Tools Used:
Figma, Webflow, Illustrator
The Challenge
The McLean Art Center is a vibrant non-profit art space, but its digital presence felt like an outdated time capsule. The existing website suffered from severe “plugin bloat,” fragmented user journeys, and poor visual accessibility. Patrons struggled to navigate a rigid calendar grid, booking workshops required enduring a clunky third-party checkout maze, and the center’s non-profit mission and donation opportunities were buried under text-heavy, cluttered layouts.
The Process
As the Lead UX/UI Designer, my objective was to spearhead a complete responsive website redesign and UX overhaul. The goal was to transform the site into a sleek, accessible digital extension of the physical gallery while engineering a friction-free event management system to boost workshop registrations, gallery attendance, and non-profit donations.
Action
Overhauled the Event Checkout Pipeline: Replaced the external third-party ticketing maze with an intuitive, 3-step native checkout flow (Select Tickets → Attendee Details → Secure Payment). Integrated real-time capacity tracking badges (“Only 3 Spots Left!”) to drive conversion urgency and added one-click calendar syncing (Google, Apple, Outlook) to prevent missed events.
Modernized Visuals & Accessibility: Shifted to a high-visibility, minimalist design system that leveraged white space and crisp typography to let the artwork shine. Re-engineered the color palette to achieve WCAG AA compliance, ensuring accessibility for older patrons and diverse demographics.
Conducted Data-Driven UX Testing: Led two rounds of moderated usability testing with 12 diverse participants (from tech-savvy art students to seniors). Discovered critical user friction with the existing calendar grid and pivoted to a searchable, hybrid Smart Calendar & List View featuring instant filtering by “Exhibits,” “Workshops,” and “Community Events.”
Result
- Boosted Workshop Registrations: The intuitive 3-step native checkout and real-time urgency badges drove a 45% increase in workshop sign-ups within the first three months of launch.
- Reduced Event No-Shows: Integrating one-click calendar syncing on confirmation screens decreased workshop and event no-show rates.
- Elevated Non-Profit Donations: Contextual micro-donation prompts at checkout and the new transparency page increased individual online donations by 36%.
