Growth design
Optimizing the path to purchase
Conversion-focused website redesign for a Seattle startup
Deliverables
- User research
- Persona guide
- Customer journey map
- User flows
- Site map
- Wireframes
- High-fidelity design
Summary
- Type: Website redesign
- Focus: Growth
- Timeline: Sept-Dec, 2020
- My role: Designer, strategist, and project lead
Company growth hindered by an under-performing website
Qumulo is a Seattle-based technology company that develops software for managing large amounts of data. With an industry-leading product and strong market demand, Qumulo was primed to enter a period of hyper growth.
However the buyer’s journey often begins on the company website, which was producing low conversion rates and inadequate information for prospects.
How can we improve the website experience in order to increase conversion rates?
I led a redesign project that focused on the buyer journey and resulted in a 400% increase in conversions.
Seek first to understand
To improve the website experience, I led a discovery to understand the customer journey and our buyer’s needs.
The research revealed three distinct buyer types with their own unique needs.
I then mapped the customer journey and identified points of friction, drop-offs, and the areas with the most opportunity.
I discovered that our web content and demos were not addressing the needs of these buyers. We were not giving them the information they needed to confidently move forward.
Fixing points of friction
Some key themes emerged from my research. These informed the strategy for the redesign.
- We needed to focus on clarity because our marketing language and product names were unclear to prospects
- Prospects need to see the product (screenshots, gifs, demo videos) to understand it
- Prospects need to try the product to experience and understand the unique value
- Benefits, value messaging, and proof needs to be industry-specific in order to have impact and be believable
Designing purposeful flows
By understanding the distinct needs and goals of the buyer types, I was able to define and prioritize critical buyer paths, which focused on providing the essential information required for a conversion.
These paths are intentional, directed flows of information and choices designed around important positioning content. I call them purposeful flows.
The paths are tailored to the buyer types and their industry, addressing their unique needs and then showing how Qumulo is uniquely the best solution for their problems, while also sprinkling in related social proof and quantifiable outcomes.
These pieces worked together to guide buyers towards a singular, desired outcome – registering for a trial.
Designing the pages
After completing the discovery phase and site map, I transitioned into the next crucial step: Design. I use a common design process which begins with wireframes, which allows me to iteratively refine the concept before progressing towards crafting high-fidelity mock-ups.
The impact
The updated website launched in late 2020. By streamlining and simplifying the path to purchase, we increased website engagement and drove more conversions, leading to a significant lift in YoY metrics.
In the first quarter, the redesign resulted in:
- 212% increase in sessions
- 400% increase in conversion
- 122% increase in pageviews
See more work
Check out my portfolio for more case studies and projects.