About

The client felt the code of their website was outdated, as well as its design. They wanted to serve their diverse cinema goers better by having a more tailored offering.

To give the client a taste of what a better user experience could look like, I put together a redesigned version of their homepage. This was part of a proposal my agency submitted for a tender. The idea was to spark a conversation which would ideally lead to a strategic session where we could dive deeper into their challenges, define their needs and move towards a full design and development process.

Client

Randstad, an …

Deliverables

I proposed a redesign of their current homepage incorporating several interactive elements.

Approach

The objective of the design process was to draft a high fidelity design of the potential client’s homepage. A successful design would result in Rialto starting a full-length design process with my agency.

Due to a limited time frame there was no room to look into strategy. Instead, I ran a shortened design cycle that started off with collecting the following information through an intake form and their website:

  • preferred style of the client, based on websites they submitted.

  • elements of their corporate identity.

  • the client’s target audience(s).

  • potential problems that their target users run into when using their website.

Key findings

Rialto sets itself apart by offering a careful program of independent European and world-wide cinema, thematic film series and support for new filmmakers.

They place value on their local community as well. They do this through:

  • their many volunteers

  • programming tailored to the diaspora of Amsterdam

  • movies and workshops for families

  • a student platform where they can collectively review and discuss movies

  • the physical setting of their theaters. These are cozy, comfortable and personal rather than commercial.

Their audiences are:

  • film enthusiasts

  • young adults

  • families and children

  • cultural and diaspora communities

  • local, diverse Amsterdam residents

The design

Style

Rialto wants to offer a cozy, local atmosphere for its cinema goers. This is reflected in the warm colors on their website and use of mostly soft, round fonts. Though the warm colors do a good job communicating coziness, they come across as dated. I created a bolder palette in which the colors are more saturated and contrast with each other.

I also wanted to set Rialto apart by making their website more playful. It’s one thing to not be stuffy, it’s another to show that you offer not just any cinema, but a careful, independent selection of worldwide movies and programs complementing it. This independence had to come through in the visual design. Therefore I did the following:

  • I went for standout fonts and made them bigger. Though not round, they draw the viewer in.

  • I created a more dynamic layout in which elements either slide in or seem like they do. The dynamic feeling is further emphasized by having elements overlap with each other.

Users

I made the most important audiences more clear by giving each group its own section within the ‘Films voor iedereen’ block. As users need to quickly see which movies are currently playing and when, followed by a clear call to action, this information is placed right after.