect regional Christmas tree farms and analyzed their features, strengths, and weaknesses.
Direct Local
Plain vibe
Red, green font
Redundant and confusing information on landing and first menu item
Some grammatical errors
Confusing navigation
Google reviews:
No comments on website and generally positive google reviews. (4.4 star/ out of 26)
Direct Local
Homemade vibe
Red, green, navy font
Good visible tagline
Thorough FAQ but it is not collapsable.
Google reviews:
No comments on website
Positive Covid Policy,
Great signage,
Helpful staff,
Positive reservation protocol (required)
(4.7 star/ out of 34)
Indirect Regional
Inviting cozy vibe
Cabin colors
Chat feautre
Most information on home page.
Unusual navigation tool on side (dots)
More emphasis on shop than trees
Clear content and layout
Good wording for types of trees and what to do with photographer
Email sign up helpful.
No comments on website and negative google reviews because farm is new and they are selling bought trees. (3.7 star/out of 7)
Indirect Regional
Clear, simple UI Design.
Tree landscape green colors
Great handicap feature on side of landing page
Clear brand identity and mission.
Garden color choices.
No comments on website and generally positive google reviews. (4.5 star/out of 82)
User Persona
Meet Betsy.
“We always had a real tree in my home growing up and I loved it. I want to recreate those same traditions with my family.”
35
Elementary Ed.
Married, 3 children
School Teacher
Age
Education
Family
Occupation
Betsy is a mother of three boys ages 3, 6, and 8. She always had a real tree growing up and loved it. She is a busy school teacher. She does not have a lot of time or energy between life, work, and afterschool activities, but she really wants to start the tradition up this year while the children are still young.
Frustrations
“When are they open?”
“How do I know how much the trees cost?”
“What do I need to bring with me?”
“What methods of payment do they take?”
“Is there anything else we can do on the farm?”
Goals
Create sweet memories.
Start a tradition.
Do something good for the environment.
EMPATHY
MAP
For Betsy’s EmMap. Select Here.
USER
STATEMENT
As a busy mother, I want to quickly access information on my cell phone so that can
make informed decisions about buying a
real Christmas tree.
IF/THEN
STATEMENT
If Betsy is able to find out the information she needs quickly, she will be happier because the outing will be more successful.
PROBLEM
STATEMENT
Betsy is a busy mother of three boys who
wants to start a sweet family tradition of buying a real Christmas tree because her children are still young and it was special to her when she was a child.
JOURNEY
MAP
For a sample of Betsy’s Journey Map. Select Here.
Simplify.
The magic of the Christmas tree farm happens at the farm. Armed with the data and story, the ideation phase can begin. My goal is to create a simple, inspiring design for a responsive website designed by the data.
During the Ideate stage of the UX design process, the artistry of bringing it all together begins. I brainstormed with sketches. I created low fidelity prototypes and then had another round of usability studies. With a solid understanding of the user needs, goals, and insights gained from research, this process is informed.
Ideate
Too complicated.
Better. Used for LoFi.
I prioritized designing for larger screens first to optimize the user experience for tablet and computer users because the target user group utilized this device for researching the websites. Then, I seamlessly adapted the design for smaller devices, ensuring consistency and ease of use across all platforms.
The right device for the right job.
For the full low fidelity wireframe. Select Here.
Iterate
I created a low fidelity wireframe from my sketch. It was better. I checked it against the data I had taken from the first usability study. I had addressed the pain points. However, the vibe was still plain and boring. It was still too burdensome. Before the next usability study, I iterated the design. I then created the high fidelity prototype. It was formatted to match a vibe of particular farmer. Would the farmer want rustic? Cozy cabin? Winter wonderland? Earthy? Gold and glitter? My new design could accommodate that easily.
ACCESSIBILITY
Colors selected are WCAG AA and AAA compliant. Proximity and Padding designed for accessibility. Headings used for ease of reading.
FONT GUIDE
Paired fonts selected Montserrat and Open Sans.
WHAT I LEARNED
Design for accessibility. Make what you need easy to find. One indirect competitor had all the accessibility tools easy to find with a icon on landing page.
Heading
Text
Body
Text
Background
Color, CTA Button
Background
Color, Footer
Header
Hero
Laptop Flow
This project began with a desktop and laptop design. For the full high fidelity prototype Select Here.
Tablet Mockup
For the tablet mockup Select Here.
Responsive Cell
For a cell mockup Select Here.
Laptop Font Guide
H1 - 42 pt UC Montserrat Bold
H2 - 42 pt UC/LC Montserrat Bold
BODY/ CTA 20 pt UC/LC Open Sans Regular
H4 - 20 pt UC Open Sans Bold Menu Titles/ Footer
Usability Study
Usability Studies conducted on an example website for a local tree farm. Then that feedback plus other data collected during the empathy stage guided the high fidelity prototype. Only change to make is to add price range to the FAQ.
Lessons Learned
Data, user feedback, and intuition are vital to my design process. Analyzing data provides valuable insights into user behaviors and preferences. Direct communication with users helps me understand their needs. Trusting my gut instinct allows me to innovate and create exceptional user experiences. This perfect blend forms the foundation of my design approach.
Next Steps
This is a theoretical website. I would love to have the data from the sample website and the new website. Data driven design is vital to a projects success. Contact local Christmas Tree farmers and share this project with them.
Favorite Parts of this Project
Creating a vibe for the design that was clear and simple yet filled with the magic of the holidays. Talking to all of the users during the usability studies.
Hi! I am Meg.
Motivated and results-oriented UX/UI Designer with a keen curiosity, empathy, and resourcefulness to understand user needs deeply.
Adaptable and conceptual, I excel in crafting data-driven designs that solve complex problems.
With transferable skills from my extensive background in education and studio art, I bring strategic thinking, generational wisdom, and decisiveness to deliver win-win outcomes.
A strong communicator, I foster collaboration, inspiration, and team engagement to create user-centric experiences.
In UX/UI Design, I am particularly interested in areas related to Accessibility, Sustainability, and Generational Design.
If not creating, I am busy adventuring in the great outdoors with my family!