- Case Study - Website Redesign

RESEARCH : Interviews

During the ideation phase of the project, I conducted user interviews to build new personas and to inform the design. Together with the team, we prepared an interview script with 32 open-ended questions, focusing on our target audiences’ values, motivations, and daily routines. In 4 days, I recruited and interviewed 7 users remotely. We referenced the user interview findings throughout the entire design process.

• What objectives influenced our questions?
  Our main objective was to understand the user's pain points and needs in order to inform the design of our new product. We crafted our interview questions with this objective in mind, ensuring that we were asking open-ended questions that would allow us to gather valuable insights from our users.

• How many users did we interview?
  We interviewed a total of 7 users for this project. We chose a diverse group of participants that represented our target audience, ensuring that we were able to gather a broad range of perspectives and insights.

• What were the main insights from the interviews?
  One of the main insights we gathered from the interviews was that our users were looking for a more streamlined and intuitive interface. They found our current product to be confusing and difficult to navigate. Additionally, we discovered that our users were interested in new features that we had not previously considered, such as the ability to connect in real time.

• How did we use our findings?
  We used our findings to inform the design of our new product, making changes to the user interface and adding new features based on the insights we gathered from our users. Additionally, we used our findings to prioritize the most important features to include in our MVP, ensuring that we were addressing our user's most pressing needs first.

Personas

We wanted to form a deeper understanding of our users' goals, needs, experiences, and behaviors. So, we created 4 personas for each of our user segments. They were based on user interviews and surveys, and we kept updating them throughout the project as we gathered more data. We used these personas whenever we wanted to step out of ourselves and reconsider our initial ideas.

• Why did we decide we needed personas?
  We decided to create personas to better understand our users and their needs. Personas help to visualize and empathize with the user, enabling us to design products that better meet their requirements.

• What data did we use to build your personas?
  We used data collected from user interviews and surveys to build our personas. We also gathered information about users' goals, behaviors, and preferences to make the personas as accurate as possible.

• What information did we specify for each persona?
  We specified information such as the persona's name, age, job title, education, and goals. We also included details about their personality traits, pain points, challenges, motivations, and behaviors. This helped us to understand their needs and expectations and design products that better met their requirements.

• How did the personas affect the design process?
  The personas helped us to stay focused on the needs of our users throughout the design process. By referring to the personas, we were able to make more informed design decisions that better reflected the needs and preferences of our users.

• At which stages of the design process did we reflect back on the personas?
  We reflected back on the personas at each stage of the design process, from ideation to prototyping and testing. We used the personas as a reference to ensure that our designs were meeting the needs of our users, and we updated them as we gathered more data to ensure that they remained accurate and relevant.

User Journey

To ensure a seamless user experience for our customers, we created a user journey map for our software installation process. We started by analyzing the existing process and identified several areas for improvement. We found that the installation process was complicated and confusing for our users, resulting in high drop-off rates. We decided to simplify the process by eliminating unnecessary steps and providing clear instructions at each stage.

We tested and validated the new user journey map by conducting usability testing sessions with a group of users. The testing revealed that the new design was much more intuitive and user-friendly than the previous version.

The user journey mapping revealed that our customers were facing several pain points during the installation process, including unclear instructions, confusing interface, and a lack of guidance on next steps.

By simplifying the installation process and providing clear instructions at each stage, we were able to address the pain points and create a more seamless user experience. The new design resulted in a significant increase in successful installations and customer satisfaction.

• How and why did we choose which path to map?
  We chose the checkout path because it is a crucial part of the user's journey and directly related to the business goal of increasing conversion rates. We wanted to ensure that users could easily and quickly complete their purchases without any obstacles.

• How did we test and validate the map?
  We conducted usability tests with a group of users to see if they encountered any difficulties while following the checkout path. We also tracked user behavior and analyzed metrics such as drop-off rates and time to complete the process.

• What did the journey mapping reveal?
  The journey mapping revealed two unnecessary steps in the checkout process that were causing frustration and confusion for users. We also found that some users were abandoning their purchases at specific points in the process.

• What were the main pain points of the user?
  The main pain points for users were the two unnecessary steps in the checkout process and unclear messaging at specific points in the process.

• What changed in the design due to user journey mapping?
  Based on the insights from the journey mapping and usability tests, we streamlined the checkout process by removing the unnecessary steps and improving the messaging. This resulted in a faster and smoother checkout experience for users, which contributed to an increase in conversion rates.

Customer Journey

We created a customer journey map to build a better understanding of how customers find and interact with the service and to discover opportunities for improvement. The map revealed many user problems and opportunities at the consideration and comprehension stages of the customer journey. Therefore, we paid special attention to these stages during the design process.

• What did we want to find out with customer journey mapping?
  We wanted to build a better understanding of how customers find and interact with the service and discover opportunities for improvement in the customer experience.

• What stages in the journey did we examine?
  We examined the consideration and comprehension stages of the customer journey.

• What were the main touchpoints at each step?
  At the consideration stage, the main touchpoints were the website, social media, and customer reviews. At the loyalty stage, the main touchpoints were the customer support team, loyalty programs, and referral incentives.

• What did we suggest to resolve these pain points?
  To resolve pain points at the consideration stage, we suggested improving the website's user experience, creating targeted social media content, and encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews. For the loyalty stage, we suggested enhancing the customer support team's responsiveness, offering personalized loyalty rewards, and providing incentives for customer referrals.

• What new features or design changes came from mapping the customer journey?
  Mapping the customer journey led to new features and design changes that improved the overall customer experience, such as a revamped website, a more responsive customer support team, and personalized response when inquiring.

Usability Testing

I created a fully-functional, high-fidelity prototype of the new flows using Sketch. At the same time, we started recruiting subjects for the test who fit our criteria. We did 4 usability tests in the first round and 2 after iterating on the issues that we’ve identified:

Issues

• confusing navigation and unclear labeling

• technical limitations and constraints

• inconsistent branding or poor color contrast

What issue did you uncover through usability testing? How many times did this issue come up throughout the tests? How did the test subjects react to/describe this issue? 

Solutions

Design improvements were implemented to ensure proper branding and enhanced color contrast. These improvements were made to enhance the overall user experience and aesthetic appeal.

During usability testing, I presented the participants with the proposed design solution for the identified problem. The solution involved simplifying the navigation and restructuring the content to better align with the user's mental model. I arrived at this solution by analyzing the user feedback from the earlier rounds of testing and incorporating design best practices.

I iterated on the design two times, incorporating feedback from each round of testing. In each iteration, I made changes to the layout, typography, and color scheme to make the interface more intuitive and visually appealing.

Validation

To validate the solution, I conducted a final round of testing with a new group of users. The participants were given tasks to complete using the redesigned interface, and I observed their interactions and noted any issues or areas for improvement. The results of the testing confirmed that the solution was effective in addressing the user's pain points and improving the overall usability of the interface.

Next steps

What next...

The Takeaway

I learned how to use Sketch's functionality on a deeper level and improved my collaboration skills with team members. We incorporated design sprints, which helped us accelerate our decision-making process. This project contributed to my growth as a designer by allowing me to work on a complex project and work closely with cross-functional teams. This project crushed my preconception that a project can be completed in a linear and straightforward manner. I learned that iteration is a crucial part of the design process, and it is essential to involve users at every step. This project influenced me to prioritize user research and validation in my design process.

Thank you for reading my case study!

Want to work with me? Feel free to contact me!
...or just say hello :)

https://www.bradlawson.com
bradlawson@gmail.com
843.886.0411