C.Hardy Aerial Services

TL;DR / Summary.

I designed and built a user-friendly brochure website for a long-established aerial installer in the Lake District who wanted a simple online presence and strong SEO performance. After research, competitor analysis, user testing, and iterative design, the site launched successfully with clear navigation, trust-building elements, and accessible UI. Post-launch analytics show strong engagement, especially with service content, and the site now ranks on the first page of Google for key search terms. An expanded version with more detailed content is planned for future updates.

The Brief.

Mr. Chris Hardy, an aerial installation specialist in the Lake District with over 20 years of experience, approached me to design and build a simple brochure website. His main goal was to establish an online presence where potential customers could easily find his contact details and request his services.

During our initial discussions, another major objective emerged: ranking on the first page of Google for terms such as "aerial services Lake District". Mr Hardy initially had very little content available, so I explained that adding service descriptions and his unique selling points (USPs) would build trust, improve engagement, and support his SEO goals. After some deliberation, he agreed. The final requirements then became:

Display contact details prominently
Showcase services
List USPs
Rank highly in search results

While the website would be simple and direct, the design still needed to be clear, usable, and able to stand the test of time, especially as Mr Hardy had little interest in updating the site himself.

Project Planning.

Working alongside Mr. Hardy I was able to validate the problem. I created a project map and outlined project goals and objectives. This allowed me to determine the what the first steps were to be and what decisions needed to be made. Further to this, we could deduce expectations of who provided what, the timescales we would be looking at and thus provide an overview of all project-related data.

Exploration.

I analysed competitor sites in the Lake District, from sole traders to larger businesses. Most shared similar content types; services, contact details, testimonials, but varied widely in quality and information hierarchy. Many lacked professionalism or structure, making them hard to navigate.

To understand user expectations more clearly, I gathered feedback from potential users on what information they valued and how easy it was to find it on existing sites.

Usability Testing.

I conducted ethnographic testing with eight participants of varied backgrounds. Using screen recordings, I asked them to complete typical tasks and verbalise their thought process. This reduced researcher bias and provided natural behavioural insights. A follow-up focus group allowed deeper discussion of pain points and perceived value.

Key findings:

Overly long text discouraged reading; users preferred visuals
Contact details were expected near the top of the page
Basic, outdated designs reduced trust
Service lists were highly valued
FAQs useful but not essential
Testimonials increased trust
Poor information hierarchy made scanning difficult
Dedicated service pages were favoured over cluttered homepages

Overall, the most trusted sites had clear structure, strong hierarchy, prominent contact details, and a professional brand presence.

User Personas.

I created personas to represent typical customers, from those wanting quick contact to cautious users reviewing details first. These personas clarified interaction needs, emphasising trust signals such as testimonials and simple, intuitive interfaces without unnecessary complexity.

Wireframing.

Using research insights, I drafted wireframes for the homepage and potential sub-pages. Content from Mr Hardy was limited, so I advised including testimonials and detailed service descriptions for SEO and credibility. He preferred a minimal structure for launch, focusing only on contact details, services, and USPs. I produced:

Version 1: Minimal content (launch version)
Version 2: Expanded content with testimonials, FAQs, detailed service pages, and optional features like Live Chat (which Mr Hardy declined)

Both versions were prepared for comparative usability testing.

Early iterations of the wireframe

The proposed alternative version of the wireframe

User Flows.

I presented the wireframe for the initial launch to Mr Hardy, to which he gave the thumbs up on the proposed structure and information hierarchy. User flows were then storyboarded to show how the navigation and sending a message functionality would work. Moreover I drew further step-by-step user flows for the alternate version. As this version consisted of more pages, I wanted to review the flows during further testing to see any potential points where users might diverge. I aimed to make the user journeys as seamless as possible to establish good customer acquisition and a satisfying user experience.

Test and Test Again.

Both wireframe versions were tested with the same sample group through usability sessions and interviews.

Launch version results:

100% found contact information within 10 seconds
100% found it easy to send a message
100% could identify services and USPs

Expanded version results:

67.5% found FAQs helpful
87.5% quickly discovered detailed service information
87.5% felt testimonials increased trust

The results validated the structure and readiness for UI design. We also set KPIs: subsidiary page click-throughs, form submissions, and customer-reported website referrals.

UI Conceptualisation.

Using the supplied logo, I developed a colour palette and typography. With no images available, I opted for a light, friendly illustrative style, supported by custom icons and one carefully selected location-based image.

Accessibility was prioritised through:

Sufficient colour contrast
Readable type sizes
Clear form labels
Predictable navigation
Meaningful CTAs and system feedback

I ensured the CMS could replicate the designs across mobile and desktop. The expanded version included placeholder content to demonstrate scale.

These next set of designs show how the alternate version would look. This version includes amendments to the navigation, the addition of testimonials, 'Read more' links on each Services summary, an FAQ section, more content in the Why C.Hardy section and an example of a dedicated product page (T.V.).

Development.

After reviewing CMS templates via SWOT analysis, I chose a blank one to build the custom design. I constructed the site section by section, adjusting illustrations where needed and adding subtle content effects. All functionality was tested in staging.

SEO setup included:

Descriptive alt text
Proper heading hierarchy
Meta tags and descriptions
Keyword integration

After successful testing by both Mr Hardy and myself, the site was published. I congratulated Mr Hardy on his new online business presence.

Post Production.

Mr Hardy has since received positive feedback from customers and peers. He is now preparing additional content for the expanded version, which will require new testing, particularly around integrating Yell reviews via third-party plugins.

Early KPI insights and heat-map analysis show:

High engagement with the Services section
Lower interaction with the Contact link due to prominent contact details elsewhere
Users attempting to click service summaries, expecting more detail—supporting the case for dedicated service pages in the next release

Future plans include:

A/B testing between the minimal and expanded versions
Testing whether illustrations or real photography build more trust
Further site speed optimisation

Mr Hardy was very pleased to find out that his site now resides on the front page of Google results when a user enters broad search terms such as 'Aerial Services, Cumbria' and 'Aerial Services, Lake District'. Mr Hardy seems satisfied that the requirements of the brief have been fulfilled and would like to pursue further updates over time.