consulting equestrian and musicologist Website
Case Study
Dr. Joanna Zattiero is an established consulting musicologist and equestrian who was in need of a WIX website re-design and UX over-haul that clearly organized her three distinct services: Musical Freestyle Dressage, Music of the American West Consultation, and Private Music Instruction.
Objectives
Dr. Z approached me with the objective of revamping her website to showcase her expertise in multiple arenas, expand her client base, and enhance her online presence. She wanted a modern, user-friendly website that would accurately reflect her professionalism and introduce her to those who don’t yet know her as a leader in the field of music and equestrian consulting.
Target Audience
Fellow horse lovers (potential dressage freestyle clients in the Albuquerque area)
Filmmakers in need of consulting on early Western cowboy music
Woodwind and saxophone students in the Albuquerque area
Design Thinking
Branding
Dr. Zattiero asked me to scrap the design of the existing site and start over aesthetically. A style guide was created, I was given artistic freedom and chose to reflect a vaguely western aesthetic because Dr. Z lives in New Mexico and her PhD thesis was on early cowboy music. A western aesthetic was reflected through color choice and an authoritative trustworthy tone was conveyed through typography.
Dr. Z had an existing logo that was not finished. I used Adobe Illustrator to edit the logo’s colors and typography to work for the website and mimic the style guide.
UX
The navigation was kept as straightforward as possible while still including three very different services each with their own page so Google’s algorithm could rank each distinct service individually.
The landing page features an image of Dr. Z on her horse with a link to learn more about her on the about page, and immediately tells the user she’s a consultant and wants to collaborate. Just below the fold her three distinct services are visually laid out and lead the user to each of their respective pages.
The footer on each page prompts the user to contact Dr. Z and follow her on socials.
Each service page explains Dr. Z’s offerings and qualifications along with providing social proof and bolstering SEO by linking to her publications elsewhere on the web. (All of which open in a new tab to keep the user on Dr. Z’s page). The about page aims to help the user understand Dr. Z’s backstory and moves that lead her into her very specific niche then directs the user to each service page or to read the blog. A user never gets to the end of the content on the page without being directed somewhere else.
Design Process
A thorough analysis of the existing site was conducted and evaluated for strengths and weaknesses. Dr. Z was consulted on her goals and vision for the site and given a questionnaire to nail down specifics. The style guide was created based on this questionnaire; like many people who are not themselves designers, Dr. Z knew what she didn’t want, but beyond these restrictions, left all aesthetic choices up to me.
I did keyword research and coached Dr. Z on best practices for writing for the web, including SEO optimization. Dr. Z wanted to develop the “about,” and service descriptions copy herself.
After creating a wireframe in Figma, the vision was brought to life. WIX’s website builder was used to implement the desired functionality and content.
Recognizing the importance of a mobile-friendly website, I ensured that the new design was fully responsive. I implemented responsive layouts and optimized the site’s elements to adapt seamlessly to different devices and screen sizes. This allows visitors to access and enjoy Dr. Z’s website on desktops, tablets, and smartphones without compromising the user experience as is often the drawback of working with CMS website builders like WIX. The website was also checked for accessibility compliance using AccessiBe.
The next step for Dr. Z’s website is to include testimonials to bolster social proof, positively impact SEO, and convince new clients to hire her.
Dr. Z’s website is the second result when her name is Googled, and on the first page of results when “musicologist and equestrian” are Googled.
Key Features and Functionality
Three different services included on one website
Social Media integration
Blog for SEO
Links to publications
Testimonial
“After struggling for months to expand and redesign my website, I finally had to admit that I needed professional help. Natalie came to the rescue and was a pleasure to work with. She is a thoughtful, skilled, and conscientious professional with boundless creativity. I would recommend her services to anyone seeking digital design consultation and website development.” – Dr. Joanna Zattiero
