Saltwater Stockdogs

UX design and web development

Background

Saltwater Stockdogs, based at Kirila Ranch, is a hub for dog herding enthusiasts, offering trials, clinics, private lessons, and high-pedigree Border Collies. The ranch also provides space and sheep rentals for herding practice. With a personal connection to the community as a Border Collie owner and event participant, I designed this website to reflect the rustic charm and practicality valued by its users.

Problem

The existing lack of a centralized digital platform created inefficiencies for Saltwater Stockdogs’ audience. Many participants, especially those over 60 with limited technical expertise, found it challenging to navigate online solutions like Facebook for event results and updates. This disconnect between traditional preferences for physical postings and the need for broader accessibility highlighted the need for a user-friendly, centralized website.

Goals

The project aimed to create a welcoming, intuitive website that embodies the rustic lifestyle of the Saltwater Stockdogs community while addressing the following:

  • Centralizing all services, event details, and updates.
  • Ensuring ease of navigation for a tech-challenged demographic.
  • Expanding the company’s reach to a wider audience seeking puppies, herding trials, and training opportunities.
  • Enhancing event experiences by providing a reliable platform for results and information access.

Research findings

To better understand the needs and challenges of Saltwater Stockdogs’ audience, I conducted user research by speaking with 20 participants at a fall trial hosted by the company owner. This research provided valuable insights into the preferences, frustrations, and knowledge gaps of the target users.

Demographics and Digital Challenges

Of the 20 participants, 16 were over the age of 60, highlighting a predominantly older user base.

5 participants reported not having a Facebook account or being unable to log in, leaving them unable to access trial results shared on the platform.

Preference for Physical Results

Over half of the participants expressed a strong preference for physical result postings, aligning with the community’s traditional reliance on tangible, immediate information.

Lack of Awareness of Services

13 participants were unaware of additional services offered by Saltwater Stockdogs, such as private lessons, sheep rentals, and space rentals for training.

Ideation

features

We conducted an initial call to finalize the details of the minimum viable product (MVP), distinguishing between essential features and additional enhancements. The “must-have” features were identified as core requirements, while “nice-to-have” features were noted for potential incorporation in future iterations.

Sketches & User-flow ideas

I created an initial rough draft of the user flow to map out how users would interact with the website. This draft served as a foundational guide for the development process and was reviewed with the client to ensure alignment with their vision and user needs.

Designs & Solutions

Over the course of several weeks, I developed a mockup minimum viable product (MVP) for the Saltwater Stockdogs website. The design preserves the rustic charm that aligns with the brand’s identity while incorporating additional features to enhance the user experience. The website is designed to provide users with a seamless and accessible experience, expand the company’s reach, and effectively showcase all available services.

Landing page

The client requested a centralized platform that clearly listed all services offered, complemented by a straightforward and intuitive navigation system to ensure ease of use.

about

To align with the client’s vision, I designed an “About” section that fosters a familial feel by sharing the story of how a passion for herding evolved into the creation of Saltwater Stockdogs.

additionaly i was able to incorporate a map section that allows users to hover over the points to find more information about events the client has attended. shown below

trials

User interviews revealed that customers often faced challenges in locating trial results and information about upcoming events. To address this, we designed a dedicated page that consolidates trial results and provides sign-up forms for upcoming trials, ensuring seamless access to this essential information.

Demo Findings

before

The client felt that the initial mockup appeared too modern for their intended audience. They requested the inclusion of videos showcasing working dogs on the landing page to create a more authentic connection and a footer with functional navigation to enhance usability.

during the demo of our initial mockups, the client requested additional features for the website’s initial release.

after

To address this, I added a footer with functional navigation and shifted the logo to an overlay across a video to be inserted at a later time.