INDUSTRY: Independent Media
SCOPE: UX/UI Website Redesign
Time: Aug 2022 - Oct 2022
ROLE: Lead UX/UI Designer
TEAM: Terrance Wong - UX Designer, Pavitrha Arvind - UX Researcher
Stakeholders: Louise Deglin, Agathe Torres
GOAL: Improve website usability to guide users to the online shop and communicate a clear brand identity from magazine to website.
convergence magazine
Emerging Independent Media
Convergence Magazine is an independent magazine for Contemporary Indigenous and Diasporic art. The magazine was preparing to launch the printed and digital versions of the 2nd Issue at the end of 2022. Amid an exciting time for the magazine, co-founders Louise Deglin & Agathe Torres were frustrated with their out-of-date and problematic website that was unsuitable for an emerging independent art magazine.
The problem
Is this a shop or a blog?
Users were often confused by the website’s blog-like appearance and found the shop difficult to locate upon arrival — resulting in a lack of conversions.
Disconnect between Instagram, Magazine, & Website
Most of Convergence’s users found the magazine through their beautifully curated Instagram. They were distracted by the disconnect of the aesthetics between their Instagram, magazine, and website.
How do convergence Readers feel?
Insights Informed Our Approach
We used insights from user interviews to inform our approach and define our project goal. We wanted to focus on how we can guide our users to the shop easily while integrating the magazine’s aesthetics for a more consistent and enjoyable experience.
Prototype & Usability Testing
After revisions of wireframes, low & high fidelity mockups were approved, we conducted an unmoderated remote ability test using Maze to determine whether our design supported our goal of making it easy for users to navigate the shop.
65% of Users found it easy to find the shop Page
Most of the test participants found the shop through either the Call to Action button in the navigation or the Shop link in the hamburger menu.
100% Task Success Rate
All 19 participants were able to complete the task of navigating to the Convergence Shop.
“Love the simplicity & the UI. It felt like I was using a magazine.”
“Minimal & Elegant looking.”
Design Revisions
We made a few small changes to the design based on participant feedback: a fixed navigation bar and a clickable hero image that takes users to the latest issue of the magazine. Overall, we found the results of the usability test to be quite favorable. We decided to proceed with handing off the design to the developer.
impact
Co-founder Louise Deglin has stated that this redesign project has made a positive impact on Convergence by streamlining the user experience and strengthening the brand experience for users simultaneously.
As of 2024, the Convergence website is no longer live due to a pivot in the company’s mission. The magazine is now focused on reaching its target audiences in international museums and other niche contemporary art exhibits.
working with me
“Nicole was the lead UX designer to rethink the website of my magazine, Convergence. Not only is she well-versed in UX laws, she also has an amazing eye for visuals. She came up with a unique design for our website which incorporated our requirements as stakeholders, while being proactive and making suggestions which really helped to make the design stand out. During our preliminary testings, users commented on the beautiful UI that managed to blend the website and magazine standards. 10/10 recommend working with Nicole!”
