TREADSTONE EQUIPMENT

Enhancing User Experience through Visual Consistency and Intuitive Navigation through a Website Renovation

THE BACKGROUND

This freelancer project was executed over three weeks prior to the client’s episode launch on Discovery Channel’s “Gold Rush”

on their website Treadstoneequipment.ca

Timeframe: 3 weeks

Modality: Remote

MY TASKS

[Secondary Research] - Analyzed competitors’ websites for best practices. Identified gaps and opportunities in the current site

[Strategic Planning] - Set clear objectives for the renovation. Outlined a roadmap for UX improvements

[Content Audit] - Reviewed existing content for relevance and quality

[UI Design]- Created a style guide including typography, color schemes, and iconography. Ensured consistency in visual elements.

[Quality Assurance Analysis] -Conducted thorough QA testing for functionality and design responsiveness. Fixed any identified issues before launch

THE OPPORTUNITY

Theadstone Gold, an Alberta-based mining company, needed to renovate their digital presence to leverage their upcoming TV debut on Discovery Channel, which could attract a high volume of potential clients for their mining machinery.

Planning for a Strategic Fresh-up

Considering the time-sensitive nature of the project and the client's requirements, my approach was to execute a brief content audit, competitors analysis and a heuristic evaluation related to the task of “finding machinery in their inventory.” Then, I consolidated a three-week schedule that balanced the client's perceived needs with the most critical issues I identified.

AFTER PRELIMINAR RESEARCH

THE GENERAL ISSUES WERE:

Copywriting errors on most pages

Confusing navigation and unclear categorization system

Consistency and standards *

Recognition rather than recall *

Aesthetic and minimalist design *

*Heuristic evaluation issues

Flexibility and ease of use *

A HOMEPAGE WITH ACTION AND VISUAL COHERENCE

One of the main issues on the homepage was the lack of any call-to-action buttons, which left users unsure of what to do next besides scrolling down. By redirecting users directly to the inventory and deleting the featured equipment section, the user experience improved significantly, reducing cognitive load.

Additionally, the text on the main banner didn’t pass the minimum contrast for accessibility due to color selection and a heavy background. The services section was also a dead end in the user experience due to the lack of call-to-action buttons related to it. To address this, I included specific actions for each service and clearer copywriting. To consolidate a cohesive visual appearance, I created a basic style guide that included typography styles, color palette, visual elements, and button variations.

Other sections were added as needed like a feature of the 2024 Mammoth discovery and a section to redirect users into their main website (Threadstone Gold).

BEFORE

AFTER

INVENTORY ISSUES

Because the website was to be used exclusively as a catalog and touchpoint for contact information, this page was the most important in terms of user experience. The biggest issues were the lack of coherence with the rest of the site and lack of simplicity which were present in all the direct competitors' websites.

To address this, I applied the style guide and improved the text hierarchy on all the equipment posts for better legibility. Additionally, to enhance navigation from this and all pages, I restructured the footer to include a clean sitemap and contact information.

BEFORE

AFTER

A NEW STORY ABOUT A FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS

Since this is a family-owned business, it was important to showcase the new family dynamics while maintaining a united front by crafting a fresh story where the client’s voice was prominent. Additionally, one of the company’s significant achievements was the discovery of Nun Cho Ga, the best-preserved baby mammoth ever found. The keywords from this article were crucial to attract potential clients to the newly launched website.

Therefore, we decided to retain a version of this article with a better balance between text and images as part of the equipment website.

Other pages were added according to the client needs like financing and advertisement.

Click here to explore the new website

BEFORE

AFTER

LEARNINGS

GOING OLD SCHOOL WITH FEEDBACK

My client wasn’t tech-savvy, and since the project was 100% remote and heavily reliant on constant feedback, it was important to establish efficient and effective communication channels with some creativity. Initially, feedback was provided entirely in text, turning iterations into a guessing game.

To improve this, I asked my client to print screenshots of the new version, add key numbers to it, and then write the numbers in an email explaining the changes, along with a picture of the printed paper. This old-school approach, compared to many new tools, worked wonders for us.

WHAT THE CLIENT SAID

coming soon..

UX/product design >