Port Townsend School of Woodworking
Website Redesign
The Port Townsend School of Woodworking started out as a bootstrap operation with borrowed tools, a makeshift space, and volunteer labor. Over the years as the school grew considerably, it was time to rethink the content, branding, and structure of the online and printed materials. I worked with instructors, staff, and board members to more accurately communicate the school’s values and address the student’s needs.
Platform
Squarespace
Deliverables
Research, outreach and messaging, website redesign, copywriting, event presentation materials.
Research and Interviews
PTSW is a mission-based organization, so understanding the value students were getting out of the experience was key in centering the message we broadcast through the website.
We sought out feedback by talking to visitors, conducting feedback sessions, and doing alumni interviews and exit surveys. We learned about the different motivations students have for coming to the school and some of the blind spots in the existing site.
Discovery
Unfocused Messaging
Beginners weren't sure if the school was right for them
Unclear that the school focused on hand tools vs. power tools
Confused with nearby NW School of Wooden Boat Building
Some students felt unsure before signing up if their gender was going to be an issue
Common Questions
Overwhelmed looking at a list of 50-60 classes
Wanted to know about specific instructors
Cost was a major factor, wanted to know about scholarships
Couldn't see website on phone (not responsive)
Physical Space
Getting lost on the way to the classroom and navigating the park
Getting to the remote location can be challenging
Finding a place to stay
Audience and Positioning
People were attracted to the school for the emotional experience as much as the practical skills-based learning. Traditional woodworking has a romantic appeal. Some students were focused on making a project while others just wanted to work with their hands and have a new experience. Our target audience is best aligned with quadrants 1, 2, and 3, whereas more main-stream technical schools were better aligned with quadrant 4.
Personas
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Life-long Learner
Focus: New experiences and creative expression
Attraction: Relaxed workspace and supportive learning environment
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Craft Nerd
Focus: Technical skills, design, production methods
Attraction: Traditional methods and focus on quality
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Cultural Explorer
Focus: Woodworking from a specific culture such as Japanese or NW Coast Arts
Attraction: Specific instructors
Website Redesign
Since the school had grown from offering about 20 classes/year to around 55, I wanted to restructure the course offerings from a spreadsheet format into a catalog format. This was divided by category and searchable by level, course-length/cost, and instructor. There was still a high demand for a calendar format, so we included a chronological version as well.
The original site had a major issue with information appearing in more than one place. For example, updating a class date meant changing the date on 4 separate pages. My solution was to create database-like collections that could be referenced throughout the site. That way, changes to dates, instructors, classes, and staff could be made in one centralized location.
Event Materials
During research, we found that a significant amount of students came to the school after finding it at an event. We wanted to update the presentation materials to support those interactions with visuals.
Practical considerations were that any display needed to be collapsible, lightweight, easy to transport, and weatherproof. It was important that the materials didn’t feel too corporate or plasticy.
Project lessons
Developing a Process
Since I've gained more formal training in web design and user experience after this project, it's interesting to look back and think about which strategies for design I accidentally stumbled upon and which parts I struggled with. Thinking about some version of personas, IA, typography/colors, and wireframe sketches came out naturally through the work. User testing, however, would have benefited this project immensely. Though I generally got positive feedback from students about the site, I wasn't pinpointing specific problems. When some part of the site's content or structure didn't seem to be effective, I often had no good guesses as to why.
Accommodating Content
I made a lot of accommodations on this site for existing content that was 'grandfathered' into the redesign. In retrospect, the message would be stronger and the information would be clearer with less content. I would advocate for cutting a lot of the existing material, and make the case to stakeholders as to why less is often more.
Pushing the Limits of the Platform
Some of the challenges I faced by choosing Squarespace as a platform that didn't seem overly limiting when the project started tended to mushroom as the site grew. I had to jerry-rig a few imperfect workarounds to achieve the structure I was going for. Figuring out those workarounds was actually a lot of fun, and I still think it was a good choice for this organization in terms of being accessible and user-friendly. Paring down the site content would help make it more compatible with the platform.