Software Advice
PROJECT MISSION
SoftwareAdvice.com, a key component of Gartner Digital Markets (GDM), attracts 2.5 million monthly visitors seeking the right software solutions. As part of the broader GDM ecosystem alongside Capterra and GetApp, Software Advice plays a vital role in the B2B software and services search landscape. The project aimed to evaluate the primary site and paid landing pages and devise and implement a plan to meet key objectives. The primary objectives were to optimize the user experience, foster an increased interest in Software Advice’s Advisor Service, and ultimately enhance the success of software buyers ability to find the right software for their needs.
MY ROLE
Leading a dynamic 3-person design team, I worked collaboratively under the guidance of the VP of UX and Product within a cross-functional ensemble of researchers, product managers, and engineers.
RESULTS
17% increase in CVR, 8.9% increase in form open rate, 4.4% increase in session duration, and 13.3% decrease in bounce rate (YOY).
STRATEGIC PROJECT INITIATION
Understanding the Landscape
I initiated the project with insightful discussions across Digital Markets division leaders. These conversations provided a comprehensive understanding of overarching goals, challenges, and project-specific nuances. I then orchestrated a heuristic review alongside two other seasoned designer evaluators. Following this evaluation, I meticulously prioritized findings into three categories of urgency and collaborated closely with the VP of UX, Director of Research, and Product Managers to discuss additional research projects, potential immediate solutions and how they could fit into our product roadmap.
APOLLO: FIGMA COMPONENT LIBRARY
Unifying the Design
One of the biggest challenges uncovered was a lack of consistency throughout the product. To help resolve, I led a 4-person team in creating Apollo, Software Advice's first-ever component library. It defines individual tokens, components, and patterns in granular detail. It also provides usage examples and foundational accessibility, brand, and UX guidance. Its creation marked a significant stride in improving consistency, alignment with brand standards, overall user experience and team efficiency. The library eventually evolved into a full multi-brand design system with 195 components, 281 variables, and thorough documentation.
CATEGORY AND PRODUCT RELATED PAGES
Focusing on the User
As part of our initial research we identified our top-viewed pages: product, category, and related pages. My primary focus was on these crucial pages, and our designs were intricately informed by existing brand guidelines and ongoing research. Throughout the process, I consistently conducted demos and sought feedback from our research, product, and engineering partners. Prototyping and usability testing were pivotal in refining the new designs, and extensive experimentation was conducted before full implementation.
KEY CHALLENGES
- Absence of direct access to essential content
- Inconsistent approach to navigation and visual design across experience
- Poor sort and filtering experience
- Excessive scrolling needed to access primary content
- Banner blindness to key offering
PRIMARY SOLUTIONS
- Consistent Navigation and Page Styling: Added a sub-navigation at the top of each page linking related pages in each section. Implemented design consistency across pages.
- Optimized Sort and Filter Options: Moved from a horizontal to vertical filter approach allowing to add additional options prioritized by user needs.
- Layout and Content Enhancements: Drastically reduced scroll on product page by streamlining content and utilizing a multiple column layout. Eliminated redundant content on category page. Changed approach to imagery and copy sitewide based on user feedback.
- Unified Content Styling: Refined the styling of content elements to align visually with surrounding content and reduce the likelihood of being perceived as ads.
FORMS AND LANDING PAGES
Asking the Right Questions, at the Right Time
Another core component of our redesign efforts was focused on paid landing pages and conversion forms for various scenarios throughout the site. Extensive usability testing was critical in our efforts and carefully informed our design decisions regarding content, layout, and flows for multiple scenarios.
KEY FINDINGS/PRIMARY SOLUTIONS
Putting all fields upfront and/or shortening the process did not increase user satisfaction or conversions
Asking users about their needs particularly at the very beginning of the process was a key element to preventing drop-off
Letting users know the process is multiple step from the outset and what step they are on throughout not only increases trust but also prevents drop-off
Forcing users to provide an email address when their primary objective is a call caused significant drop-off
Including a Trustpilot logo and rating significantly contributes to user trust
Explaining why we are asking users for the information we are, at the direct point when they are entering it significantly contributes to user trust and prevents drop-off
Removing the form from the top of landing pages has a significant negative effect on conversions. Adding a CTA at the bottom of the page which opened a modal with an additional form, was the optimal way to meet all user needs.
The form redesign was used across the entire GDM family of brands—serving over 9 million monthly visitors.
BLOG: HOMEPAGE, ARTICLE, AND AUTHOR PAGES
Out with the Old, In with the Bold
On our blog, we tackled user frustrations by enhancing search functionality, optimizing imagery usage, and more. Our solution created a more user-friendly, engaging blog experience and also drove more conversions ultimately helping more buyers find the right software.
KEY CHALLENGES
- Limited Search and Sort Functionality
- Cumbersome Image Usage
- Lack of Direct Guidence to Software Solutions
- "Banner Blindness" to elements such as newsletter signup and advisor service
PRIMARY SOLUTIONS
- Search Feature and Topic Dropdown: Designed a search feature and topic dropdown on the homepage, along with tags for each post, to enhance navigation and address the limitations of the current search functionality.
- Optimized Imagery Usage: Reduced the use of repetitive thumbnails and large feature images to minimize scrolling and ensure that visuals align more closely with article content.
- Embedded Product Comparison Tool: Developed a tool embedded within each post to facilitate seamless product comparisons, catering to users' primary goal of finding the right product.
- Unified Content Styling: Refined the styling of content elements, such as newsletter signup and "talk to an advisor," to align visually with surrounding content and reduce the likelihood of being perceived as intrusive ads.
Products and services integrated seamlessly into each article.
AFFILIATE, VENDOR, AND ADDITIONAL PAGES
No User Left Behind
Our comprehensive redesign efforts left no page untouched, enhancing the user experience for not only software buyers but for software vendors, career seekers, and more. The result is a more intuitive, elegant design solution, empowering all user types to effortlessly achieve their needs.
