Improving Website Performance for a Marketing Team

A marketing team asked us:

How do we improve the performance of our website and ensure we're effectively communicating value to our target audiences?

AnswerLab partnered with a high-level marketing team at a global client to help them evaluate, refine, and improve the key messaging and structure of their website. This included their navigation and mega menus, page content, help text, and site organization.

As the marketing team responsible for their homepage and primary website content, our client was looking to conduct research with real users to inform their marketing strategy and improve their site’s navigation and content, all with the goal of better communicating the company’s value in the marketplace. 

Our research goals included: 

• Explore how the current information architecture met (or didn’t meet) user mental models and subsequently test three new navigation mock-ups to determine if they better communicate the client’s offerings and instill confidence
• Understand what types of content website visitors are looking for, where they would expect to find specific types of information, and why they navigate to specific sections of the site. 
• Collect impressions and feedback on alternative designs, naming conventions, navigation structure, and marketing content on key product pages.
• Find and implement ways to make their content clearer, more distinct, and more motivating by gathering user feedback on the information needed to make decisions as they move through the funnel.

We answered:

Due to the nature and depth of the information their team was looking for, we designed a rapid research program to get continuous insights over a four-month period. Over several rounds of in-depth interviews with their customers, we gathered qualitative feedback through exploratory conversations around purchasing habits. Additionally, we dove into the details with usability and concept testing to evaluate new designs and mock-ups. 

By partnering with us on a longer-term engagement, our client team was able to:

• Dig into what motivates current customers and prospects to make a purchase and the information they need to get there
• Optimize content and offerings to match the customer journey and help move their visitors through the conversion funnel
• Test new designs, iconography, and naming conventions to ensure a seamless launch
• Improve information architecture and content to communicate value through a clear, intuitive structure. 

For each round of research, we interviewed 16 participants, including current and prospective customers, who met a set of specific criteria connecting them to a purchasing stage. Each round of research had additional sets of more nuanced requirements depending on the content being tested. To ensure we had the right participants in the room, our Research Operations team continuously adjusted the screening process, working closely with the client team to meet their specific needs for each round of research.

Outcome:

Continuous insights empowered our client’s marketing team to make well-informed, strategic decisions about their main site content, navigation, and designs on a timely, set cadence. By working together over the course of four months, we built a strong partnership with a deep understanding of their site and marketing approaches, enabling us to seamlessly run multiple rounds of research with limited ramp-up time.

Our findings over the course of the program included:

• Qualitative findings on user expectations and needs for finding content and information that helps them through the buying process
• Detailed reactions and user preferences on navigation prototypes, including content expectations, brand impressions, and how purchasing flows affect navigation
• Strengths and weaknesses of current content, including help and product pages
• Prioritized recommendations on content improvements, including text layout options, CTA language, and copy placement
• and more…

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Learn more about how our rolling research engagements offer consistent research—from design concept validation to live products—without missing a beat in your development schedule.