About the Client
EKOsingers is an Edmonton-based adult choir group led by Paula Roberts for the past 30 years. The choir had been performing frequently for various non-profit organizations until the 2019 Pandemic hit and made all of us stay separated. They produce high-quality choral music accompanied by experienced, professional musicians. I’ve always enjoyed going to their annual Christmas concerts at the Edmonton City Hall, and can’t wait to see them singing there again.
About the Project
Paula wanted to reform their website for two reasons: one, to give the choir’s online presence a facelift and attract younger members; two, to organize all choir-related files such as music files and sheets in one (online) place. I was hired to achieve these two goals and suggested they go with the Squarespace website and Google One subscriptions for all their storage needs.
the problems
1. Two Websites:
The choir had two websites includes one public-facing and one member-facing that they called the 'old website.’ The 'old website' was there to serve as a storage for the members to download sheet music and samples. Having two websites was confusing for members and hard for the administrative members to manage.
2. Outdated looks:
Both public-facing and the 'old website' were quite dated and needed some refresh. 30-years' worth of data was piling up and desired and relevant information was not easy to spot.
The Solutions
1. One Website with Members-only Access:
I created an easy-to-manage website on Squarespace with members-only access with password protection. In the Members Portal, a few people received status as a contributor and are allowed to upload files. All choir members with passwords can access the portal and download files and check notices. The Members Portal button is located on every page so that access to the portal is convenient for the members.
2. Simple User Flow and Appropriate Information Architecture
The website is restructured so that all relevant information is close together and the direction to the users is clear and simple. I located appropriate CTAs on each page with pictures that connect to the linked page. All pages flow with the organization's intent for the users to browse. The content was provided, however, I added eye-catching text hierarchies completed the website with the choir's graceful character and be.
The Process
1. Communication
The right communication with my client is absolutely the most important thing. We communicated through emails, Zoom meetings, and video instructions. Paula and I set the goal together to achieve and we were able to deliver it together. Consistent, helpful, sincere communication throughout the work brought out a great result.
2. Provided two design styles and wireframes based on our conversations
From the two design styles, we decided to take some features from one and some from the other. Because most of the content is already there on the then-current website, I was able to produce two wireframes for the board to decide on.
3. Squarespace website with minimal custom CSS
Squarespace already comes with a lot of good systems. Because I didn't want the administrators (who are usually choir member volunteers) to feel overwhelmed, I found ways to go around without giving too much custom CSS. As a result, the website is clean and easy to use for both visitors and managers.
4. Training
After the website is all built and approved by the board, I provided training to the site administrator (choir member volunteer). Because the website was built with the backend user in mind and has minimal custom CSS to achieve the look, the training was focused on the Squarespace ecosystem and management rather than technical adjustment.
Skills used: Squarespace, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, HTML & CSS, Google Doc