Overview

This case study presents a freelance UX/UI design project for Donna O’Connell’s personal website, which serves as a digital memoir of her life journey from childhood to adulthood, with a special emphasis on her poetic legacy.

The project was initiated and coordinated by Donna O’Connell’s son, who acted as the primary client and liaison throughout the process. The main objective was to create a heartfelt, user-friendly platform that would showcase Donna O’Connell’s life story, her extensive body of poetry work, and her family’s cherished photo album.

This website was not just about chronicling a life, but also about preserving and sharing the artistic expressions that were so central to Donna O’Connell’s identity. Donna O’Connell’s poetry was a monumental part of her life. She had several published poems and poetry books, which she wanted to be prominently featured on the website. Her desire was for her poetic works to be passed on through this digital platform, allowing her family and friends to enjoy and remember her through her words long after she was gone.

Live Website

Donna O’Connell

Key objectives

The process began with an in-depth consultation with Donna O’Connell’s son to understand the family’s goals, the intended audience (primarily family and close friends), and the desired look and feel of the website. Special attention was given to how best to present Donna’s poetry in a way that would honor its significance in her life.

Developing a site architecture that chronologically presents Donna O’Connell’s life story.

Creating a responsive design to ensure optimal viewing across various devices, considering that family members of different ages would be accessing the site.

Implementing a warm, inviting UI that reflects the personal and nostalgic nature of the content.

Designing an intuitive navigation system that allows visitors to easily explore different phases of Donna O’Connell’s life and her poetic works.

Incorporating a user-friendly photo album feature to showcase family photographs.

Integrating a comprehensive poetry section that would serve as a digital anthology of Donna O’Connell’s published works and unpublished pieces.

Design Iterations

Website Features

Her Story (Bio)

Description

A timeline-style biography section, dividing Donna O’Connell’s life into key phases from childhood to adulthood.

Photo Albums

Description

An integrated photo album with categorization by life events or time periods.

Published Poetry

Description

A dedicated poetry section, serving as a digital library of Donna O’Connell’s published and unpublished works.

High Praises from Client

Throughout the project, we maintained open communication with Donna O’Connell’s son, incorporating feedback from both him and other family members. This collaborative approach was essential in creating a website that truly honored Donna O’Connell’s life, memories, and poetic legacy.

The final website effectively balances a nostalgic, warm feel with modern usability. It provides visitors with an immersive experience into Donna O’Connell’s life journey, allowing them to explore her story, view family photographs, and most importantly, dive deep into her poetry. The poetry section stands as a testament to Donna’s artistic journey, showcasing how her poetic voice evolved over time and reflecting the themes and experiences that shaped her life.

Donna O’Connell’s son expressed high satisfaction with the final product, noting its effectiveness in capturing and presenting his mother’s life story and poetic legacy. He particularly appreciated how the website elevated his mother’s poetry, making it a central part of her digital memoir. The family was moved by how the site allowed Donna’s voice to live on through her poems, providing comfort and inspiration to those who know and love her.

Live Website

Donna O’Connell