DivinDec

Summary

DivinDec is a scuba diving school in Donegal, Ireland. They deliver a wide range of courses and products to beginner, advanced and technical divers.

Our Industrial Partner had a current website and brand, but the site was outdated, not responsive and was not performing as desired.

He needed an ecommerce store that allowed him to quickly and easily promote his services and also sell his courses and items online.

Client Goals

Get more people to the site (More traffic)
Keep people on the site for longer (Reduce bounce rate).
Increase the level of people registering their interest in courses(Gather more leads).
Increase the amount of sales on the site (Increase online sales).
Integrate with the client’s systems for better management of marketing and administration (Efficient tracking).
Manage general website content without paying third parties.

Taking up Water with a Spoon — DivinDec's old website.

Scope Deliverables:

Market research; Competitor analysis, market analysis, user research.
Brand Guidelines; Direct the design elements of the project and set standards for future marketing.
Definition of business voice; Redevelop the content and overall message to simplify messages and encourage brand recognition.
User experience flow strategy; Delivered through site maps and user flow diagrams.

Website interface design; Delivered through HD wireframes and mock-ups and presented in prototype form using Invision.
Ecommerce store with payment facility; Platform for selling courses and products online.
Marketing plan for future campaigns; Documentation offering a guide on how to use site and site features for marketing tactics. Including a guide on how to publish content via selected email and social platforms.
Site integration with analytics and CRM tools; This is to offer more efficient capturing and monitoring of website activity and leads.

Research:

Data Gathering Methods

User interviews - We carried out 5 user interviews where we interviewed a variety of potential DivinDec users including both men and women with the aim of gathering a more detailed insight into the needs of our users. We contacted these members initially via email/phone calls, scheduled interviews to be carried out via Skype.
Interview of team member - One of our team members is an advanced Scuba diver. By interviewing him we were able to get a deep insight into the types of clients who come to the Divin Dec school, what were their general requirements and who was likely to return to the business. We carried out an internal call with our team member Peter who was able to direct some of the research.
Client interview - We have carried out two primary call’s with the client who was able to direct us in terms of direct competitors and client list. From this we were able to establish the main types of clients the business is receiving at the moment.

Competitor analysis - We have done SERP analysis to determine the competitors ranking and use of Keywords. By reviewing competitor websites and content we were also able to establish some feature requirements for the DivinDec site.
Keyword research - We wanted to understand if the clients current keywords were getting the figures he was expecting. By reviewing the keywords on Google keyword planner we were able to understand the number of visitors who search those key terms and establish a list of new relevant keywords. Other tools were used to review the client’s current website for stats including Screaming frog, Semrush and Spyfu.
Google Analytics review - We reviewed Divin Decs current website data in order to understand current user behaviour and establish where users were leaving the website.
Desktop market research - Desktop research was carried out on both the Irish and EU markets to gather stats and general information regarding the market.

Main Users:

The technical/Avid diver
Beginner/Tourist
Families/Occassional
Experienced diver

The large foundation of the diver demographic is ‘experiential’ divers . These divers might conduct dive training as a one-off ‘bucket list’ experience , may not be sufficiently motivated to dive even occasionally or, otherwise, have significant restrictions on their opportunity to dive. Above them are the ‘occasional’ divers – those who do enjoy the sport, but are not sufficiently motivated to make it a part of their normal lifestyle. These might include vacation-only divers. Many will buy rudimentary scuba equipment, but it will spend months or years in storage between uses.

A smaller demographic are those scuba divers who seriously ‘ get the diving bug ’. These are the ‘hobbyist’ divers . They might typically equip themselves fully with the diving kit and have the opportunity and/or motivation to dive on a routine basis in their home location. They may venture into specialized activities, like underwater photography in a limited fashion, or even progress into teaching diving on a part-time basis.

The smallest demographic is the ‘highly motivated’ divers , for whom scuba diving becomes a primary passion and a focus in their lives. These divers often specialize in niche activities, such as; technical, cave, wreck, professional/competitive underwater videography or photography and full-time dive instruction. Their disposable income and available free time may be highly focused on spending to sustain and develop their diving activities. Diving, or diving related activities, may become their primary source of earning.

Persona 1 - Diving Novice/experience seeker

Name: Pascal Herve Age: 35
Status: Single

Personality: He’s a risk taker and leaves no stone unturned in the quest for see it all. He is sociable and always open to new meeting new people

Goals: Make loads of money but not for its own sake but so that he go to any part of the world to experience all that is new

Frustrations: Does not like convention and too many rules away from the office. He does understand why things cannot be organised well in life for those who pay for services, so when on holidays he wants choice and quality wherever he goes

Motivations: To live well but responsibly, to seek out unique outdoor experiences that stay in the memory, to be well in mind & body

Technology: He is highly attuned to the latest digital consumer tech and while he will forgo these for to have a genuine ‘frontier’ experience he will not tolerate poor search or booking platforms

Bio: Pascal is an accountant at Big Paris firm. He has always loved getting outdoors to escape the responsibilities of a busy office life. Never quite got to the altar but came close. He wants to make the most of his remaining high impact activity hobbies. He is open to new challenges and has never been to Ireland before

Traits: Organised but adventurous, hardworking but rebellious. Extrovert, analytical, active, moody, capricious

Motivators: Speed/ Price/ Range/ Convenience

Preferred channels: Must be mobile first/ Google search/ Instagram/ email/ Whatsapp closed group

Persona 2 - Experienced/Hobbyist diver

Name: Joe O’Donnell Age: 48
Status: Married

Personality: He’s a solid citizen, affable, practical and earthy diving is his escape from the conventional - but not a risk taker, he got the diving bug’. He has his own diving kit and would reallylike to venture into specialized activities, like underwater phography. As a passionate diver he often travels solo nearer home or with other divers. PADI & SSI accredited to experienced level.

Goals: To raise his family securely & in the right way and still leave some time for himself to live a bit Frustrations: Poor service and unreliable colleagues

Motivations: To understand more about things and find joy in the ordinary

Technology: Not really a technophile but appreciates what modern comms has done to improve his quality of life

Bio: Joe is a proud Irish American but he’s also a discerning & experienced dive enthusiast. He’s nearly got his kids to college now but still has a desire to expand his horizons further. He uses diving as the reason to travel the world but he’s a working man who runs his own small printing business so he knows what value means, has a budget and will not consider high prices for some holidays destinations, evenforsaking Ireland for want of real value in the past.

Traits: A serious committed type of man but still open to change neither extrovert nor inward looking - middle of the road type

Motivators: Quality, price, past record

Preferred channels: Online & he likes to talk directly with people he will meet or deal with

Persona 3 - Families/Occassional Divers

Name: Friedrick and Claudia Age: 31&30
Status: Married

Personality: Open minded and accessible but aware of need for secure travel, quality is very important to them and they will pay a fair price for good service. They want always to have a pool at their accommodation, they will seek testimonial verification before booking. Safety is paramount. They need a package or other things to do made known to them pre booking.

Goals: Make loads of money but not for its own sake but so that he go to any part of the world to experience all that is new

Frustrations: Having to deal with closed minds and impatient people.

Motivations: To try to be better for their children and live well but responsibly.

Technology: At the centre of all that they do but still know how and when to disconnect for well being.

Bio: Friedrich and Claudia are keen outdoors types, its how they got together and it forms a key part of how they live their lives. They work hard to enable a good quality of life but they still value sustainable & green policies and want the environment protected for their children and for nature itself. They have this as a priority when choosing how to holiday and will only go to places that respect their own places

Traits: Good citizens and progressive family oriented Engaged and open to the world(for their children’s sake too)

Motivators: good health , quality, environmental sustainability & fairness.

Preferred channels: Mobile & online generally (twitter for news).

Persona 4 - The technical/avid diver

Name: Michael Costello Age: 50
Status: Married

Personality: Willing to take calculated risks. The quality of the dive site is the most important thing to him. He has a good disposable income and can afford to travel. He works Mon to Fri and has weekends free. He chooses his dive locations from peer reviews and word of mouth. He wants to dive with others with at least experience as himself. He owns his own gear but requires good reports of gas/air filling providers.

Goals: To see his family have a successful and fulfilled life

Frustrations: Having to deal with chaotic city life

Motivations: To enjoy life to the max, both at home and in the water.

Technology: Familiar with day to day tech, some specialised software systems but not one to embrace tech for tech sake.

Bio: Michael is an experienced diver with over 2000 logged dives. He began diving in his 20’s and has dived all over the world. He is fascinated by historical shipwrecks and began technical diving so as to be able to dive sites that are beyond the reach of recreational divers.

Traits: Hard working and successful. Interested in world affairs but not political

Motivators: Quality of life, family events.

Preferred channels: Mobile phone and tablet. Tv for current affairs.

User Value Proposition:

Gather information regarding experience requirements for courses.
Find courses related to updating their current skills and reassurance of safety.
Purchase courses and equipement directly online.
Find information on upcoming courses and trips.
Keep up to date with general diving information.
Research donegal diving locations.

Business Value Proposition:

Create awareness of Divin Dec school/Improve SEO and performance on search engines.
Deliver valuable information to users.
Establish sales of shop products/courses online and reduce human intervention.
Develop marketing lead content for website to direct future marketing.
Obtain an easy to use platform for updating courses, shop items, news and general conten.
Develop content strategy for increasing company awareness via social channels.
Create repeat business and increase customer retention.
Develop website marketing funnel in order to reduce website bounce rate.