Curraghmore House & Gardens
Expertise applied: UX/UI, Prototyping.
Curraghmore House & Gardens is a historical and formal garden based in Ireland, that offers private tours.
The Problem
The main challenge of the previous website was the difficult user experience. The UI wasn’t up to date and there wasn't a lot of relevant information provided. The booking experience was a challenge and there was frequent issues with the booking system. The main goal of the new website was to drive customers to book a variety of tours. Another goal was to display the photography and rich history of the house and gardens to draw new customers to visit.
Research
User research was gathered through testimonials and from visitors who have used the site before. The main pain point was the issues that would occur through the booking experience. It was also mentioned that the website didn’t accurately represent the vastness and beauty of the house and gardens. Additionally, competitors were researched within the same industry to see what made them stand out. The importance of imagery when booking a tour was a very important finding of the research.
Solution
In order to solve the solution of the booking issues. Clear call to actions were used on every page to book a tour. The tours were easily categorised and the process was smoother overall. Testimonials from Trip Advisor were used to reinforce the positive experience of the tours.
Visually, in order to represent the rich history, a serif font was used. This also helped to tie in with the consistency of the logo. The light blue accent colour was chosen as an homage to the Lord of Waterford the which is one of his favourite colours. Stunning imagery of the house and gardens was heavily used throughout the site, which was some of the users pain points. The information on the site is more relevant and has content to help the user plan their visit. It’s also displayed in a more digestible way.
Results
The main goals of the project were successfully achieved. The new design clearly directed users to book a tour through the call to actions on each page. The booking process improved significantly as well. The photography of the house and gardens was emphasised throughout the site and the reviews helped to encourage new customers to visit. This was reinforced by very positive feedback from the client and users of the new site.