Kierrätyskeskus operates several secondhand stores in the Helsinki metropolitan area, as well as a web shop for pre-owned products.
We redesigned the kierrätyskeskus.fi website with an emphasis on user experience, new brand look and accessibility.
Client
Kierrätyskeskus
Industry
Retail
Platform
Web
Services
Service Design, UX/UI Design
Kierrätyskeskus wanted to create a modern website that would offer an easy, clear and user friendly experience.
The main challenge was the old website's complex structure. Over time, it had accumulated a lot of content, making it difficult to navigate and find information. Additionally, a new visual identity created during a brand revival project had proved to be impossible to implement to the old website. As a result, content producers at Kierrätyskeskus were lacking the means to utilise the new brand visuals in practice.
When designing the new user experience, it was important to consider all the different user groups: private, corporate, educational institution and municipal customers. In addition, Environmental school Polku, a platform for teachers and education professionals, was to be separated into its own service while still providing a user experience similar to the main website.
Donating
Purchasing second hand goods
Volunteering & jobs
Environmental impact calculation and audits
Trainings and lectures
Sustainable growth education
Collaborating on the design with the customer played an important role in the project.
User personas, customer segments, and the most common use cases were defined in collaborative workshops. These definitions were then used to map customer journeys.
This groundwork helped us make it easier for the various user groups (private users, businesses & organisations, educational institutions) to locate the relevant information and services on the website.
Private users
Educational institutions
Businesses and social enterprises
The workshops resulted in the following goals for the website experience:
During the co-design workshops and site analysis, the following themes emerged as the guiding principles for the design:
Furthermore, Kierrätyskeskus has a number of general objectives that serve as the backbone of all their operations: reducing the consumption of natural resources, increasing environmental awareness and inclusivity and expanding work opportunities.
To achieve a better experience for the website users, reducing the amount of content was crucial.
Kierrätyskeskus both rewrote most of the original content, finding ways to communicate the most important information in clear and concise ways. A key part of this process was making the complex goods & donation section more user-friendly. The same philosophy was applied to the revised version of Environmental school Polku.
The redefinition of content also applied to the website's structure. The entire navigation and menu logic was streamlined to provide an inviting and uncomplicated service.
When designing content elements and UX components, modular and reusable components were emphasised. This ensured a coherent user experience and made navigating the site easier.
The most frequently utilised elements from the original website were used as a base for the final components. Thoughtfully selected and reusable components also reduced development time – the site was ready to be released earlier than originally planned.
For the user interface, the new brand identity was brought in by adding lighter colours to Kierrätyskeskus’ original green colour palette. The lighter colour scheme both creates a sense of trustworthiness and is easier on the eyes.
The typography was made more clear by increasing the font sizes to adhere to current accessibility standards. Large subheadings structure the pages visually and make them easier to read for the visitors that use assistive technologies.
The design phase resulted in a reusable content element library that has made the daily life of the content producers much easier. It also assures that accessibility, ease of use and visual appearance remain cohesive on the site whenever new content is added.
Our work was validated via user research – and the results speak for themselves. The ratings for the new site have been stellar regarding both usability and the new visual appearance.
"Easy to understand, logical, easily understandable language, concise and simple."
"Extremely functional and clear."
No matter where you are on your digitalisation journey, we encourage you to get in touch.
Business Development Manager
henri.ranki@taiste.com+358 44 500 1364Do you have a project that you'd like to discuss? Our Business Development Manager Henri is who you'll want to have a chat with.
Office Coordinator
vilma.merikanto@taiste.com+358445568459Have a question related to events, co-operation etc.? Our Office coordinator Vilma is happy to help.
Considering applying to work at Taiste? Our HR Manager Laura can aid you with any questions you might have.
