We were contacted by a small business owner group to develop a website and in-store experience for a gluten-free bakery. Throughout the project, I encountered three significant challenges: helping the primary owner trust their own voice, working with a limited budget, and adhering to tight timelines.

Situation:
The design studio was approached by a passionate bakery who wanted to create an online presence and enhance the in-store experience for their brick and mortar gluten-free bakery. The primary owner struggled with self-doubt and hesitated to trust their own voice, which was a critical factor in conveying the bakery's unique essence to customers. Furthermore, the project had a limited budget, and there was a pressing need to work within fast timelines to meet the owner's goals.

Task:
I used an order of operations to help this client with my first goal focused on building belief within the primary owner to trust their own voice, then developing a compelling website redesign and enhancing the in-store experience. I had to navigate the challenges of a small budget and fast timelines, ensuring that the final deliverables reflected the bakery's authentic identity and met customer expectations.

Actions:
To address the owner's self-doubt, I took a lot of care to initiate open and empathetic conversations. I actively listened to the owner's vision, understanding their aspirations and concerns. I used mind mapping techniques to provide reassurance and to highlight the value of the owner's unique perspective in shaping the bakery's identity.

To maximize the limited budget and fast timelines, I organized collaborative discovery and ideation workshops with the bakery owner and other collaborators. These sessions encouraged the owner to share their insights, stories, and personal experiences, allowing my team to capture the essence of the bakery's gluten-free offerings and customer experience.

To manage the small budget, we explored creative solutions and leveraged do-it-yourself (DIY) approaches. I collaborated with the bakery owner to create content, using mood boards with examples we loved to guide the photography and written narratives. Additionally, the team tapped into the local community, seeking partnerships with photographers and artisans who resonated with the bakery's mission. The bakery now has retail shelving that is full of beautiful handmade goods with lots of great mutual foot traffic.

To ensure the project remained on track within the tight timelines, we adopted an iterative approach. I developed prototypes of the website for current and future states to ensure we achieved our immediate goals without losing sight of more impactful possibilities, specifically for e-commerce. We also taped out the in-store experience with observational research and feedback from potential customers. This enabled our team to be nimble and thorough, incorporating valuable insights and rock solid alignment with project milestones.

Results:
Through open dialogue and some clever reflective tools, the primary owner gained confidence in expressing their unique perspective, contributing to the authenticity of the final design outcomes. It’s one of the comments we see over and over again in our Google Reviews. I can’t take much credit because it was clear that this was a calling for the primary owner.

By embracing DIY approaches and collaborating with community resources, I delivered high-quality visual and written content while effectively managing the limited budget. This allowed the bakery to showcase its gluten-free offerings and create a compelling online presence. Despite the fast timelines, I leveraged iterative prototyping and feedback loops to deliver the website and in-store experience on schedule. The final outcomes resonated with customers and the business is already looking into expansion.

Following the launch of the redesigned website, the bakery experienced a surge in online visibility. Website traffic increased by 56%, with a significant rise in unique visitors. This indicates a heightened interest in the bakery's offerings and improved brand exposure. As a result of the in-store experience and enhanced website, the bakery experienced a significant increase in repeat customers overall. Customer retention rates rose by 24%, suggesting that customers were not only satisfied with their initial visit but also compelled to return for subsequent purchases. This signifies the successful establishment of a loyal customer base, smashing all of our goals for the project!

NOTE: 16 months later, the client was able to open their second location. I’m so happy for them!