Problem

LoudCrowd, a US-based social media marketing start-up, needed to acquire more customers. They believed that showing key aspects of their offering upfront would help achieve this. Specifically, they wanted to offer visitors to their website a way to benchmark their brand against industry competitors in terms of brand worth. However, their existing benchmarking tool was outdated and ineffective, resulting in low engagement and high bounce rates.

Research

To gather insights on customer needs and pain points, I conducted a series of interviews with the client, who were sales people in contact with the target audience. Through these interviews, I was able to clarify user profiles and identify key needs and pain points. Specifically, visitors were primarily interested in the accuracy of the benchmarking tool, the speed of results, and the ability to customize their results.

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User Journey

The user journey for the redesigned benchmarking tool consisted of four main steps:

1. User conducts a Google search or clicks on a social media ad and lands on the LoudCrowd website.
2. User inputs three sets of data using the widget on the landing page.
3. Based on the inputs, a detailed report is generated, providing the user with information on how their brand stacks up against competitors in the industry.
4. To access even more information past the report, the user needs to sign up.
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Design Process

Based on my understanding of user needs and pain points, I created a lightweight customer journey flow that reflected the user profiles identified in the interviews. I then developed wireframes and prototypes to test and validate the design. Through an iterative design process, I was able to arrive at a final design that offered visitors an improved user experience. The new benchmarking tool included features such as customizable inputs, instant results, and interactive visualizations.

Challenges

The main challenge of the project was the limited resources available for direct user research. Instead, I had to rely on client interviews to clarify user profiles and needs. However, I overcame this challenge by conducting thorough analysis of the interview data and ensuring that the resulting design met the needs of visitors.

Impact

The impact of the redesigned benchmarking tool was positive. The improved user experience resulted in higher engagement and lower bounce rates. The accuracy of the benchmarking tool, speed of results, and customization options were particularly well-received by visitors. As a result, LoudCrowd saw an increase in customer acquisition within the first few months of the tool's launch.

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Learnings

Through this project, I learned the importance of using a lightweight UX approach when resources are limited. By relying on client interviews to clarify user profiles and needs, I was able to create a design that met the needs of visitors and helped LoudCrowd achieve its business objectives. I also learned the importance of communication and collaboration with clients, particularly when working asynchronously across time zones.

Overall, the LoudCrowd benchmarking tool redesign was a successful project that demonstrated my skills in UX design and my ability to work within resource constraints. The project showed that even with limited resources, it's possible to create a design that meets the needs of visitors and helps achieve business objectives.

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