Redesigning an oceanographic data repository website interfaceRolling Deck to Repository (R2R)
Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R) was operating a website that was outdated and far from intuitive, creating a frustrating experience for the researchers that needed to access information on the site.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Geoinformatics division turned to Kelly Campbell to modernize and redesign the website so that it would work across a variety of screens and devices, while cutting down on the steps needed to access information, ensuring that site visitors could navigate easily and with greater efficiency.
Challenges
Kelly’s work addressed three critical challenges for R2R:
• Website user experience:
Visitors to the site, who are mainly research scientists, had to click five times to access the most popular types of data on the site, taking time and adding frustration.
• Antiquated aesthetic and functionality:
The website, designed years ago, was optimized for small screen resolution, non-responsive to mobile devices, and had an outdated aesthetic.
• Complex data presentations:
The data presentation of the site needed to be simplified. Data was nested in HTML tables, and some functions for exporting were not intuitive. Difficulty accessing the data was not only about the number of clicks to get there, but how the data was stored and presented.
Solution
Kelly Campbell worked with the R2R team to identify the objectives of site visitors and make user interface and technology decisions based on those objectives, as well as best practices and usability standards.
After taking inventory of web content and auditing what needed to be improved, Kelly provided the creative direction for the new user interface for seven WordPress templates. These were co-ded in-house and implemented by the client. The final Photoshop files—all layered, labeled and containing CSS for the developers—were delivered on time and within the allocated budget.
Results
The resulting site is visually appealing and functions well, saving research scientists valuable time. Visitors can now access the most important data using two clicks, versus the five clicks required in the previous design. R2R recently launched the new site and feedback from the oceanographic research community has been very positive. View rvdata.us.
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Kelly is a remarkable talent who has helped us think through a short and long term approach to our web site. She has consistently gone above and beyond the scope and both her technical, design and user experience insights have been impressive. Case study »
