Black Cat Website Case Study

The Brief

The Black Cat has been a staple in Fairhaven since 1987. Inspired by the first Cabaret in Paris, Les Chat Noir, it is a welcoming place for all types of people to enjoy. Customers enjoy the ambiance, menu, and cocktails. The Black Cat describes itself as neighborhood social house, fun, sophisticated yet not pretentious.

The Problem

The current website doesn’t reflect the experience guests can expect. The logo disappears on the dark images, and the social is small and easy to overlook. The menu is oversized and hard to navigate, and there are redundant interactions for visitors, causing unattractive clutter.

Strategy

Goal #1

Update visual design to reflect the ambiance and experience guests can expect when visiting. Solutions will include new photographs, menu redesign with an option to print, allowing for quicker selection and increase ordering online. Increase social media visibility to strengthen community connection and highlight promotions.

Goal #2

Design with mobile in mind. Since 60% of users access internet via mobile device, creating an attractive homescreen that fits phone. Ability to peek at the menu and not get lost scrolling through it.

Goal #3

Simplify. Reduce choice, condense content. Some options could be reduced down to simplify actions for the user. One contact form should be sufficient, maybe a drop down option to signify to recipient whether it’s for reservations, Group Reservations, or general contact/feedback.

Process

Research: First, I stopped in for lunch to get a better feel for the personality and take photos. I didn’t feel super strong branding or personality, the historic building seems to do a lot of the heavy lifting. The black cat logo is repeated often. There is a mural near the bar that is a fun highlight, and I knew I wanted to include it in the website. In addition, I read a lot of yelp reviews and scoured their social media for photos, content, and personality.

Competitor Research: I checked out some local competitors, and saw things that I thought worked well. A more apparent voice and personality, a hero page showing how good the bar or food looks, with important information immediately accessible. They also seemed simple, and to the point.

Personas: I developed two personas based on people I interviewed. They had different demands of the service, one needing to make reservations easily, and one needing to check the happy hour menu quickly on their phone.