Introduction
I redesigned the website for Globale Musik Köln e.V. to improve usability and accessibility. Here’s how I tackled its challenges, refined the user experience, and what I learned!
You can visit the website from here.
My Design Mission
The original site had issues that made it hard for users to understand the organisation’s purpose, see which musicians they support, find available services, and navigate, especially with assistive technology. My goal was to create a welcoming, easy-to-use website that truly reflects their mission.
About Globale Musik Köln e.V.
Globale Musik Köln e.V. supports international musicians and migrant music collectives in Cologne, promoting musical diversity and equal opportunities. Their website connects musicians with resources, collaborations, and new audiences.
Identifying the Problem
A thorough evaluation revealed serious usability issues like hard-to-use navigation and unclear CTAs, accessibility barriers including no focus outline, missing heading structure, and poor visual grouping, as well as content and structure gaps with missing key pages like Musicians, Services, About, and Contact.
The Design Process
Research & Planning
I studied industry best practices and explored colours and typography to match the organisation’s identity.
Wireframing & Prototyping
I designed low-fidelity wireframes to improve layout and usability.
I created a high-fidelity homepage prototype for client feedback.
Key Improvements
The improvements focused on better accessibility with improved colour contrast, keyboard navigation, and heading structure, simplified navigation through restructured menus, consistent design with standardised typography, colours, and buttons, mobile-friendly optimization for all screen sizes, and clearer CTAs to make actions more visible and engaging.
The Solution: Final Design
The redesign makes it easier for users to attend events, seek support as musicians, find collaborations, learn about the organisation, explore international music, apply for jobs, and support or contact them.
A More Intuitive & Engaging UI
The homepage now has clear CTAs, guiding users effortlessly.
A Welcoming & Functional Visual Design
To create a vibrant yet accessible design, I used a lighter colour palette, subtle icons, and interactive elements like hover and click effects.
Lessons & Future Improvements
After receiving the client’s feedback, my initial dark design shifted to a lighter palette. Next time, I’ll confirm the colour direction earlier. Designing without real content led to last-minute changes. In future projects, I’ll emphasise early content planning. I overlooked placeholders for musician photos, which had to be adjusted in a rush. Next time, I’ll anticipate all scenarios from the start.
Conclusion
This project reinforced how accessibility and UX go hand in hand. A well-designed website isn’t just visually appealing, it makes life easier for users and strengthens an organisation’s impact.
As a Japanese designer in Germany, I love supporting artists from diverse backgrounds. This project was especially fulfilling because of my passion for inclusivity. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute.
One of my favourite parts of the redesign is the Musicians page, where you can now easily explore artists from around the world. Go check it out and listen to some amazing music! 🎶
👉 Visit the Musicians page: globalemusik.de/de/musikerinnen
Thank you for reading! Until next time.
Yoshie
Globale Musik website is developed by me and Thomas Günther 🥨
