User research for the Royal Photographic Society (RPS)
Overview
​
The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) had an exciting opportunity: their website, rich in potential for stunning imagery, needed a significant overhaul. My brief was to collaborate with RPS to review their outdated, unresponsive website and create a more flexible, user-friendly online presence.
​
At the core of this project was a shift in RPS’s user base, which had rapidly evolved due to the rise of digital technology in photography. The traditional methods that had once served them well were now outdated. In addition to redesigning the website, RPS needed a system that allowed them to manage and update their own content, giving them more control.
​
Rather than simply updating the old website, I worked closely with RPS to explain the importance of a user-centric discovery process. This approach allowed us to start fresh, designing a solution that would not only meet the needs of their changing audience but also empower them to take ownership of their digital space.
Step 1: Explaining the discovery process
Royal Photographic Society (RPS) Website Redesign
When the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) approached my agency to fix their website, using terms like "discovery process" or "UX" wasn’t going to help. They simply wanted a solution that would improve their current website—why would they pay for a lot of work that didn’t seem to directly impact their existing pages?
​
Explaining the value of UX in this context was a challenge, but it's something I truly enjoy. I started by interviewing RPS members and staff in person to understand their perspectives on what the organization represented. As expected, the feedback was diverse, with varying opinions based on their roles and areas of interest.
​
I then consolidated these insights and presented them back to the team. I demonstrated how the existing site structure was based more on internal hierarchy than on what users actually needed. This led to an open discussion with all stakeholders, and they quickly agreed on the need for a more user-centered approach.
​
To ensure that we truly understood the users’ needs, I recruited a group of engaged RPS members as well as non-members with an interest in photography. We held a day-long card sorting and IA (Information Architecture) mapping workshop to map out the ideal structure for the website, ensuring it aligned with both the user needs and the goals of the organisation.
Step 2: Internal workshop
To kick off the project, I ran two separate workshops: one with RPS staff and one with end users. The first workshop was focused on understanding the internal perspective. I conducted individual interviews with each staff member to gather insights into what they believed RPS stood for, its aims, and any obstacles they encountered in fulfilling the organisation’s goals.
​
After collecting this information, I brought everyone together for a collaborative session. We reviewed the current website on-screen, and I encouraged them to step into the shoes of a user from their target audience.
By the end of the session, we had a clear consensus: the existing site reflected the internal structure of the organisation, rather than what users actually needed. The staff acknowledged that the site heavily relied on offline media, such as brochures and magazines, and that these assets were not well-represented or clearly communicated online.
​
As a result of these discussions, the team agreed to completely overhaul the website to create a more user-focused experience.
Step 3: User card sorting workshop
For the second workshop, I facilitated a face-to-face card sorting session with 10 attendees—5 RPS members and 5 non-members. Using topics and titles derived from the current website, as well as themes mentioned during previous staff interviews, we worked together to organize content and create a new information architecture (IA).
​
The session was interactive, and we used Axure to visually map out the new IA as the group discussed and agreed on the structure. Through this exercise, we identified key content areas that had been overlooked on the original site. We also discovered new pages and services that RPS already provided, which were valuable to members but had not been previously highlighted online.
This collaborative session not only helped shape the new IA but also provided me with valuable feedback to compare against the current site data, setting the foundation for the website overhaul.
Step 4: Combining qual and quant data
The existing RPS website had basic Google Analytics tracking, which, when combined with the qualitative data from the workshops and interviews, provided valuable insights into what was working and what wasn't.
​
Despite the business's focus on regional membership, these sections had one of the highest bounce rates. This, along with user feedback, highlighted areas that needed immediate attention: rewriting content, making calls to action (CTAs) clearer, and showcasing more inspiring gallery photography from current members.
​
In response, I created a new information architecture (IA), designed low-fidelity wireframes for each page template and component, and developed a set of digital brand guidelines—moving away from the old static PDF version.
​
I also conducted a session with RPS's content editors to walk them through the new guidelines and teach them how to effectively edit and create content in the CMS. This empowered the team with greater control over the site and left them with a fully functional and user-friendly site they were excited to manage.