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PINNACLE OAK
A website for a cooperage agent to enhance company credibility
Premium French Oak Wine Barrels
Famille Sylvain
About Us
Our Range
Our Resources
Premium French Oak Wine Barrels
Famille Sylvain
About Us
Our Range
Our Resources
PINNACLE OAK
A website for a cooperage agent to enhance company credibility
Premium French Oak Wine Barrels
Famille Sylvain
About Us
Our Range
Our Resources
Contact Us
Problem
Winemakers have been hesitant to work with the new cooperage agent due to a lack of trust established by a prior agent. The challenge lies in understanding the specific needs and concerns of winemakers, showcasing how the cooperage's premium barrels can address those needs, and fostering lasting, trust based relationships
Problem
Winemakers have been hesitant to work with the new cooperage agent due to a lack of trust established by a prior agent. The challenge lies in understanding the specific needs and concerns of winemakers, showcasing how the cooperage's premium barrels can address those needs, and fostering lasting, trust based relationships
Objective
To create a user friendly online platform that effectively showcases Pinnacle Oak's premium barrels, builds trust with winemakers, and facilitates seamless communication processes, ultimately driving increased sales and establishing the cooperage as a preferred partner in the winemaking industry.
Objective
To create a user friendly online platform that effectively showcases Pinnacle Oak's premium barrels, builds trust with winemakers, and facilitates seamless communication processes, ultimately driving increased sales and establishing the cooperage as a preferred partner in the winemaking industry.
Objective
To create a user friendly online platform that effectively showcases Pinnacle Oak's premium barrels, builds trust with winemakers, and facilitates seamless communication processes, ultimately driving increased sales and establishing the cooperage as a preferred partner in the winemaking industry.
Timeline
4 weeks
Timeline
4 weeks
Role & Team
UX lead UI Designer 9 students
Role & Team
UX lead UI Designer
9 students
Tools
Figma and Illustrator
Tools
Figma and Illustrator
Research - Heuristic Evalutions.
To ensure optimal user experience in our cooperage website design, we conducted heuristic evaluations on three competing websites provided by our client, Andrew Munro. This analysis helped us identify potential usability issues and industry best practices, which we will incorporate into our user flow design.
Research - Heuristic Evalutions.
To ensure optimal user experience in our cooperage website design, we conducted heuristic evaluations on three competing websites provided by our client, Andrew Munro. This analysis helped us identify potential usability issues and industry best practices, which we will incorporate into our user flow design.
Research - Qualitative
To gain a deeper understanding of the winemakers' needs and preferences within the wine industry, I personally reached out to various wineries through my personal contacts to schedule interviews. I conducted in-depth interviews with three Victorian winemakers.
The insights showed that winemakers prioritize trust and positive word-of-mouth when selecting an agent.
Research - Qualitative
To gain a deeper understanding of the winemakers' needs and preferences within the wine industry, I personally reached out to various wineries through my personal contacts to schedule interviews. I conducted in-depth interviews with three Victorian winemakers.
The insights showed that winemakers prioritize trust and positive word-of-mouth when selecting an agent.
“
I want to build trust and have strong, reliable relationship with my wine barrel agent.
Ben
Oakridge Winery, VIC
“
I want to build trust and have strong, reliable relationship with my wine barrel agent.
Ben
Oakridge Winery, VIC
“
Bad news travels fast, we winemakers are quick to let other winemakers know of bad business
Carlo
Alepat Taylor , VIC
“
Bad news travels fast, we winemakers are quick to let other winemakers know of bad business
Carlo
Alepat Taylor , VIC
“
I trust my wine barrel agent to source top quality barrels from France's premier forests.
Greg
St Huberts Winery, VIC
“
I trust my wine barrel agent to source top quality barrels from France's premier forests.
Greg
St Huberts Winery, VIC
“
I want to build trust and have strong, reliable relationship with my wine barrel agent.
Ben
Oakridge Winery, VIC
“
I want to build trust and have strong, reliable relationship with my wine barrel agent.
Ben
Oakridge Winery, VIC
“
I want to build trust and have strong, reliable relationship with my wine barrel supplier.
Ben
Oakridge Winery, VIC
“
I want to build trust and have strong, reliable relationship with my wine barrel agent.
Ben
Oakridge Winery, VIC
“
Bad news travels fast, we winemakers are quick to let other winemakers know of bad business
Carlo
Alepat Taylor , VIC
“
Bad news travels fast, we winemakers are quick to let other winemakers know of bad business
Carlo
Alepat Taylor , VIC
“
I trust my wine barrel agent to source top quality barrels from France's premier forests.
Greg
St Huberts Winery, VIC
“
I trust my wine barrel agent to source top quality barrels from France's premier forests.
Greg
St Huberts Winery, VIC
Our Persona
Let me introduce you to Tim O'Connor.
Our Persona
Let me introduce you to Tim O'Connor.
Tim O'Conner
Winemaker
Tim O'Conner
Winemaker
“I want every bottle of my wine to tell the story of the Yarra Valley,
and the passion we pour into every step of the wine making process.”
About
Tim, 38 starts his day inspecting his vineyard and meeting with his team. Afternoons are for paperwork, marketing, and emails. Evenings are for family, cooking, wine, and reading wine and food magazines
Background
Tim O’Connor, a Melbourne native, relocated to the Yarra Valley after inheriting his grandfather’s winery. Now a winemaker, Tim has embraced the region’s rich wine culture and continues his family’s legacy in the industry.
Goals
Plans to expand his vineyard
Committed to producing award-winning wines
Fostering Strong Partnerships with his Cooperage
Pains
Experiencing frequent issues with his cooperage agent, who delivers barrels that are below quality standards or arriving late, disrupting production schedules and potentially impacting wine quality.
Tim O'Conner
Winemaker
“I want every bottle of my wine to tell the story of the Yarra Valley,
and the passion we pour into every step of the wine making process.”
About
Tim, 38 starts his day inspecting his vineyard and meeting with his team. Afternoons are for paperwork, marketing, and emails. Evenings are for family, cooking, wine, and reading wine and food magazines
Background
Tim O’Connor, a Melbourne native, relocated to the Yarra Valley after inheriting his grandfather’s winery. Now a winemaker, Tim has embraced the region’s rich wine culture and continues his family’s legacy in the industry.
Goals
Plans to expand his vineyard
Committed to producing award-winning wines
Fostering Strong Partnerships with his Cooperage
Pains
Experiencing frequent issues with his cooperage agent, who delivers barrels that are below quality standards or arriving late, disrupting production schedules and potentially impacting wine quality.
Tim O'Conner
Winemaker
“I want every bottle of my wine to tell the story of the Yarra Valley,
and the passion we pour into every step of the wine making process.”
About
Tim, 38 starts his day inspecting his vineyard and meeting with his team. Afternoons are for paperwork, marketing, and emails. Evenings are for family, cooking, wine, and reading wine and food magazines
Tim O’Connor, a Melbourne native, relocated to the Yarra Valley after inheriting his grandfather’s winery. Now a winemaker, Tim has embraced the region’s rich wine culture and continues his family’s legacy in the industry.
Plans to expand his vineyard
Committed to producing award-winning wines
Fostering Strong Partnerships with his Cooperage
Goals
Background
Pains
Experiencing frequent issues with his cooperage agent, who delivers barrels that are below quality standards or arriving late, disrupting production schedules and potentially impacting wine quality.
A winemakers journey to finding Pinnacle Oak.
Our interviews with winemakers provided valuable insights, revealing that the positive word-of-mouth is the key to Pinnacle Oak becoming a preferred wine barrel supplier, as winemaking is a specialised craft. We created a storyboard to demonstrate how Pinnacle Oak’s business would expand with the use of the website.
A winemakers journey to finding Pinnacle Oak.
Our interviews with winemakers provided valuable insights, revealing that the positive word-of-mouth is the key to Pinnacle Oak becoming a preferred wine barrel supplier, as winemaking is a specialised craft. We created a storyboard to demonstrate how Pinnacle Oak’s business would expand with the use of the website.
A winemaker learns the new barrel agent through the good word of mouth from another winemaker.
Winemaker finds the information he needs on the website and contacts Andrew.
Winemaker tries a sample barrel to check if their premium oak barrels are suitable for his grapes.
The Winemaker loves the result. Places a his first order with Andrew
A winemaker spreads the good news about Pinnacle Oak to another winemaker.
A winemakers journey to finding Pinnacle Oak.
Our interviews with winemakers provided valuable insights, revealing that the positive word-of-mouth is the key to Pinnacle Oak becoming a preferred wine barrel supplier, as winemaking is a specialised craft. We created a storyboard to demonstrate how Pinnacle Oak’s business would expand with the use of the website.
A winemaker spreads the good news about Pinnacle Oak to another winemaker.
Winemaker tries a sample barrel to check if their premium oak barrels are suitable for his grapes.
The Winemaker loves the result. Places a his first order with Andrew
Winemaker finds the information he needs on the website and contacts Andrew.
A winemaker learns the new barrel agent through the good word of mouth from another winemaker.
A winemaker learns the new barrel agent through the good word of mouth from another winemaker.
Winemaker finds the information he needs on the website and contacts Andrew.
Winemaker tries a sample barrel to check if their premium oak barrels are suitable for his grapes.
The Winemaker loves the result. Places a his first order with Andrew
A winemaker spreads the good news about Pinnacle Oak to another winemaker.
User Flows
Based on our analysis of Andrew Munro's preferred websites and the valuable insights from the winemakers, we began designing the user flow. We then created low-fidelity prototypes to test this flow.
User Flows
Based on our analysis of Andrew Munro's preferred websites and the valuable insights from the winemakers, we began designing the user flow. We then created low-fidelity prototypes to test this flow.
Design Board
We each submitted design boards, and mine was selected by the team to present to Andrew. I offered him three colour palette options, and he chose the navy palette, as it reminded him of the deep blue tones of premium grapes used in crafting fine red wines, for which his barrels are best suited.
I recommended pairing Libre Bodoni and Jost fonts, as they strike the perfect balance between heritage and modernity.
In addition, we presented several logo options, and he chose the one featuring wood outlines, as it captured the essence of French oak.
Design Board
We each submitted design boards, and mine was selected by the team to present to Andrew. I offered him three colour palette options, and he chose the navy palette, as it reminded him of the deep blue tones of premium grapes used in crafting fine red wines, for which his barrels are best suited.
I recommended pairing Libre Bodoni and Jost fonts, as they strike the perfect balance between heritage and modernity.
In addition, we presented several logo options, and he chose the one featuring wood outlines, as it captured the essence of French oak.
#162945
#FFFFFF
#86AFD3
#E0BE4E
#96191D
High Hi
During the high-fidelity design phase, each team member developed a homepage concept. After voting, we selected the design to be applied across the entire site. The team then divided to focus on different sections. I designed the 'About Us' and 'Contact Us'.
High Fi
During the high-fidelity design phase, each team member developed a homepage concept. After voting, we selected the design to be applied across the entire site. The team then divided to focus on different sections. I designed the 'About Us' and 'Contact Us'.
User Testing
I co-ordinated the user testing by reaching out to John a wine importer from Alepat Taylor to review the high-fidelity prototype.
Although testing with just one user isn't representative of a larger audience, due to the niche persona type, we were only able to arrange testing with one participant. Client was satisfied with this, considering the challenges posed by the unique nature of the product.
User Testing
I co-ordinated the user testing by reaching out to John a wine importer from Alepat Taylor to review the high-fidelity prototype.
Although testing with just one user isn't representative of a larger audience, due to the niche persona type, we were only able to arrange testing with one participant. Client was satisfied with this, considering the challenges posed by the unique nature of the product.
Adjustments made following User Testing
Adjustments made following User Testing
Prototype
Showcasing 'Sourcing our Oak' on the homepage builds trust with winemakers by highlighting cooperage process and the factors that influence the quality of barrels.
Prototype
Showcasing 'Sourcing our Oak' on the homepage builds trust with winemakers by highlighting cooperage process and the factors that influence the quality of barrels.
Prototype
Showcasing 'Sourcing our Oak' on the homepage builds trust with winemakers by highlighting cooperage process and the factors that influence the quality of barrels.
Two crucial pages I designed in the website design were the 'About Us' and 'Contact Us'.
The 'About Us' page introduces Andrew Munro, outlining his mission and values. This transparency builds trust with potential winemakers.
The clear and accessible 'Contact Us' page allows winemakers to easily connect with Andrew through various channels, like email, phone, or contact form.
Reflection and Next Steps
This project provided valuable insights into the extensive time and effort required to produce each bottle of wine, from the forest to the final product.
Without the interviews with winemakers, we would have lacked essential information about their specific needs when a winemaker is searching for a wine barrel website. In fact, all the winemakers we spoke with indicated that they wouldn't use a website to find a wine barrel agent. The winemaking industry is a craft, and wine barrels play a critical role in determining the quality of a winemaker's product. Therefore, trust and positive word of mouth is the most important factor in a winemaker's decision when ordering a wine barrel .
After the final presentation, Andrew Munro decided to make additional changes to the logo and the website, which were handled by the developers and were beyond our control.
Reflection and Next Steps
This project provided valuable insights into the extensive time and effort required to produce each bottle of wine, from the forest to the final product.
Without the interviews with winemakers, we would have lacked essential information about their specific needs when a winemaker is searching for a wine barrel website. In fact, all the winemakers we spoke with indicated that they wouldn't use a website to find a wine barrel agent. The winemaking industry is a craft, and wine barrels play a critical role in determining the quality of a winemaker's product. Therefore, trust and positive word of mouth is the most important factor in a winemaker's decision when ordering a wine barrel .
After the final presentation, Andrew Munro decided to make additional changes to the logo and the website, which were handled by the developers and were beyond our control.
Client Testimonial
"The work performed by the Academy Xi team has been nothing short of amazing. The quality of work achieved in such a short amount of time, and in such a specialised field has been impressive. In a short period of time, the team were able to understand the business, my unique selling point, and the customer experience, to deliver an outstanding product. I would never have expected people from outside my industry to be able to speak with such authority on this specialised field. The final product delivered has suprassed my expectations. The website design is beyond the scope I was envisioning, and as such, this has pushed me and my business into a more professional space. Without the Xi team's work my website would not have reached the level of professionalism and detail it has."
Andrew Munro
Founder of Pinnacle Oak
PINNACLE OAK
A website for a cooperage agent to enhance company credibility
Premium French Oak Wine Barrel
Famille Sylvain
About Us
Our Range
Our Resources
Premium French Oak Wine Barrel
Famille Sylvain
About Us
Our Range
Our Resources