Maria Kotze Gardens
A dynamic website revamp highlighting a landscape artist’s two-decade career journey and vibrant persona.
Maria Kotze Gardens is a well-established and award-winning enterprise specializing in personalized landscape design and installation, headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa.
Research
The stakeholder Maria expressed the need and interest in a website upgrade and revamp. With the need to create greater consistency in her business operations and expand her outreach to a wider customer base. This proposal outlines the plan to revamp the existing website, highlighting the ways in which these improvements will enhance the user experience and align with her business goals.
Proposal consists of:
- Target Audience
- User Needs
- Purpose and Goals for website redesign
- Content Strategy
- Design Considerations
- Suggested Colors and Typography
- Functional Requirements of the website redesign
- Brief Competitor Analysis
After presenting the website redesign proposal , I was able to work closely with the stakeholder to establish additional needs, wants, pain points and design preferences.
Maria Kotze Gardens' Previous Website
Wireframes
Low/Mid Fidelity Wireframes:
Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
Version 4
Final Version
During the ideation and low/mid-fidelity wireframe stages of design, we initially used one of Maria’s logos featuring a vibrant, bright pink color scheme. However, this did not align with the desired look and feel for her landscaping portfolio. The desired look and feel is to weave the authenticity and vibrance of her personality into the design, while showcasing her diverse landscape designs in a clean and professional design. To further accomplish this through her portfolio pieces, showcasing her personable touch and the process with her clients and team. As is often seen, her behind the scenes in the landscaping process.
We then selected an alternative logo from her branding, featuring various shades of purple. By complementing these purple tones with natural greens and browns, we maintained a focus of the desired look and feel.
Core Features
Maria is typically on-site during business hours, making direct communication challenging. To address this, the contact form enables users to provide detailed explanations of their landscaping needs. This form is directly linked to Maria’s WhatsApp, facilitating easy and flexible communication with her clients.
Next Steps
Conduct in-depth usability testing with a diverse user group, with emphasis on participants aged 30–60.
Leverage heatmapping tools to analyze user behavior and combine findings with SEO and data analytics for deeper insights.
Enhance accessibility, streamline the user journey, and refine the overall design to deliver a more intuitive and polished experience.