Râșnov Creativ Website
Background
Rural tourism plays a crucial role in promoting economic growth and creating job opportunities worldwide. It allows tourists to connect with local identity and understand the way of life (Popsecu, 2014). By showcasing artisans’ unique, locally made goods, rural tourism enables visitors to learn about an area’s culture and history while providing a source of income for artisans (Masset, 2020).
With half of Romania’s population living in rural areas, the country showcases its rich culture through various festivals and interactions between local artisans and tourists; however, the country still struggles to promote local artisans and incorporate rural tourism into its economy (Avram, 2016; Popsecu, 2014; Poruțiu, 2021). Râșnov, a small rural town in Transylvania, is a popular tourist destination due to its fortress and location between two famous castles. Tourists enjoy visiting local stores in Râșnov, but often struggle to find meaningful, local goods, instead settling for kitschy, mass-produced souvenirs (Marica, 2015).
Figure A: Map of Romania with Râșnov Labeled
Local Râșnov artisans have struggled to market their products due, in part, to the long-lasting effects of communism. During the communist regime, the state did not have a strong economy and could not provide jobs (Badulescu & Hatos, 2013). As a result, people turned to entrepreneurship to support themselves. The transition to a market economy led to opening of borders and encouraged more Romanians to leave the country in search of better opportunities (Stan, 2013). This exodus sparked a loss of culture and tradition in rural communities and reduced the economic success of producers (Otovescu, 2019).
Websites are a valuable tool to help small-scale artisans market their products and spread cultural awareness (Taneja & Toombs, 2014; Maquera, 2022). A promotional website built in a storytelling framework connects artisans to consumers by encouraging an emotional attachment to the artisan and their brand (Williams, 2020). Studies have shown that a well-designed and well-maintained website can significantly increase the number of tourists visiting a particular area (Goyal, 2013).
Under the leadership of Mihai Dragomir, the Mioritics Association works to preserve Romania's cultural and national heritage through local initiatives. The Mioritics Association's efforts have an immense effect on the area by promoting and organizing local events. In 2023, they established a program called Râșnov Creativ to increase the visibility of local artisans. The team developed a website for Râșnov Creativ to connect local artisans to tourists and help them build a stronger artist community.
Purpose
The goal of this project was to assist the Mioritics Association in increasing visibility of artisans in the Râșnov Creativ initiative through a promotional website. To successfully achieve this goal, the team completed the following objectives.
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Understand the purpose of the Râșnov Creativ initiative
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Comprehend the needs of local producers and tourists
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Analyze how storytelling websites increase visibility
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Develop and test a functional storytelling website prototype
Methods
To gather information about the Râșnov Creativ initiative’s purpose, the team conducted a Zoom meeting with Mihai Dragomir, head of the Mioritics Association, to fill out the Business Model Canvas (BMC). In addition to the BMC, the team collected information about the initiative through in-person meetings with our collaborator, his colleagues, and local artisans.
We conducted surveys and interviews with five local producers to understand their marketing needs. The team also surveyed fifty-two tourists who visited Râșnov area over a two-day period to determine how they discover new products and attractions.
To determine the best design and features to include that encourage engagement from both tourists and producers, the team conducted a comparative analysis on seven promotional storytelling websites based on design and aesthetics, user experience and incorporation of producers’ stories.
Using WordPress, the team designed a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate website that highlights the unique qualities of each local producer and their products. We also conducted think-aloud usability testing to create a list of improvements for the final version of the Râșnov Creativ website.
Figure B: Methods Timeline
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Results & Conclusion
Establishing a strong online presence and gaining visibility is challenging for most producers. All five producers struggle with social media. This is attributed to a lack of social media use and an inability to attract followers. Even those who use social media consistently have a small following. While producers acknowledge the importance of connecting with customers through social media, they struggle with its usage. Most surveyed tourists use digital methods to connect with producers, highlighting the need for an increase in producer use of online platforms.
Out of five producers interviewed, all incorporate culture and history into their products. Andrei Negus, an illustrator selling products at the citadel, emphasized the importance of educating people about the history and heritage of the region. The producers share a mutual belief that the expression of their artwork holds greater significance than the medium used and the profit gained.
Despite the passion for their work and a desire to showcase the rich cultural history of Râșnov, producers struggle to connect with like-minded individuals without a supportive community. Four of the five producers stated that they were not part of a close-knit community before Râșnov Creativ. During the interviews, artisans expressed their excitement to meet fellow craftsmen in Râșnov Creativ who share similar passions.
Establishing a strong online presence and gaining visibility is challenging for most producers. All five producers struggle with social media. This is attributed to a lack of social media use and an inability to attract followers. Even those who use social media consistently have a small following. While producers acknowledge the importance of connecting with customers through social media, they struggle with its usage. Most surveyed tourists use digital methods to connect with producers, highlighting the need for an increase in producer use of online platforms.
The comparative analysis of storytelling websites revealed that incorporating multimedia elements – such as images, videos, and text – enhances the user experience, engagement, and information retention. Of the websites that we analyzed, 85% had intuitive landing pages, that had many options for users to access various pages. Prioritizing the most important pages in the navigation menu is crucial for easy navigation through the website and plays a critical role in user retention. All websites had dedicated spaces for displaying producers’ products and stories, and over half of the websites included multimedia on individual producer pages.
The team collaborated with the Mioritics Association and used research findings to create an appealing and innovative design that fulfilled all the requirements of the website.
Figure C: Landing Page of the Râșnov Creativ
Upon opening the website, the landing page displays the producer image carousel, the highlighted producers, the product story, and the latest news feed. The “About Us” page describes the Râșnov Creativ initiative and the website. The “Local Artisans” page shows each producer in gallery view. The “Individual Artisan” page shows the producer’s profile image, story, information, and images of their work. The news page shows all the stories added to the website, with images, descriptions, a search feature, and a “latest stories” bar. The “Contact Us” page has a summary of why producers should join the program, and an email form to fill out for interested producers. In the creation of the website, the team used a minimalistic design to make it accessible and visually appealing.
The team projects that the producers will feel a sense of community and will share their stories with tourists by using this website. The team anticipates that more local producers will want to join the Râșnov Creativ program through the website, and that tourists will be enticed to explore the area and discover Râșnov’s remarkable products.
