1. Anticipate users’ needs
2. Make things easy
3. Keep it clear & simple
4. Build trust
5. Continually improve
6. Think beyond functional
7. Do more with less
1. Anticipate users’ needs. The service I am designing is for everyone looking for student housing. When designing my website I must start with my users - conducting research, using personas, and testing often. I must make accessibility a priority and not include anything they don’t really want or need. Instead, I should think about localised, personal solutions and only include features, functionality and content that’s genuinely helpful.
2. Make things easy. Customers expect the services to be quick, efficient and easy to use. Work hard to make things effortless and obvious, and keep the visual language and patterns consistent – this familiarises people with the services on the website and takes the guesswork out of using them.
3. Keep it clear & simple. Students need to be able to relax and trust in the services being offered as they are spending a lot of money on finding a student house. The digital services should reflect this. Use plain English, get to the point and remember that, even online, you're talking to people - real people who are more likely to view the website in a positive way if we are human, engaging and easy to understand.
4. Build trust. Students need to get the most out of the service so giving them
accurate and consistent information is key. The service also allows students to build a relationship with letting agents and landlords creating a respectful community where people can receive and expect honest reviews.
6. Continually improve. Start small, test early and keep refining. Be receptive to feedback
and learn from what others are saying or doing. Iteration encourages
innovation, reduces the risk of failure and helps build for future needs.
7. Think beyond functional. Digital doesn’t have to mean dry or
merely functional. Look for opportunities to make the service engaging,
fun and friendly to use.
8. Do more with less. Be lean and efficien. This doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t think creatively, it just means you should use your
creativity to help deliver value for money
With the Experience principles as a foundation, the interactive visual
language of the new student housing website and digital service should been designed using
these considerations:
Simple and intuitive – clean, clear and usable
Modern and exciting – a fresh design that inspires the user and
acknowledges current trends
Accessible – must be compliant, lean and fast-loading
Consistent – a well thought out and intuitive visual language
across all devices, with a clear brand identity
Personal – a welcoming, more customer-centric and human look,
right through to the use of language and integration of social tools
CREATIVE DIRECTION:
LOOK & FEEL
The interactive visual language has been designed to reflect the modern architecture in the evolving city of Leeds such as the Laidlaw library at Leeds University and the trinity centre in the heart of the city's main shopping area.
The design is uncluttered and engaging with a bold,
modern feel. The neutral colours of muted greys and earthy tones allows the user to pick out vital information and allows the images of the website to take centre stage. The design has been kept clean and flat with large target areas. In order to
maintain this, the look has minimised design flourishes such as shadows,
double borders, gradients and tiny calls to action.
Although the site has been made to look modern and interactive it also
has accessibility needs and allows users to effortlessly navigate around the site. The design uses space, muted colours and a heavy use of imagery to guide the user.
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