Duck Taphouse And Grill

Overview

This project was my final capstone at NAIT. Working alongside two team members, we were tasked with finding a client and either redesigning their existing website or creating a new one from the ground up. After securing a client, we chose to redesign their existing website by developing a custom WordPress theme that better reflected their content and business goals.

My Role

As the lead designer, I was responsible for the visual and user experience design of the project. My contributions included:

• Initial concept sketches
• Low-fidelity wireframes
• High-fidelity wireframes
• Mood board creation
• Design direction and visual consistency

Technical Skills

• PHP
• HTML
• CSS
• Collaborative Github
• WordPress
• Figma

Challenge & Process

One of the biggest challenges during the project was communicating effectively with the client and creating an engaging website despite having very limited content. At the beginning, our team relied primarily on email communication, but we soon realized that in-person meetings were much more effective. Because the client often had difficulty responding promptly to emails, face-to-face discussions allowed us to gather feedback, clarify requirements, and make decisions more efficiently. Another challenge involved determining the website’s structure. The client’s original website contained five pages with minimal content, and as beginner designers and developers, we initially assumed that replicating the existing layout would be the simplest solution. However, through trial and error, we learned that effective web design should be guided by content organization rather than page count. By carefully grouping related information and focusing on usability, we reduced the website from five pages to three, resulting in a cleaner design and a more intuitive user experience.

Outcomes

This project strengthened both my design process and client communication skills. It taught me the importance of organizing content before designing page layouts and reinforced the value of clear communication throughout a project. By the end of the experience, I had gained greater confidence in my web design abilities, collaboration skills, and ability to work directly with clients.