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.
Problem
Maria Kotze Gardens current one-page website is outdated and no longer meets the needs of her expanding business. The site lacks the functionality and visual appeal required to effectively showcase Maria’s vibrant personality, her extensive two-decade landscape career, and the unique value she offers to her clients. The website’s limited design restricts Maria’s ability to reach a broader audience and ensure consistency in her business operations. An upgrade and revamp of the website are essential to create a more engaging, informative, and user-friendly online presence that aligns with Maria’s professional expertise and personal brand.
Solution
By upgrading the website, we aim to solidify and optimize Maria Kotze Gardens online presence, attract a wider audience, and streamline business processes, ultimately contributing to the growth and success of the business.
- Enhanced user experience by designing intuitive and visually appealing interfaces for web and mobile applications.
- Improved visibility, interaction and connection with existing and potential clients.
- Provide a platform to showcase her diverse projects and accomplishments.
- Ensure consistency in business operations through improved functionality and user experience.
- Improve SEO and easy, direct communication with clients through Whatsapp.
- Highlight Maria Kotze Gardens vibrant personality and extensive experience in landscape design.
Target Audience
Maria Kotze Gardens target audience are individuals aged 25-65 years old, residing in the Cape Peninsula Area, South Africa.
- Age Range: 25-65 years old
- Location: Cape Peninsula Area, South Africa
- Residential Homeowners: Individuals or families owning homes in upper middle-class neighborhoods.
- Small Business Owners: Entrepreneurs and small business owners who require professional landscaping for their business premises.
- Commercial and Corporate Business Owners: Managers and owners of commercial properties who seek to enhance their business environments with professional landscaping.
- Farm Owners: Who require landscaping solutions for both residential and operational areas.
By understanding the needs and pain points of this diverse target audience, we can tailor Maria’s website revamp to meet their specific requirements, ensuring satisfaction and long-term relationships.
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
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. 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.
Final Version
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
- Develop the MVP website and conduct usability testing using heatmapping software to determine users behaviors and data analytics like SEO.
- Conduct comprehensive usability testing with a diverse group of users, particularly focusing on individuals aged 30-60.