Hive Labs
Hive Labs Agency website (mobile and desktop) (2019)
Introduction
After the success of the Daily Hive redesign, I was full of confidence and was asked to design the website of Hive Labs which is an in-house marketing agency that was taking over from Colony Digital. I worked on the UX and my colleagues at Daily Hive worked on the branding and User interface design.
Objectives
Initially, I spoke with the newly hired Director of Hive Labs. From this initial conversation, I was able to ascertain the prerequisites of the project that I had to work within. I also used this information to work out where we had some room to play with in terms of the design.
The business requirements of the project were to create a website that:
Promoted the agency to potential clients.
Showcased the previous projects that Daily Hive had created for clients.
Highlighted a showreel video that was created for the site.
Featured reputable brands that Daily Hive had previously worked with.
Created a way for clients to download Hive Labs media kit whilst also obtaining the client’s email address.
Showed the many informational Case Studies that Hive Labs had created for clients.
Was desktop first as clients were more likely to view the site from an office setting.
The Product requirements of the project were to create a website that:
Worked within the Daily Hive Information Architecture and grid system.
Used as much of the already existing Daily Hive colours, hierarchy, functionality, and feature set to aid the developers.
Create a site that was desktop first whilst still having a nice mobile experience.
Previous Daily Hive clients
Target User
The website was primarily designed to cater to the needs of a discerning business user.
The target user base comprised a wide array of businesses, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to industry giants. They included renowned brands like Netflix and American Express. These prestigious names illustrated the caliber of clients we aimed to attract and serve through the Hive Labs platform.
Research and Analysis
T Brand Studio
Guardian Labs Website
I began my research by looking at other in-house Media Agencies such as:
T Media (NY Times)
Guardian Labs
I used these sites to gain an understanding of the basic information architecture and layouts they were using. Viewing the websites also gave me a first-person experience of the user’s perspective which helped me to empathize with the target audience. I find that doing this helps me to understand the motivations of competitors and the tactics they use to attract and convert clients.
“A paper prototype was created to enable us to play around with the layout to see what worked best”
After my research, I created a wireframe of my initial design. I then arranged a workshop with the Director of product and worked with him to see what layouts worked best. It was a great way to receive feedback on the design. I was also able to give my recommendations and put ideas forward based on the research I had done.
Armed with a photo of the finalized layouts and with my notes, I was able to digitize the screens and create wireframes in Sketch. I then handed off to the UI designer, and communicated the research I had gone through as well as the finalized layouts and my discussions with the Director of Hive Labs.
“Sat was instrumental in helping to design a Hive Labs website that followed the brief perfectly. The site enabled us to not only highlight our previous projects but also helped us to reach out to potential new clients. Sat was a pleasure to work with.”