Fenella Astley - Goldsmiths Fair

Goldsmiths' Fair Website Design

Showcasing Contemporary Craftsmanship and Jewellery from the Goldsmiths' Fair

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Role: Lead UX/UI Designer

Project Key Goals

Bring Goldsmiths' Fair online to create a digital platform that mirrors the prestige of the in-person exhibition.

Promote featured jewellery pieces and exhibitors, giving them increased visibility and providing a way for users to explore, learn about, and purchase the unique pieces.

Design a user-friendly online shop using WooCommerce for exhibitors to purchase furnishings and display materials for their booths.

Enhance user experience and accessibility across all devices, ensuring the website is intuitive, visually engaging, and easy to navigate for all visitors.

Overview

Goldsmiths' Fair, one of the UK's most prestigious jewellery and silversmithing events, wanted to expand their reach by bringing their annual exhibition online. The goal was to promote the pieces and exhibitors in a visually compelling way, while providing a digital experience that could mirror the excitement and quality of the in-person event. The new website would not only showcase the exhibitors and their work but also feature an online shop, where exhibitors could purchase furnishings for their displays at the event itself.

The deliverables I was responsible for included:
✅ Site map and user journey flow diagrams
✅ Wireframes and prototypes
✅ UI design for both the exhibition and shop sections
✅ WooCommerce integration for the exhibitors' shop
✅ Quality assurance and testing

Discovery & Research

In the discovery phase, we worked closely with the Goldsmiths' Fair team to understand their vision for the project and gather insights on what key user groups would need from the online platform. Although we did not conduct direct user research or interviews with exhibitors and visitors, the stakeholders provided valuable feedback based on their experience with the physical event and their understanding of the audience.

Through discussions with the event organisers, we gained insights into the needs of both exhibitors and visitors. The key goals were clear: create a digital exhibition that could showcase jewellery pieces and exhibitors effectively, while also providing a seamless online shop for exhibitors to purchase display furnishings.

Based on stakeholder input, I created user personas representing the core audiences:

Exhibition Visitors: Art lovers, jewellery collectors, and industry professionals looking to discover new pieces, learn about designers, and stay updated on event details.

Exhibitors: Jewellers and silversmiths needing a platform to showcase their work and a shop to purchase exhibition materials.

Goldsmiths' Fair Team: Event organisers seeking a centralised platform to manage content, exhibitor profiles, and online sales.

These insights helped guide the design decisions, ensuring the site would meet the needs of both first-time visitors and returning exhibitors, while also reflecting the prestigious and high-quality nature of the event.

Sitemap & User Flows

After defining the key user needs and objectives, I developed a sitemap and user journey flows using Sketch. The site structure was designed to ensure seamless navigation between the online exhibition, individual exhibitor pages, and the shop for exhibition supplies.

We wanted the exhibition to feel dynamic, so the homepage had a large rotating banner featuring highlights of the event, while also showcasing featured pieces and exhibitors. Visitors could easily browse through categories of jewellery, view individual artist pages, and explore detailed product pages with high-quality imagery and descriptions.

The WooCommerce integration was also central to the user flow for exhibitors who needed to purchase display furnishings. This was a key area that had to be both functional and straightforward, as exhibitors would need to access it before the event to plan their booth displays.

Wireframes & Prototyping

The wireframing phase was crucial in aligning the visual design with the functionality. Using Sketch, I created wireframes that mapped out the key pages of the site:

Home page: Showcasing event highlights, featured exhibitors, and featured jewellery pieces.

Exhibitor pages: Dedicated profiles for each exhibitor with galleries of their work, biographies, and links to purchase items.

Online shop: An easy-to-navigate WooCommerce store where exhibitors could browse and purchase exhibition furnishings (e.g., stands, lighting, display cases).

We also created interactive prototypes to test the flow between pages, ensuring that the user experience was smooth and intuitive, especially for those unfamiliar with browsing online exhibitions.

UI Design & Branding

Goldsmiths' Fair is known for its high-quality, handcrafted pieces, so the website design had to reflect this sense of craftsmanship and luxury. The visual style was inspired by the tactile nature of the exhibition—using a minimalist, elegant colour palette with a focus on large imagery and subtle textures to evoke the feel of jewellery and fine craftsmanship.

I designed custom, responsive layouts to showcase high-quality images of the jewellery, with careful attention to typography and spacing to allow each exhibitor's work to take centre stage. The website also needed to be responsive and mobile-friendly, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices.

For the online shop, I customised WooCommerce to create a simple yet effective purchasing system for exhibitors. The interface had to be clear, intuitive, and easy to use, with a secure checkout process and the ability for exhibitors to view their orders and track deliveries.

WooCommerce Integration & Shop Design

The online shop for exhibitors was one of the most important features of the site. I worked with the development team to integrate WooCommerce into the website, enabling exhibitors to purchase the furnishings and display equipment needed for their booths.

The design was centred around simplicity, with exhibitors able to browse through categories of items such as display cases, stands, lighting, and tools. I designed the shop to be visually aligned with the overall brand, using custom styling to maintain the elegant, curated feel of the rest of the site.

The shopping experience was streamlined with a quick and secure checkout process, including multiple payment options, and exhibitors received email confirmations of their orders, with the ability to track deliveries in real-time.

Testing & Final Delivery

Once the design and development were finalised, I worked closely with the development team to conduct thorough QA testing across multiple devices and browsers to ensure the site was fully functional. This involved checking for responsiveness, load times, and ensuring that all forms, filters, and interactions were working as expected.

Although we didn’t conduct formal user testing during this phase, if given the opportunity, I would have run testing sessions with both exhibitors and visitors to gather feedback on the site’s usability and functionality. User insights would have been invaluable for identifying any areas that could be improved, particularly around the navigation and content accessibility. Based on hypothetical feedback, I would have made further adjustments to enhance the user experience, ensuring that all users could easily find the information they needed and navigate the site with ease.

The final website launched successfully, and Goldsmiths' Fair now has a strong online presence that not only showcases the exceptional work of jewellers and silversmiths but also serves as a valuable resource for exhibitors.

Conclusion

The Goldsmiths' Fair website redesign successfully achieved the goal of bringing the exhibition online while maintaining the prestige and craftsmanship that the fair represents. The integration of an online shop for exhibitors added a functional element that was essential to their experience. The website has significantly expanded Goldsmiths' Fair’s digital footprint, allowing them to engage with a global audience and create new opportunities for both visitors and exhibitors.

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