Project Overview
As part of the Research team, I focused on identifying the best way to provide data-driven insights to support the redesign of the organization's website.
Scope of Work
This project sought to gather qualitative and quantitative insights from users about their current experience on the organization's website and their current job search experiences.
Market
Research
User
Research
Redesign
Recom-
mendations
Research
based
insights
Problem Statement
How can we redesign the website to get more users to support the organization?
Business Goal
Determine how to get more users to financially support the organization through an enhanced website and user experience.
Market Research
I conducted market research to:
-To understand market patterns
-To identify opportunities for growth
-To highlight best practices within the industry
-To leverage competitive analysis for design recommendations
Methodology: Competitive Analysis
I analyzed 5 direct and 1 indirect competitor based on:
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the purpose of the company
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UI decisions that impact the goals and decisions of the company
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companies of similar markets (user groups)
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services provided (ie. education, mentorship, partnership, referral page, job opportunities)
This graph was created by the Research Lead but I collected and analyzed the data. Names of competitors were intentionally omitted for the purpose of this portfolio.
Findings
High level insight I gleaned from the direct competitors was the need to:
-have Donate as part of the primary navigation
-have a component for each user group as part of the primary navigation
Ie. members, sponsors, volunteers
-consider having secondary navigation that can be visible as a drop-down format through hover function
-determine if the homepage below the fold, should be focused on the main user group via a call to action and facts or if this part of the homepage should focus on providing broader information about the company
-showcase a concise user flow for the most desired task of user groups
I.e what would it look like to apply and be a part of the Mentor Me Collective Fellowship program
High-level insight I gleaned from the indirect competitor was the need to:
-have a talent portal with a unique value proposition as part of the second phase of website redesign
Once the competitive analysis was complete, our team moved to persona formation as part of the website redesign.
User Research
Methodology: Persona Formation
I reviewed previous user research and research insights to identify the traits of 3 personas: General User, Supporter, and Job Seeker.
General User: Someone getting general information about Mentor Me Collective
Supporter: Partner, Mentor, or Donator
Job Seeker: Someone entering tech or continuing their tech journey with Mentor Me Collective's assistance
Findings and Recommendations
My research partner and I determined that more clarity was needed to differentiate the general user from the supporter and job seekers, as the supporter and job seeker shared traits of the general user. I also determined that clarity was the overlap in terms of needs/expectations across all personas, specifically about the purpose of the organization and the various way to participate in programs and partnerships. Lastly, I identified that the personas primarily visited the organization's website through a laptop via information posted on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Once the persona formation was complete, our team generated user journeys as part of the website redesign.
Methodology: User Journey
Our team created user journeys for each of the personas. I partnered with the Research Lead to create 3 user journeys based on 3 tasks of a General User. User journeys were created to determine friction in the personas' current experience to perform certain tasks through the website and for our team to identify opportunities for improvement.
Once the user journeys were complete for each persona, the Research team prepared to conduct usability testing as part of evaluative research.