E-commerce website

Trade data website that identifies the solution, allows the user to easily sign up for a free trial
and seamlessly convert to a paid user with all the required product elements they need.

My Role

I was responsible for all UI/UX design aspects of the e-commerce website, redefining the checkout/sign up process, user research, persona development, product strategy, usability testing, as well as designing and establishing a marketing strategy.

The Challenge

Design an e-commerce website that simplifies a complex product with the end goal being to get the consumer to sign
up for a free trial and push them through that trial by utilizing specific emails targeted towards the products capabilities.

Discovery & Research

After establishing the requirements and goals for the website and the overall product strategy it was time to start the persona development process. Utilizing interviews and survey's as the main method to establish each persona, three main personas were identified as well as their specific buyer's journey. Each of these persona's were used heavily in the designing of focused web pages, the functionality of the website itself, product development and marketing email strategy. The buyer's journey also helped the sales team identify which phase the consumer was in so they could more easily help identify and assist in their needs.

Visual & Functional Design

The wireframe of the site was established early on, and I started prototyping right away. The specific challenge with this website was to give the customer just enough information about the product to pique their interest to sign up for the 7-Day Free Trial, but not scare them away with a cumbersome checkout process. The customer still had to establish the product tier they wanted because the trial was free but after the 7 days if they didn't cancel, the product tier they chose was automatically purchased. There were two product tiers to choose from and with each tier there was also the choice of monthly or annual, as well as extra add on items. This in itself made for a very complicated checkout process. There were a few rounds of user testing and fine tuning to get to the end result. I also implemented a signup feature before the customer entered the checkout process which enabled me to track customer that did not follow through on a purchase. I was later able to follow up with those customers with marketing emails and discounts, tailored to their needs.

Usability & Post Launch

The real work started after launch, constant analysis of the website, changes based on customer feedback and what was learned from the analysis. The website held steady with small improvements to the checkout process and the pricing page. I used CrazyEgg and Google Analytics to help analyze user heat patterns and what pages were being viewed the most.

Conclusion

Overall it was a successful project. Per day customer trial signups doubled and with the added signup process we were able to get customer contact information that wasn't available to us before, which meant additional marketing potential. This project allowed me to see every avenue of the e-commerce process and how my multi-faceted skillset fit in. I was able to use my many years of design experience and my marketing skills to develop a well rounded user experience from beginning to end.