Enhancing user experience
to empower teams and drive business growth
A case study on redefining website usability
Role
UX Designer/UX Lead
Duration
November 2023 - March 2024
Disclaimer: To respect confidentiality agreements, some aspects of this case study, such as client details
and project-specific information, have been modified or obfuscated. The methodologies, insights, and
design process, remain authentic and accurately reflect the value delivered.
Problem
The existing website struggled with confusing interface
that made navigation difficult, and didn’t meet user expectations. The current website lacked the elements needed to remain competitive in the market. It was also
not aligned with the company’s latest branding.
Objective
To redesign the website completely so as improve
the user experience, align with the updated branding along with maintaining a competitive edge in the market and drive business opportunities.
To establish a clear direction for the project and keep the core team aligned with expectations, I developed a Gantt chart that outlined key deliverables and scheduled stakeholder meetings for each project phase. To ensure consistency, I scheduled meetings with senior management every fourth week, as per their availability.
Project Planning
These sessions were used to discuss our progress, challenges,
showcase work-in-progress designs of the various web pages and gather their feedback and support as needed. Below, I have created a concise version of the chart to provide a clear overview of the project’s key phases, essential tasks and deliverables.
Overview
APEC* (Application & Program Enabling Center) is a global internal organization supporting Capgemini’s sales and delivery operations with a diverse portfolio
of services such as Digital Customer Experience, Cybersecurity, Knowledge management and more. With a team of approximately 400 members across the globe, APEC* is dedicated to maximizing profitability and minimizing risks through
its services.
Responsibilities
UX Research
UI Design
Usability and testing
Project Management
Team members
1 UX Designer (myself)
1 Director
2 Senior Managers
2 Front End developers
Research & Insights
My goal was to go deeper into the underlying challenges
of the current website beyond the surface-level rebranding requirements.
I collaborated closely with my team to conduct in-depth research, identify user paints and uncover hidden opportunities. This collaborative approach helped in designing a more impactful and effective redesigned product.
For qualitative research, with the help of stakeholder and user interviews, observations and surveys, I was able to get
a better understanding of the business objectives and the operational challenges. This also gave me a deeper insight
as to the hidden pain points and usability issues to the users.
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Non responsive website
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Inconsistent interface
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No content structure
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Complex navigation
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No search option
From quantitative research of approximately 15 participants, I understood that the website had a high bounce rate of 70% and time on task of approx. 3 minutes.
The technical analysis revealed critical compatibility issues that impacted user experience.
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The site faced design flexibility due to the limitations of its hosting platform.
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It performed optimally on internet explorer but displayed misalignments on browsers like Chrome which was the most used browser by the internal team members.
The content of the images are obscured to comply with company confidentiality policies.
User journey mapping and Competitive Analysis
Mapping user journey highlighted the challenges users were facing in locating key services and also highlighted opportunities to improve the website ensuring a smoother flawless experience for the users. To strengthen the redesign, a competitive analysis was conducted to benchmark against industry standards.
The evaluation emphasized need for features such as interactivity, usability and a responsive design. These insights were instrumental in crafting tailor made solution to user needs and market expectations.
Persona: Kriti
Goal: Navigate the APEC website to find more about APEC offerings and services
HMV Statements
Building on the clearly defined product and business goals,
we crafted an HMV statement to provide a clear direction and
purpose for guiding our design process -
Insights
The research and analysis phases unveiled several pivotal insights.
Goals
After collecting and analysing all research data and insights, we defined the following business and product goals to guide the redesign process and create an impactful digital product.
Wireframes
After having a preliminary discussion with the core team that comprised of senior managers and consultants, I converted my sketches to wire frames.
Target Audience
With well defined goals, objectives and a solid project plan,
I began the design process with a focused approach. After in-
depth discussions with the core team and receiving their collective approval, I finalized the information architecture by defining the
Design process
main categories and sub categories. This allowed me to establish a clear navigational flow which I then translated into a sitemap to lay the foundation for the website’s structure.
Site map
Sketches & Explorations
With the site map in place, I started sketching options for different pages of the website.
Design System
Prototypes
Using our pre-defined design systems, I converted my wireframes to hi-fi prototypes.
Certain images and content in the designs are modified and obscured to comply with company confidentiality policies.
Testing & Feedback
First Usability testing
The initial phase of usability testing for the project provided valuable insights, with positive feedback across several key metrics. To gather this data, I employed a combination of moderated usability testing sessions, task-based scenarios, interviews and discussions, ensuring that the results were both qualitative and
quantitative. Despite the positive feedback from the initial usability testing phase, the home page design was ultimately rejected by stakeholders. The home page design was rejected for the below mentioned reasons.
Next Step
For the next quarter, the team will focus on further enhancing
the website by addressing key accessibility, product, and
business goals.
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Accessibility – Enhance multilingual Support Improve Screen reader experience
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Business Goals – Add AI powered chatbot for 24/7 assistance
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Product goals – Incorporate feedback mechanism to analyze user insights and improve usability
Learnings
This project provided valuable experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams, including developers, content writers, and senior management. I learned how to align design decisions
with both user needs and business goals by working closely
with the core team.
One of the key learnings from this project was learning to balance user engagement and technical performance. While interactive elements can enhance the visual appearance of the website, they must be implemented thoughtfully to avoid compromising on critical functionality like page loading time. This project reinforced the value of decisions based on data and also stakeholder communication. By collaborating with the developers and then presenting the impacts on user experience as to how its going to have a negative impact, through data, I was able to address this issue forward with a solution that prioritized technical performance and good user experience.
*The actual name of this initiative and its contents have been intentionally obscured and modified to adhere to the company's confidentiality policies. Please reach out to me for additional details.
Results and impact
The second round of usability testing for the redesigned APEC* website yielded positive feedback, demonstrating significant improvements in navigation clarity, task completion rates,
and overall user satisfaction. The project transitioned into the development phase after these positive testing outcomes,
with initial results effectively aligned with the product goals.
Launch & Results
I am currently awaiting post launch metrics to evaluate the extent
of its impact on the business and to determine how well we achieved the previously defined business goals. On a positive
note, the initial feedback has been promising. I will update the
case study with the results as soon as they are available.
Usability Feedback
The website’s usability experience improved by 70%
70%
Time on Task
Reduced time on task from 3 mins to 1.5 mins.
3
1.5
1.5 min
0
Task Completion
Task completion rate now at 75%.
75%
Second Usability testing phase
I conducted a second usability testing with a group of 8 prospective users, utilizing A/B testing methods to compare different design variations. I created two distinct versions of the home page designs, and presented them to the users to understand their preferences and feedback on which design performed better in terms of usability, task completion and upmarket appeal.
Design A
Certain images and content in the designs are modified and obscured to comply with company confidentiality policies.
Design B
Design Revision
Refining the design
The homepage content was recommended for further simplification
and minimization to enhance clarity and user engagement.