C.G. TOURISM
Revamping Chhattisgarh's tourism website to foster trust and enhance tourism in the region.
Chhattisgarh (C.G.), situated in central India, is a hidden gem often overlooked despite its abundant cultural heritage, varied natural landscapes, and historical importance. This project of redesigning Chhattisgarh's tourism website represents a significant opportunity to attract more visitors and correct misconceptions about this vibrant region. The goal is to revamp the home page, navigation and contact page to boost tourism by enhancing visitor's experience and improving website's credibility.
My Role: User research, User Testing, Logo redesign, Website UI Design
Timeline: 4 Months | Sep - Dec, 2023
Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator
OPPORTUNITY SPACE
The existing website for Chhattisgarh is functional in the sense that it serves its purpose as a government website. However, it falls short of providing a more meaningful experience. The navigation is not user-friendly, and the UI design elements hinder accessibility. Although the images are visually appealing, they are distorted in strange proportions. Additionally, the categorization on the page is inefficient. When organizing a trip, the contact page is typically crucial, and the current website displays a confusing method for people to access information on it.
Essentially, the current website falls short in being more than just a basic existence and fails to genuinely engage its users. There is a clear opportunity to overhaul and enhance the website, making it more reliable and valuable for tourists planning a trip to the state.
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
Competitive Analysis
Heuristic Mark-up
User Survey
User Interviews
COMPETETIVE ANALYSIS
I researched competitors by analyzing the tourism websites of highly visited Indian states, such as Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. I also examined Chhattisgarh's representation on the official India tourism website. Additionally, I compared these regional sites with international official tourism platforms to glean global insights - New Zealand & Japan.
HEURISTIC MARKUP
After gaining insights into the distinguishing features of other tourism websites, understanding the expectations set for such platforms, and conducting a comprehensive analysis, I turned my attention to evaluating the Chhattisgarh tourism website. The identified issues are as follows:
1. Poor visibility of the logo and navigation bar.
2. The user interface is distracting, characterized by an excessive use of colors and distorted imagery.
3. The navigation bar is confusing, laden with jargon.
4. Contact and location information is presented in a confusing manner.
5. The footer is unhelpful and excessively crowded.
Find a detailed heuristic mark-up here 🔗
A glimpse of detailed heuristic mark-up performed on C.G. Tourism website
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UNDERSTANDING TOURIST NEEDS
To gauge user needs, I conducted a comprehensive survey🔗 (18 participants) targeting both potential website users and local residents. Additionally, I interviewed 5 participants from diverse backgrounds: residents of Chhattisgarh, individuals from other parts of India who haven't visited Chhattisgarh, NRI participants, and foreigners unfamiliar with the region. During the interviews, participants were presented with the current website, and insights were gathered regarding their initial impressions, opinions after using it, and their browsing habits.
The focus for this user research was on understanding users' goals when planning travel and assessing whether the website influenced their inclination to visit Chhattisgarh.
Find a detailed survey and interview user research & analysis; user research🔗 here
User Needs & Goals Identified
1. Goal Finding nice destinations
Need Reviews and images to make informed decisions
2. Goal Exploring activities and things to do
Need Information on upcoming events to determine the best time to visit
3. Goal Planning trips & transportation
Need Locating accommodation options and near-by places to eat
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Enhance trip planning features.
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Establish a consistent theme and brand identity.
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Simplify the color scheme
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Improve text readability
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Streamline navigation
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Provide comprehensive restaurant information
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Develop engaging storytelling content
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Implement image captions for context
Suggestions by Users
User Issues Identified
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Distracting design elements that affect website credibility
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Images don't lead users to where the location is.
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Insufficient information on website to attract users.
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Overloaded Home page which hinders user exploration
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Ineffective navigation bar which lacks
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Affinity
Mapping
Information
Architecture
Prototype
Testing
Final
Prototype
I conducted affinity mapping to improve the organization of the navigation bar and information on the website. Additionally, I developed an information architecture to design an enhanced overall flow for the website. After building a mid-fidelity prototype, I conducted testing and based on the feedback received, revised the prototype.
AFFINITY MAP
Structuring features identified through user testing and existing elements into the website to enhance the organization of the navigation bar.
News, Activities, Inquiries, Travel Tips, Develop Trust, Help, Planning a trip as major groups after the mapping process
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INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Information architecture for the home page and navigation bar menu
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ROUGH SKETCHES
Information about Tourism in Chhattisgarh
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Best time
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Visa Guide
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Travel Tips
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Itenaries
Map that informs the location of the image
Different modes of transportation with clear distance and instructions
USABILITY TESTING
first click on the navigation bar to figure out the user's mental model
5 second test
to get first impressions of the users on the redesign
4 scenarios and 6 tasks to measure improvement in completion rate and average speed compared to the current website
There were total of 5 participants and the testing took about 20-30 minutes each.
Find a detailed usability testing🔗 script and participant test notes here
Usability Issues Identified
1. Unclear Purpose of the Website, the description on the homepage or any other element did not communicate the website's purpose and offered services.
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2. ‘Start Planning Now’, this section was perceived as having low visibility due to its placement at the bottom end of the page.
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3. Confusion on the terminology about the term information center and information hub.
Medium fidelity prototype for testing with 3 major flows
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User Feedback
“I love seeing all these images and I like how I can find see where it is on that map”
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“How to reach is a very essential information specially for a place like chhattisgarh because people do not know that much about it”
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"What is 'Here & Now'? Are these events repeating or a one time thing?"
“Oh, is this the information center? Why is it called a hub?”
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“I think I’d like to see plan your trip higher on the page so I can choose destinations and activities accordingly”
Word cloud representing frequency of common words and phrases in feedback by users derived from notes
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Positive Feed back
Neutral Feedback
Negative Feedback
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Based on valuable user testing feedback, I've developed the final high-fidelity prototype using Figma. Key enhancements include prioritizing "Start Planning Now" as a quick link on the homepage based on user preference. I revised the title of the first section to clearly convey the website's purpose and tasks users can accomplish. Additionally, to maintain consistency and clarity, I replaced "Information Hub" with "Information Center.
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Optimized Homepage: Streamlined Exploration for Faster Access
In the revamped homepage, images now feature maps providing a geographical context within Chhattisgarh. Each image includes an "Explore" button, seamlessly directing users to the corresponding destination page for a more in-depth experience making mapping locations easier.
Experience the upgraded website featuring vital additions like the best time to visit, travel tips and most importantly the welcome blur, designed to introduce tourists to the richness of Chhattisgarh, fostering confidence in its appeal as a prime tourism destination.
Providing real-time updates, "Here and Now" keeps tourists informed about ongoing events, their duration, and a brief overview. For in-depth details, "Open" to explore further information.
I've made sure to prominently showcase original website elements like the 'Bed and Breakfast' scheme directly on the homepage, addressing the previous challenge where users had difficulty finding them through extensive searches.
I've emphasized the best documentaries in the new layout, with special prominence given to the most popular ones. This curated video gallery aims to provide a captivating glimpse into the culture, enticing viewers to explore more.
2
Enhanced Navigation: Improved Categorization for Easy Findability
The original website underwent a significant jargon-filtering process, resulting in a refined set of six main menu items: Home, Attractions, About, Contact, and More. The "More" category encompasses items that are essential but don't fit into other specific categories, ensuring important content is easily accessible from the top navigation.
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Destination page: Designed to build credibility and find everything one needs to know
Explore specific destinations like Bastar in Chhattisgarh through dedicated pages. Discover top attractions, accommodation options, must-have experiences, and travel information on how to reach each place. Enhancing user confidence, each location features ratings and reviews from previous tourists.
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Streamlined Contact Access: Redesigned Page for Easy Information Retrieval
In response to challenges faced by users in locating information centers on the original website, I revamped the contact page for utmost clarity. The new design eliminates confusion by presenting essential details, including a designated contact number, a user-friendly form, and an interactive map.
The users can utilize the search feature to find information centers in your vicinity. As one types, the system provides area options for easy selection. Once the desired location is found, one can conveniently sort the results based on distance or rating.
OUTCOMES
The participants achieved a doubled success rate in performing the given tasks on both websites
Original Website
From Success rate of
Website Redesign
To a Success rate of
Average time
28.40 seconds
Average time
10.70 seconds
I successfully reduced the time required for these tasks from the original design to the redesign by 62%
With four participants aiming to endorse the website and none of them providing a negative rating, the Net Promoter Score (NPS) stands at 80%.
Participants provided a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of 96% when asked to evaluate their overall experience on the website.
The participants gave the redesigned website an average score of 9.5/10 on credibility, due to its clean aesthetic, presence of reviews and ratings on the destination page. Additionally, all participants expressed their willingness to consider visiting Chhattisgarh after interacting with the redesigned website prototype, a significant increase compared to the 60% who contemplated visiting after engaging with the old website during testing.
TAKEAWAYS
Exploring different usability tests for the first time, I realized the unique insights they offer. The 5-Second Rule highlighted the importance of quick user impressions, emphasizing clarity and visual hierarchy. Simultaneously, the First-Click Test provided valuable insights into instinctive interactions and effective navigation. This experience underscored the diverse benefits of employing varied tests to understand user behavior more comprehensively.
In redesigning the official tourism website for Chhattisgarh, my motivation stemmed from my connection to the region and a recognition of its untapped tourism potential. Despite anticipating issues in a government-run site, I found that comparing it to neighboring places revealed that being a government website was no justification for glitches and errors. This realization shed light on why neighboring places with efficient government websites thrived as popular tourist destinations.
By addressing the shortcomings observed and aligning with industry standards, the website for Chhattisgarh tourism can attract more visitors and foster regional growth.