A fresh dive: Redesigning the Aussie Divers website
Context
I worked as the UI/UX designer for this end-to-end project, guiding it through every phase from design to development over an 8-week period. Collaborating closely with the development team, I ensured a seamless user experience throughout. Aussie Divers, Phuket is a renowned PADI 5-Star CDC Dive Centre, offering high-quality scuba diving experiences in Phuket. They provide a wide range of courses, from beginner to professional, with a focus on excellence and safety.
Client Requirements
Aussie Divers Phuket had two separate websites: one highlighting their range of PADI courses (Aussie Divers) and the other focused on their PADI Instructor Development Courses (IDC Aussie Divers), which prepares aspiring instructors for the PADI Instructor Exams. Both websites showcased the high-quality diving experiences offered at their multi-award-winning PADI 5-Star CDC Dive Centre in Phuket. The client wanted a fresh, modern design that would merge both sites into a unified, user-friendly platform. Their goal was to create an online presence that reflected their commitment to excellence while enhancing the overall user experience.Aussie Divers, Phuket is a renowned PADI 5-Star CDC Dive Centre, offering high-quality scuba diving experiences in Phuket. They provide a wide range of courses, from beginner to professional, with a focus on excellence and safety.
Approach
Take a look behind the scenes of my UX process and design choices during this website overhaul:
• Audit • Information Architecture • Style Guide • Wireframe • Design
UI Audit
I conducted a detailed review of the existing live websites, identifying gaps in the user experience and comparing them against established usability heuristics. This audit laid the groundwork for enhancing the overall user experience. Issues were classified as low, moderate, or high, depending on their impact on usability.
The client wanted a fresh, modern design that would merge both sites into a unified, user-friendly platform. Their goal was to create an online presence that reflected their commitment to excellence while enhancing the overall user experience.Aussie Divers, Phuket is a renowned PADI 5-Star CDC Dive Centre, offering high-quality scuba diving experiences in Phuket. They provide a wide range of courses, from beginner to professional, with a focus on excellence and safety.
To sum it up, here are the key areas where improvements could make a real difference:
Information Architecture
I started by analyzing the existing structure to understand how the content was organized, identify inefficiencies, and determine areas that required improvement.
The new flow was structured to prioritize a logical content hierarchy, streamlining the user journey and ensuring that information was easy to access and navigate.
Style Guide
The style guide was designed to ensure visual consistency and clarity across the website. Blue was chosen as the primary accent color to align with the brand’s existing logo, which we retained, while also evoking trust and professionalism.
Design
The design phase was where everything I had discovered during the process came together. This was the point where concepts turned into visual representations, reflecting the brand’s essence and goals.
The Live Website
Like every other project, this one was deeply personal to me — perhaps even more so because it marked my first experience overseeing a project of this scale from start to finish. My development team, Rohit and Ajay, worked alongside me to translate the designs with remarkable accuracyAussie Divers, Phuket is a renowned PADI 5-Star CDC Dive Centre, offering high-quality scuba diving experiences in Phuket. They provide a wide range of courses, from beginner to professional, with a focus on excellence and safety.
Takeaways
Working on this project was a fascinating experience that taught me a great deal about creating SEO-friendly designs. I joined the project midway, as we had to restart due to unforeseen circumstances. Moving forward, it became somewhat challenging, especially towards the end, due to confusion around content optimization — primarily caused by a lack of clear communication. Despite these hurdles, the project significantly sharpened my project management skills, an invaluable asset I’m proud to have added to my repertoire.
Thankyou for taking the time to read!
