UX Research, Design and Development for Small Businesses
Tuning Detroit
Overview
2021 - Timeline: Less than 1 month; Ongoing support provided
Tuning Detroit is a website for biofield tuning practitioner Pam Bowerman. Biofield tuning uses the therapeutic sound and vibration of tuning forks to rebalance the body's energy field. After listening to a podcast about biofield tuning, Pam was inspired to become a practitioner. I met with her to discuss how a website would help achieve her business goals. How could we help her clients to learn more about biofield tuning and to make an appointment?
Competitive and Domain Analysis
After speaking with Pam, I learned about Tuning Detroit's competitors and did further research into the field.
- Websites focused on explaining the concept of biofield tuning and what happens during a session
- Other practitioners allowed patients to book appointments on the site
- Sites included information about healing and health benefits
- Some sites were stark and clinical, while others are warm and inviting
After considering the sites that were analyzed, we decided on the following:
- A warm, vibrant color palette with images of people having fun to give the site an approachable and professional look without being too clinical
- FAQs page with information about how to make an appointment and what is involved with different types of sessions. Tuning fork therapy is a new field, so it is important to explain what happens during a session so clients will know what to expect ahead of time.
- Biofield tuning information page with detailed information about the science behind biofield tuning to give clients trust in the site that Pam is a professional, trusted practitioner of biofield tuning
- Calls to Action to "Schedule a Tune Up!" in the header and throughout the site to make it clear and easy to set up an appointment. We looked at a few scheduling solutions, but Pam saw Acuity scheduling used successfully on multiple other biofield tuning sites, so we decided that was a great choice.
Persona
Pam described the target persona for Tuning Detroit as adventurous and curious person who is interested in alternative health treatments. We came up with Samantha Cooper, who heard about biofield tuning from her friend and wants to try it for the first time.
Hero Section
After conversations with Pam about her brand identity, I designed the Hero section for Tuning Detroit with a custom image created by adding tuning forks in the hands of two people smiling and having fun.
Tuning Detroit hero image
Page Design
The page design was completely custom and built using Oxygen for WordPress. It includes a home page, biofield tuning, faqs, contact, and scheduling. The site is responsive and usable on any device at any resolution or size.
User Testing
We discussed the tasks that our persona Samatha should be able to accomplish on the site and came up with a list to test with users. We chose informal testing with 3 friends/family members. Testers were able to successfully answer the following questions:
- Can you tell me what biofield tuning is?
- What would you expect to happen at a tuning session?
- What are Tuning Detroir's hours of business?
- Can you find price for a service the you might like to try?
- Can you make an appointment?
- How would you contact the owner of the site with a question or comment?
Next Steps
Technical Challenges
Tuning Detroit uses a completely custom theme created with Oxygen for WordPress. We integrated scheduling with Acuity to be embedded in the site so that users retain trust by not leaving the site to make an appointment.
Client Response
"Stephanie patiently walked me through the process of website creation. I feel so much joy every time I visit my website! She cares about my satisfaction and is responsive to my changing needs. With vast experience in her field, I trust her guidance and value her professional genius."
PAM BOWERMAN