UX Design Article
Introduction
First and foremost I need to state my topic. I have chosen to create a website consists of the stories behind Persian festivals. Persian festivals are reflections of history filled with vibrant traditions, stories, and rituals. My target audience is mostly young users looking for something entertaining and fun. So, the stories that Iam going to present will offer an exciting opportunity to my target audience to be able to connect with history and be entertained while learning about the ancient cultural significance of Nowruz, Mehregan, Yalda, and other festivals. Having said that, Iam totally aware that achieving those goals requires a well-thought user experience design that is able to capture the users’ attention and interest, as well as making the process fun and interactive at the same time.
In this article, how I am going to create a suitable UX for my project exploring the stories behind Persian festivals, based on the workshops that I attended. I will talk about my design strategies and interactive features. In addition to that, I will present some personas tailored to young audiences, ensuring my website to be able to become both educational and entertaining.
More On Target Audience
It worth considering that as time pass by young audiences started to bring specific preferences to digital interactions, this behaviour is mostly influenced by their excessive exposure to modern technologies and entertainment platforms, from social media to online games. Since I want to create a website for this age group I need to have a thorough understanding of their needs and expectations.
Key characteristics of my target audience
Tech-savvy Users: I need to take into consideration that this generation is highly familiar with smartphones, iPads, tablets, and applications. That is why they expect sleek design and intuitive interfaces.
Visual and interactive learners: My target users are mostly drawn to engaging visuals, animations, and hands-on activities rather than static, text-heavy content. This is one of the reasons that I want to focus on animating my elements on the website.
Short attention spans: Young people may found it harder to focus, as they easily get distracted naturally. So, the content needs to be both concise and dynamic at the same time to have the potential to sustain their interest.
Explorative behaviour: My target audience enjoys exploring, experimenting, and discovering new things.
Put it into a nutshell, this audience is at a formative age where storytelling and interactive experiences can leave a lasting impact on them. That is to say, a well designed UX can spark curiosity about Persian culture, also encourage them to have a sense of connection to these traditions which were also celebrated by first civilized human beings. To achieve this, first I need to think about real people as it was mentioned in the workshop one of the key features of user research is try to figure out people’s relationship to products and services in real contexts. Considering my users’ needs, behaviors, motivations, triggers, and barriers is the first step to take in this journey.
Leveraging Visual Experience
In order to earn the engagement of young audiences I am planning to use visual illustration which is a powerful tool for achieving my goal. I can make the stories behind Persian festivals more accessible and captivating by using visually dynamic formats alongside narratives. To begin with, using CSS animation will help me to create colorful, Persian-inspired illustrations. To be more specific I plan to use motifs such as pomegranates for Yalda night, fire for Chaharshanbe Souri, Haft-sin for Nowroz to reinforce cultural themes. There are two key points that I want to pay attention to. First I need to keep those visuals vibrant and culturally authentic, to make sure that the visuals that I have created are reflecting Persian design aesthetics. After that, I want to make sure that I am using motion graphics to guide attention and emphasize key storytelling moments.
Building Emotional Connections
Moving on to my next method, I am totally aware of the fact that young users are more likely to engage with content that they feel an emotional connection to it, no matter how less it is. That is why I have to use some techniques in order to try to create that connection. First technique could be presenting relatable anecdotes or short stories about people celebrating Persian festivals, like how families help each other to decorate Haft-Sin or how grandparents tell Yalda tales. In addition to that, character driven narratives that includes fictional characters guiding users through narrating stories and explaining traditions.
Inclusive and Accessible Design
Since I want to be sure that my platform will have the potential to reach a broad audience, I need to prioritise both inclusivity as well as accessibility. In order to do so, I am planning to offer the platform in both English and Persian to cater to diverse users. On top of that, I want to include narrated versions of text-based content for users who prefer listening or those who are dealing with reading difficulties. Moreover, designing the interface of the website with large, easy-to-click buttons and a straightforward layout which is also known as simple navigation are necessary to ensure the usability of my platform. In terms of the design of the website, I want to use high-contrast color schemes for readability, especially for visually impaired users. Lastly, I want to include a simple search bar that has some predictive text to help users find specific festivals or stories quickly.
Multimedia Integration
As I mentioned previously in this article multimedia elements are required for creating an immersive experience. Including short videos in the website to show how local people celebrate Persian festivals can be helpful. In addition to that, In my opinion using traditional Persian music to set the tone of different festivals, such as celebrating tone for Nowroz or some calming melodies for Yalda night could be another thing that might make my website to be more interesting. Adding clickable sound effect such as the crackling of a Chaharshanbe Souri fire could also be fun for my users.
Core UX Design Principles
Designing for this demographic requires balancing education and entertaining. As I mentioned in the previous paragraphs, one of the goals of user research is to figure out the relationship between people and products/services in a real context. After considering users’ needs now it is time to think about my product promise/value proposition. That is to focus on what is my services promise and to what extent it is going to meet that promises.
My website promises an interactive platform in which you are able to feel a connection with ancient festivals as well as learning about history, and be entertained through visual elements.
My challenge here is to be sure that I will be able to create a platform that is going to be successful in meeting these promises, by doing a thorough user research, consider all the details, and have a comprehensive understanding of the behaviors and expectations of my target audience. In my opinion, trying to come up with some imaginative assumptions and hypotheses will help me to prevent some challenges at the very beginning. The other thing that I want to prevent is biases. Me being a Persian might raise some issues that I might write my content with some biases. Having said that, I am just going to be a local person sharing my own personal experiences of celebrating these festivals. I also need to state that socializing with other people from other parts of the country, reading articles, watching interviews and videos also proved me that almost 95% of people in my home country celebrate these festivals in the way that I do.
Here I want to talk about some tips for better user experience that were mentioned during the second workshop. First, I need to have this in my mind that I am not the user, my users are going to be young people mostly aged 10-17, so I will approach with design strategies based on this age group needs and expectations not mine. Second one is asking why questions, I need to always dig dipper than what I see on the surface, all the details need to be considered and well-thought. Validating my assumptions is another point here. Testing everything early and often is the key to success because without validating all of the design ideas that I have in my mind are just assumptions. Brainstorming on walls and starting on papers were the other two tips mentioned by Chris. While I am planning to use the walls of my room to write and sketch ideas to make them more visible, I am also going to try to let go of bad ideas as soon as it is possible and stick to good ideas to have more time in order to flourish those good ones. Having said that, it is important to bear in mind that having bad ideas is also necessary here, based on one of the activities that we did during the second workshop with Chris, it is good to first think about what is going to be the worst experience that I as the website creator can create? What would make my platform to be frustrating? Knowing the answers to these types of questions would help me to prevent many issues happening in the first place.
Moving on to the next technique, it is worth spending time on my content requirements. In this step, having a table of what does my user want/need to do as well as what do I as the content creator want my users to do. Writing these statements will definitely shed light on the differences between my users’ expectations and my expectations. That is because as I mentioned previously, I must consider the fact that I am not the user.
Lastly, throughout the two workshops I learned that continuous testing and refinement are key to create an engaging experience. That is why I need to test my website in order to make sure that my attempt has been successful, by conducting usability tests with users from the target demographic to identify pain points and areas for further improvements. Luckily, I have many cousins who are in the same age as my future target audiences and are excited to help me in this process.
Conclusion
Designing a website which has engaging user experience for my project that is the stories behind Persian festivals requires a very delicate balance between education and entertainment. I will be able to reach my goals by incorporating some techniques that I have mentioned in this article which are leveraging visual experiences, building emotional connections, and ensuring and inclusive and accessible design. This platform is going to be able to capture the curiosity and attention of my target audiences who are tech-savvy young generation. Simplifying navigation and personalising content could also ensure that my project is accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable at the same time.
Finally, my ultimate goal is to come up with a website that transforms the rich history and traditions of Persian festivals into a memorable and immersive experience. I want to develop a lifelong appreciation for Persian culture by earning the engagement of young users and inspire them to explore their heritage. A well-thought, iterative approach to UX will both captivate my target audience, and ensure that my project has a lasting impact on how these timeless Persian festivals and stories behind them are shared and celebrated in this digitalized era.