LAST CUP CAFE
Aligning Business & User Goals Through User-Centric Redesign
THE PROBLEM
Customers struggle to find essential information on the Last Cup Cafe website due to poor usability and cluttered design, leading to frustration and missed opportunities to engage with the café’s brand and atmosphere
BACKGROUND
Bridging the Gap Between Reputation and Online Experience
Despite being the #1 cafe in Rutland, VT, for three consecutive years, Last Cup Cafe’s online presence didn't live up to its reputation. Visitors to the site were met with an outdated design and frustrating navigation, making it hard for them to access key information like the menu, hours, and location.
Initially, I had assumed the business owners would prioritize an online ordering system. However, through research, I uncovered deeper usability issues that needed to be addressed first.
"For many consumers, the experience of visiting a café goes beyond just the coffee—it's about the atmosphere, the sense of community, and the ability to connect with others in a comfortable environment."
I set out to redesign the website to align it with the welcoming vibe of the café and improve its usability. This meant focusing on simplicity, ease of access to essential info, and ensuring the site felt just as inviting as stepping into the café itself.
DEFINE
Bringing the User to Life
To make my research findings more tangible, I created a user persona which provided a holistic view of the target user that will shape my design decisions.
Understanding Our User: Meet Owen!
Owen needs a local coffee shop that is welcoming, community-focused, and offers easy access to essential information online.
HOW MIGHT WE…
Redesign the Last Cup Cafe website to make key information easier to find and create a seamless digital experience that reflects the café's inviting atmosphere?
IDEATION
Merging Business Goals and User Insights to Drive Feature Design
The key takeaway from user research is that stakeholders prioritize simplicity, community, and efficiency, while users seek easy access to key information and a welcoming atmosphere.
With these insights in mind, the main goal of the website redesign is to make key information more accessible and create a seamless digital experience that reflects the café's inviting atmosphere.
Translating Features into a Site Map
With the core features defined, I translated them into a site map to ensure a clear and intuitive structure. The map organizes pages in a logical flow, making key information easy to find and reflecting the café’s welcoming atmosphere.
DESIGN
Designing a Seamless and Inviting User Experience
With the site structure defined, I sketched key layouts to ensure clear navigation and an inviting feel. Prioritizing simplicity and usability, I then refined my designs in Figma, focusing on:
Clean, accessible layouts for effortless browsing
High-quality imagery to capture the café’s warmth
Intuitive navigation for quick access to key information
This approach ensured a digital experience that feels as welcoming as the café itself.
Crafting the Visual Design with Limited Content
One of my biggest challenges was the limited visual elements provided by the stakeholder. I had to be resourceful—curating stock images that blended seamlessly with the brand.
To reflect user expectations, I focused on:
Warm, inviting visuals – Emphasizing comfort and connection
A cohesive color palette – Reinforcing a cozy, relaxed feel
Readable typography – Ensuring clarity and approachability
Every design choice—from imagery to typography—was selected to capture the café’s welcoming atmosphere while maintaining brand consistency.
TESTING & ITERATIONS
"This Feels Like A Place I Would Want to Visit"
RESULTS
Usability soared — the SUS score leaped from 63.5 to 97.5, making the new design significantly more user-friendly
The new design achieved an impressive 9.8/10 satisfaction rating, with both users and the stakeholder praising its ease of use and intuitive navigation. By creating a more seamless experience, the redesign not only improved user engagement but also reinforced the brand’s welcoming identity—helping the business attract and retain more customers.
"The new website design truly captures the welcoming vibe we’ve worked so hard to create at Last Cup Café."
Chris Sabataso, Owner of Last Cup Cafe
Final Design
FINAL THOUGHTS
A cluttered, hard-to-navigate website was holding Last Cup Cafe back—my redesign simplified the experience and brought the brand to life.
What I Learned: This project reinforced the importance of aligning user needs with business goals while navigating real-world constraints. Working with Last Cup Café taught me to stay flexible—especially when initial assumptions, like the need for online ordering, didn’t match user or business priorities.
Next Steps: With more time, I’d collaborate with the stakeholder to explore replacing the physical punch card system with a digital loyalty program. This could enhance convenience for customers, increase engagement, and provide valuable business insights. I’d then conduct further usability testing to refine these features based on real-world user feedback.
What I’m Most Proud Of: I’m especially proud of the measurable impact this redesign had. The significant improvement in usability validated the effectiveness of these design decisions. Seeing how thoughtful design solutions not only improved the user experience but also supported the café’s business goals was incredibly rewarding!