Redesign of Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Buttonwillow Raceway Park, a renowned racing destination with a rich history dating back to the 1950s, has been the heart of California's motorsports scene for decades. As a key player in the motorsports industry, Buttonwillow Raceway Park strives to deliver exceptional experiences while promoting a culture of community and passion for racing by offering a range of track configurations for racing enthusiasts.
My role
Product Designer
Team
James Naito
Max Blum
Problem
Buttonwillow users find it challenging to find crucial details about events, safety guidelines, track amenities, and pricing.
Solution
We redesigned the information architecture to provide a streamlined and intuitive user experience, ensuring ease of use, discoverability, and enhancing user engagement.
Result
Fixing the Information Architecture, we increased discoverability by 50%, and speed by 40%.
Discovery and Research
To understand the problem space, we analyzed secondary research and the competition. Looking deeper into the information architecture across companies, and found competitors had a layout structure with 50% visuals, and 50% product offerings.
Define: Information Architecture
A UX audit revealed Buttonwillow's navigation was not intuitive and confusing. We created a sitemap to pinpoint areas for improvement and conducted Closed Card Sorting to optimize user journeys. Predefined categories were introduced to align content with Buttonwillow's ethos and value proposition.
Closed Card Sorting
Closed card sorting revealed users grouped pricing and events separately, leading to a revamp of the top navigation for a more intuitive experience. This adjustment aligned with user feedback and improved the speed of navigation.
Users
Opportunities
Need to provide an accessible experience to expand user base globally
Capture a broader audience by providing multi-lingual support
Modern design to attract Gen Z+younger crowds to expand user base
Providing a consistent design language
Designs
Localization
47% of the growth in the motorsport market is in the EU. To attract those customers, providing localization to foster greater engagement and effectiveness of communication which led to an increase of customer satisfaction.
Responsive design
Provides an accessible and inclusive experience by optimizing layout, content, and functionality for all devices. With the majority of web traffic coming from mobile devices (65%), we prioritized a mobile-first approach to design, ensuring a seamless experience across various screen sizes.
Impact
Increased event attendance by 50%
Improved customer satisfaction by 20%
Language support and geolocation enhance localization
Takeaways and Next Steps
By strategically improving Buttonwillow's Information Architecture (IA), we achieved substantial enhancements to the user experience, boosted customer loyalty, and successfully met business objectives. Our main hurdle involved conveying the value of UX to business owners who initially didn't understand the value of UX.
Next steps:
Implementing future iterations through Webflow
Working with developers and product managers to integrate and ensure a successful hand-off.
The first tactical implementation enhanced the experience efficiently. We need to revisit the roadmap for robust improvements based on client needs and budget.