Overview
Third Half is a professional coaching and community for people entering their "third half" of life. The company offers weekend retreats, personal coaching sessions, speaker events, and the opportunity to network with other high-functioning semi-retired individuals who want to continue learning. The old website needed a facelift and an enhanced user journey.
Role
Web Designer
Timeline
January 2025 – Present
Skills
Competitive Analysis
User-Journey-Mapping
Personas
Low-Fidelity-Wireframing
High-Fidelity-Wireframing
Wix
User Evaluations
Team
Janie Hendrickson, Web Developer
Caroline Yenor, Co-founder
Amy Detrick, Graphic Designer for Logo creation
Tools
Figma
Wix
Canva
The Problem
Third Half needed a new website for customers to sign up for personal coaching sessions, RSVP to retreats, and post relevant content because the old one didn't allow for signups and was outdated. The new website needed to be constantly updated with new events and services and needed a backend CMS system to track who is signing up to attend retreats.
The Solution
Webflow, Wix, Framer, and Shopify were all explored as potential platforms to host the website. Due to the co-founder's previous familiarity with Wix and the seamless CMS integration, the team decided to use Wix to host their website.
The Approach Overview
1. Empathize—I started with a competitive analysis of other similar platforms like EWOB Network and The Swell to get inspiration on branding and what features to prioritize. I also used my network to conduct interviews and understand potential customers better.
2. Define—Based on user interviews, I created a persona and user journey map in Canva to orient the team behind one user.
3. Ideate—The team completed a design workshop using "How Might We" statements to come up with potential design ideas. The idea to make Third Half a membership service was born from this workshop, so I created a potential user journey for a current member and potential member onboarding.
4. Design— created a potential sitemap in Figma and designed the first concept pages in Wix, ensuring WCAG Level AA compliance. The team went back and forth, constantly editing different concepts.
5. Evaluate— Evaluation happened concurrently with the design phase. During one evaluation session, the team decided to launch the Third Half website first, without a membership offering. The membership offering will launch in the next few months. After the website launch, the team conducted user testing with 5 users and achieved a 100% completion rate on the user task.
Personas and User Journeys
Pat the Persona was created to orient the team around the user.
During the Ideate phase, an idea to make Third Half a membership service was born. The team thought about creating two separate memberships—one exclusive for women and one available to everyone. I then created a user journey for what a user journey would look like for both prospective and current members.
Site Map
Current Website Site Map
Potential Membership Site Map
Evaluation
Based on a thorough analysis of Third Half Advisors' current operational capacity and market position, implementing a membership dashboard at this stage would be premature and resource-intensive. My findings indicated:
1. Limited team capacity: The small team size constrains the ability to consistently populate and maintain a membership dashboard with events and content.
2. Insufficient event frequency: The current event schedule does not justify the investment in a comprehensive dashboard system.
3. Early-stage brand development: As the company is still building brand awareness, resources should be allocated to more pressing growth initiatives.
4. User feedback: Current user data does not indicate a strong demand for a membership dashboard.
Given these factors, I recommended a phased approach:
1. Short-term strategy: Utilize the website as a primary resource hub for members.
2. Communication channel: Leverage email for member benefits and communications.
3. Future implementation: As Third Half Advisors expands its user base and establishes a stronger market presence, we will reassess the viability of a membership dashboard.
This approach aligns with current business needs while maintaining flexibility for future scalability and enhanced user engagement.
Reflection
User-centric design: The importance of putting users first became evident throughout the project. By conducting comprehensive user research and usability testing, we gained valuable insights that shaped the design and functionality of the website.
Accessibility: Prioritizing accessibility was crucial for our users. By achieving WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance, we ensured the website is inclusive and usable for all visitors. This not only improved the user experience but also broadened the potential audience for Third Half Advisors.
Evaluation: The website development process doesn't end at launch. Ongoing maintenance, bug fixes, and feature updates are essential for keeping the site relevant and performant. Establishing a plan for regular updates and improvements is crucial for long-term success.
This experience reinforced the importance of thorough planning, user-focused design, and collaborative development in creating a successful website that meets both business goals and user needs.
