Project #1 - Market Research
For this project I will rebrand a web presence for the Santa Monica based resturant, Greens Up!
What works: The current Greens Up! website is fairly simple and it provides customers the option to order food online.
What needs improvement: Website aesthetic, layout, content, and social media accounts should be updated. The site also contains outdated information that should be removed.
Competitive Analysis
I have selected and reviewed the websites of three competetors, here are my analysis:
- Sweet Green - Santa Monica, CA
- Visual Design: Clean layout and color scheme
- Content: Appeals to the ethos and pathos of potential customers by including the company's story, values, mission, along with profiles of local farmers and suppliers.
- Call To Action: Newsletter/Email pop-up appears when visiting the home page. Mobile application and order buttons stand out on all pages
- Navigation: Easy to use navigation bar
- Functionality: Easy to use site with links to order food, and shop merchandise
- Community Building: Sweet Green has the largest social media presence and audience out of this competition short list. Links are present throughout the site. Their Facebook has good user engagement with over 70K followers. Their instagram has well curated content and user engagement with over 208K followers
- Simply Salad - Santa Monica, CA
- Visual Design: Appealing photos, layout and color palate
- Content: Menu, locations, About, Careers, Social Media Links, Contact pages, and app information are available and load quickly. Additionally, nutritional information is available for download
- Call To Action: Order button is present, but does not stand out
- Navigation: Easy to use navigation bar
- Functionality: Fairly easy to use, with options to order through different delivery services
- Community Building: Social media links are present throughout the site. Their Facebook and Twitter accounts are active, but their instagram has not been updated since August 2017
- Kye's - Santa Monica, CA
- Visual Design: Playful design and color scheme
- Content: Provides a compelling narative about the business along with information about their products
- Call To Action: Order button is highlighted and stands out in the header
- Navigation: Easy to use navigation bar
- Functionality: Easy to use and order food
- Community Building: Social media links are present throughout the site. Their Instagram account has good content and roughly 3K followers
Goals:
- Create a cohesive brand image and web presence
- Update website with a responisive layout
- Add links to social media accounts and seek user engagement
Target Audience:
Based on Santa Monica's demographics, the target audience are college graduates with a Bachelor's Degree or higher, between the ages of 35-45, who have a median household income of $82k. The audience generally lives an active lifestyle and prefers healthy eating options.
Reflection Prompts:
- What questions need to be answered in order to complete this project? Questions about design and aesthetic prefrences must be addressed to complete this project
- What tasks do we need to complete in order to successfully design this website? Prototypes, user surveys and AB test can be used to successfully design the site
- What issues need to be solved? The new site must be seo-friendly with engaging content, a choesive brand image and integration of social media accounts
- What is our schedule? The design cycle for this project is 16 weeks
