Connect the Dots

Reimagining St. Lawrence Market’s digital presence.

CONTEXT

Our team has been selected to consult with the St. Lawrence Market to help reimagine its digital presence. The St. Lawrence Market, a public market in Toronto, is considered one of the best food markets in the world, attracting both Toronto locals and visitors.


In this fictional scenario, our team has been awarded a contract to work with the St. Lawrence Market to reimagine its digital presence, specifically to find innovative ways to engage with both locals (regular shoppers and new ones) and visitors.


This activity is intended to help connect the dots, forging the connection among personas, themes, competitive analysis, use cases, and narrative.

Role

Interactive Strategist

Team

4 Colleagues

Tools

Miro
PowerPoint

Timeline

4 Weeks

PROBLEM

The website feels outdated and does not adhere to basic usability principles

How might we develop a digital strategy for the website that provides users with comprehensive information on vendors, location details, and events, enabling them to confidently plan their visits to the market?

St. Lawrence Market Website Homepage

PROJECT GOALS

St. Lawrence Market’s website has multiple functions to fulfill.

The goal of the project is to utilize design thinking to connect the dots between personas, themes, competitive analysis, use cases, and narrative, to reimagine St. Lawrence Market’s digital presence.

OBJECTIVES

  1. Provide comprehensive information about hours, location, and parking.

  1. List the vendors and detail their offerings.

  1. Offer up-to-date information about special events.

  1. Encourage visits to the physical market.

SOLUTION

Not just a somewhere to grab food, but a place to discover.

Our proposal employs a narrative-driven use case to illustrate the user experience when navigating the reimagined digital space, highlighting key interactions and potential benefits.

DESIGN PROCESS

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

St. Lawrence Market was compared against, Kensington Market, Stakt Market, and At Water Market.

INSIGHTS

🏠

Welcoming Impression

Upon entering the competitor sites, the brand image mirrors the welcoming atmosphere experienced when entering the market.

📅

Interactive and Up-to-date Information

Competitors provide current information on calendars and interactive maps, mirroring the real-life experience visitors anticipate.

🎨

Aesthetic Usability

The visually appealing design of competitor sites enhances perceived usability, fostering a more engaging user experience.

PERSONA

We interviewed a frequent visitor of the market to help in the persona development

Meet Christina

"I'm so drawn to the livelihood of farmer's markets. The fresh food, the rich stories, and the community it offers helps me feel connected to the city,"

Photos from @dineandfash. Instagram

UX THEME

Discover: History, Tradition, Community, Culture and Food

As we reimagine St. Lawrence Market’s digital presence, we are contributing to a living heritage. We are creating an experience that binds together the power of community, cuisine, culture, a rich history, and tradition with the power of user-centred design and technology. St. Lawrence Market is more than just a market; it is a place to discover and explore.

NARRATIVE

5 Key Moments

We identified five key moments from our overall narrative to highlight significant milestones in the user's journey.

USE CASE

The following user flow tracks Christina as she plans her route to the cheese shop to prepare a charcuterie board for dinner while enjoying her time at the market with friends.

PRESENTATION

That's all for now! But it doesn't have to end here.

ⓒ 2024 Daniel Ford