Dan O'Hara Heritage Centre
Role: UX/UI Designer at Little Blue Studio
Dan O’Hara’s Homestead is a heritage centre and working farm nestled in the heart of Connemara, County Galway. It tells the powerful story of a 19th-century tenant farmer who was evicted during the Famine and forced to emigrate, a story that reflects the struggles and resilience of many Irish families. The centre blends immersive storytelling with hands-on experiences, including a restored pre-Famine cottage, ancient dwellings, traditional farming demonstrations, and breathtaking hill walks. With its award-winning heritage centre and family-run B&B, Dan O’Hara’s offers visitors a deep, authentic connection to Ireland’s rural past and cultural legacy.
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Design Challenge
The existing Dan O’Hara website contained a rich offering of heritage experiences, accommodation, and cultural storytelling, but its presentation didn’t reflect the charm, warmth, or depth of the place itself. Visually, it lacked personality, and structurally, it was difficult for users to navigate or clearly understand the unique blend of offerings.
The design challenge was to breathe life and character into the digital experience, making the story of Dan O’Hara as emotionally resonant online as it is in person. This meant designing a visual style that felt authentic and grounded in the Connemara landscape, while also guiding users clearly toward key actions, especially booking tours and accommodation.
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The Opportunity
Bring the Story to Life Online
Dan O’Hara’s Homestead has a powerful narrative rooted in Irish history, but that emotional depth wasn’t fully coming through on the old website. This was a chance to translate the storytelling that captivates visitors in person into a rich, immersive digital experience, using visuals, tone, and layout to reflect the charm, hardship, and heritage of the site.
Streamline the User Journey
With multiple offerings, guided tours, a heritage centre, and B&B accommodation, the user experience needed clarity and flow. There was an opportunity to reorganise content in a way that made it easy for different audiences to find what they were looking for quickly, whether that was booking a stay, planning a group tour, or learning about the history.
Turning Curiousity into Bookings
By enhancing the site’s usability and call-to-action design, there was a clear opportunity to improve conversion rates. A more intuitive booking process, mobile-friendly layouts, and persuasive storytelling could help turn casual interest into real-world engagement, driving more tour bookings and overnight stays through a confident, characterful online presence.
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Research & Prototyping
Research & Collaboration
The project began with a deep dive into understanding both the business and its audience. I worked closely with the Dan O’Hara team to uncover their goals, pain points, and the heart of their story. We conducted a full audit of the existing site and identified key issues such as unclear navigation, inconsistent content structure, and missed storytelling opportunities. Alongside this, I researched comparable heritage and tourism websites to benchmark expectations and gather inspiration. Collaboration with the client was essential, not just for historical accuracy, but to ensure the design reflected their unique voice and values.
Prototyping & Iteration
With a clearer understanding of the site’s users and goals, I mapped out a new site structure and user flows, starting with a detailed sitemap. From there, I developed low-fidelity wireframes to prototype key interactions, particularly around how users would explore the story, browse experiences, and book accommodation or tours. These wireframes were tested and refined based on both stakeholder feedback and informal usability testing. Iteration helped uncover areas where language could be simplified, calls-to-action could be more visible, and visual hierarchy could better guide the user through the experience.
Refining the Vision
As the prototypes matured, the design moved into a high-fidelity phase where typography, imagery, and colour were used to evoke the character and warmth of the Connemara landscape. Every element, from button labels to image choices, was carefully considered to communicate trust, history, and welcome. Responsive layouts were polished to ensure the mobile experience was just as inviting as desktop. The final vision married form and function: a site that tells a compelling story, builds emotional connection, and drives bookings with clarity and ease.
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Final Outcome
The final website delivers a warm, story-rich experience that reflects the character and cultural depth of Dan O’Hara’s Homestead. With a refreshed layout, cohesive visual identity, and simplified navigation, users can now easily explore the range of offerings, from heritage tours to B&B stays, without feeling overwhelmed. The storytelling is woven throughout the design, with thoughtful use of imagery, tone, and structure to guide the user journey. Clear call-to-actions, streamlined booking flows, and mobile optimisation ensure the site functions as well as it feels, inviting, informative, and efficient.
The Impact
Since launch, the website has significantly improved user engagement, with visitors spending more time on key pages and navigating more confidently between heritage content and accommodation. The clearer structure and refined booking process have contributed to an increase in inquiries and conversions, especially from mobile users. More importantly, the site now acts as a true digital extension of the in-person experience, building trust, evoking emotion, and helping Dan O’Hara’s Homestead connect with a wider audience, including international tourists, history enthusiasts, and cultural tour operators.