A luxurious site redesign for a prestigious yacht brand.

Ocean Independence is one of the fastest-growing companies in the luxury-yachting sector. The brief was to design a new site reflective of their brand and improve their lead generation. As UX/UI designer I was responsible for the end-to-end discovery process, information architecture, wireframing and design.

UI Design / Heuristic analysis / Journey mapping / Card sorting / Dot voting / Prototyping / Competitor analysis / Information architecture / Stakeholder management / Content strategy / Axure / Adobe XD / Photoshop

Discovery.

Data showed most users were landing on the homepage and only a small percentage were navigating to the charter search.

We carried out a number of exercises including a heuristic analysis of the charter search process, empathy mapping and the creation of ‘as is’ user journey maps.

We learnt there were two key audiences, experienced yachters and new to the industry.

Hypothesis.

Based on the information gathered, we hypothesised that;

  • the homepage search mechanism wasn’t prominent and inconsistent with most online search patterns

  • the charter search filters were overwhelming

  • users were getting lost in the journey e.g the charter guide link on the homepage took users to Norwegian Fjord cruises

Ideation and testing.

Sketch of find a yacht search
Sketch of find a yacht experience search

Wireframes.

Using the results of our research, I produced a series of interactive wireframes in Axure that we could use to further test the search functionality UI. The secondary goal was to improve visibility of this from the homepage.

Wireframe showing experiential search
Wireframe showing annotations

We rapidly sketched out a number of options including a sequential search where you click through a series of screens, but tests showed users didn’t like being ‘forced’ down this route. The most commonly used fields were the number of guests and destination.

We also produced prototypes around ‘search by experience’, which clearly needed more validation but proved popular within the limited testing we carried out.

Designs.

With the wireframes signed off, I set about creating the designs in Adobe XD. I took advantage of the stunning photography and content and used this to create the visual direction for the rest of the site.

I produced contemporary, sleek designs that would meet the standards of high-net-worth individuals. Beyond design, the focus was on improved UI with effective search to quickly find attractive charter options.

I humanised the content to highlight the people-first approach and high quality customer service. Our 'expert view' panels throughout the site showcased this. These featured yacht and destination tips, that only experts would know.

  • Screenshot of homepage

    Homepage

  • Screenshot of Charter search

    Charter search device

  • Screenshot of Yacht page

    Yacht page

  • Screenshot of Charter search page

    Charter search page

  • Screenshot of Destination page

    Destination

  • Screenshot of Destination page

    Destination

Outcome.

The new site has been a proven success. We've received many positive comments from the client and their customers on the new look and feel. Most importantly, the numbers are up. We're continuing to support them to use insight to further improve search and user journeys throughout the site.

85%

Increase in conversion rate

25%

Increase in enquiries