Regent Park
website design

A straightforward sign-in process for a tailored experience. The account provides users with the opportunity to save postings for future reference, connect with other members of the community through forums, and easily pick up where they left off.

An overview of Regent Park Community Centre’s essentials and what it has to offer. Our team found that the original page layout was cluttered and visually unappealing, so to remedy this, we added imagery and divided the information into sections within the page for simpler navigation.

The Arts & Crafts section offers mailable creative kits by topic, in which you can synchronously or asynchronously participate in virtual courses without having to leave the house. Although people are unable to attend classes in-person, there is still the option to learn and explore new hobbies. By combining remote lessons with physical art materials, community members can make the most of their time at home.

Through an iterative process, the product was developed with preliminary research and user testing. With an AEIOU Observation Framework, we began by analyzing Regent Park Community Centre’s current page. It displays a variety of essential information to the physical location—such as operating hours, address, COVID-19 notices, and accessibility features. We also noted that the webpage rarely incorporates imagery and does not allow for opportunities to connect with others, offering little as a standalone experience. In order to adapt to the social distancing expectations at the time, it was crucial for us to remodel these activities to accommodate an online space.

To gain a better understanding of the Regent Park Community Centre’s competitors, our group identified and analyzed a number of websites belonging to other community centres. In general, we discovered that most of their products include all the basic information that a user would be seeking — such as hours of operation, location, and services offered. However, many were lacking attention to visual detail and did not strive to provide the users with an enjoyable experience. Often, the abundance of information was not displayed in an easily navigable hierarchy, thus leading to confusion. For Regent Park’s website, we wanted to prioritize usability and user experience.

To better understand our target audience, we conceptualized a persona that represented the typical user of the website. As a recent resident of the neighbourhood, Sam is a young adult starting to attend a new secondary school full-time.

Following the research process, rough sketches were produced to map out the features and general layout of the website. At this stage, we had five different interactions: registering for dance lessons, posting in a community forum, purchasing an arts & crafts kit to follow at home, enrolling in fitness classes, meeting friends through online game nights, and searching for jobs.

We then refined the sketches into wireframes and reduced the number of sections to better appeal to the target audience. We continued with the community forum, arts & crafts kit, and job seeking, while adding a live chat agent and option to sign-in.

In two segments, various young adults were tasked with navigating through the prototype and providing feedback on their experience. The major feedback points collected from the first session are outlined below:

Following the first round of user testing, we implemented the feedback, established a design system, and tested another group of people. We wrote an analysis to capture the testing results and conclusions, which allowed us to make revisions that would provide for a better experience.

The community centre provides a vibrant social space for all age groups, which the website reflects by offering a simplified image-based experience that is suitable for everyone. The prototype's visual design is inspired by the colours presented within the exterior and interior of Regent Park Community Centre.

The community centre provides a vibrant social space for all age groups, which the website reflects by offering a simplified image-based experience that is suitable for everyone. The prototype's visual design is inspired by the colours presented within the exterior and interior of Regent Park Community Centre.