The Loft is a multipurpose space in Folkestone with an eclectic audience and a growing range of offerings, including movement classes, a photography studio, and corporate hire, gigs, and workshops. Less than a year from launch, however, it became clear that their Squarespace website, the endpoint of all their paid and organic marketing, wasn’t serving its users due to poor UX. So Cairo and Nathan, founders of The Loft, hired me to help.

Problem

The initial user research that I conducted showed us that The Loft had two main problems: ambiguous messaging and a gap between understanding the offerings and taking action.

Messaging-wise, the site was failing at addressing visitors’ pain points and offering clear solutions. Pages were thin where they needed depth, or front-loaded with disclaimers in places that should have been quick to move past.

This gap was most evident as a conversion barrier at the narrowest part of their funnel. Put simply, even if visitors found their way to the ‘correct’ part of the site, they would be dropped straight into the booking process before they knew what they were booking.

Approach

I developed a StoryBrand redesign that flipped the job of the website from transactional to nurturing, with the visitor as the hero of their story (a hero with a problem) and the brand as the guide that offers them a clear path to follow.

That also meant fixing the navigation. I introduced a more restrained structure that made the website easier to browse. Once you’re on the homepage, you’re presented with three possible paths: Ritual (their movement studio), Events, and Hire. The exception is if you’re looking for their location, which is easily accessible through a link in the header.

Everything else, including pricing, social proof and details about their offering, I folded inside the structure of each page. For example, the page for Ritual is nine sections that help build a mood and offer engaged users meaningful content. This doesn’t just answer every possible question the user might have but also explains how Ritual at The Loft stacks against local competition: the “why here and not somewhere else?” element that is so important to conversions.

Following a similar approach, the rest of the pages walk the user from “I have questions” (at the top) to “I’m at peace and I know what to do next” (at the bottom).

However, that narrative arc only works if the copy itself is confident. Unfortunately, the original copy seemed to highlight the challenges and limitations of the venue, and barely touched on its unique value propositions. The rewrite fixes that, and wherever weaknesses have silver linings, I framed them as such.

For instance, location-wise, The Loft is on the top floor of an old department store, right in the heart of Folkestone high street. Admittedly, this means there are no lifts, and guests really need to read the access instructions to find the venue. In return, its location enables them to host movement classes and events with considerably louder music than most independent studios in town.

Solution

The result is a four-page website (consolidated from fourteen!) with a more youthful look and stronger positioning. Despite the trimming, and in spite of the limitations of Squarespace as a platform, the full scope of the offer remains, only now we’re telling a far more compelling story and clearly guiding users to book or enquire directly. Plus, we’re doing so without forcing their hand or leading them down rabbit holes.

This entire redesign, of course, only holds up if the client trusts what I’ve built, can maintain it, and isn’t going to break anything two months after launch. This is why I consulted closely with Cairo throughout the entire process. This meant that, by the end, he was familiar with the logic behind every part of every page. And before I handed over the keys, I also provided extensive documentation and training videos.

In just a month, I handed them a new website and a freshened-up visual identity. The site is no longer a burden, something “to sort out at some point”, and is finally doing what it’s meant to do: reassure people that The Loft is exactly where they want to be and make it easy for them to book.

Here’s what Cairo, co-founder of The Loft, had to say:

I have never worked with someone so deeply reliable, who has gone above and beyond my expectations. The sheer detail, diligence and attention Fran has to his work is worth its weight in gold, tenfold!

Fran managed to take a multipurpose, three tiered studio that was scattered across 14+ pages and amalgamate them smoothly, coherently and simply into just 4. […] The creativity, design, the story, everything from start to finish has been so incredible […] Fran’s communication […] has always been warm, agreeable and forthcoming.

Do you know how good it feels to have someone you can deeply trust? […] Fran turned the weight on my shoulders into air.

CANNOT RECOMMEND HIGHLY ENOUGH!