Top DTC Eyewear Brand
A leading DTC eyewear brand hired Terakeet to boost its traffic, but the surge in visitors led to a decline in conversion rates. With just 60 hours of UX allocation, I led a strategic redesign of their content hub to address these challenges, implementing both quick wins and a long-term success plan.
Role
Senior UX Designer (acting as UX Lead)
Duration
Tools + Skills
Figma, UX Audits, Competitive Analysis, Developer Handoff, Roadmap Creation
Team
The Problem
The brand's content hub was attracting traffic but struggling to convert new visitors.
With limited UX resources in their contract, I was brought in to tackle these challenges quickly. Over six weeks, I managed both the strategic planning typically handled by a UX lead and the hands-on design work.
The Problem
How could we quickly integrate shopping into the blog experience?
Taking the Lead
I created a clear roadmap for the project:
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Focused Discovery: Conducted a targeted UX audit and informal competitive analyses to identify key gaps and opportunities.
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Detailed Mockups: Designed high-fidelity mockups with detailed developer notes for precise implementation with minimal oversight.
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Optimizing Key Pages: Identified top-performing pages with high potential to enhance conversion rates.
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Content Alignment: Developed a content guide to ensure future posts followed best practices for conversion.
Understanding User Intent
Who: Users arrived through organic search with varying intent. Most users sought education, such as eye health, while others landed on pages deeper in the funnel.
Behavior: Content hub pages had a 90% exit rate, with most users leaving after viewing one article. Only a few explored additional content or moved toward shopping, and those were from product-related articles.
Opportunities: The brand's strong reputation presented an opportunity to convert information-seekers. We needed to guide users toward purchase while respecting their original intent.
Targeted Research
Assessing Opportunities
I initiated a UX audit to identify key factors hindering conversions. The audit revealed issues with usability, inconsistencies, and a lack of shopping opportunities.
Additionally, I performed an informal competitive analysis to explore improvement opportunities. With a tight timeline, I focused on finding strategies to enhance user guidance through the content and integrate products.
Internal Communication
I compiled my research findings into a recommendation tracker to guide the design phase and ensure all issues were addressed.
Additionally, the blueprint served as a communication tool for the internal team, many of whom were working with a UX designer for the first time. Keeping them informed allowed me to work independently while ensuring they knew what to expect.
Identified Issues
The research found that the content hub faced several challenges that were likely impacting user experience and conversion:
No Path to Purchase
There were no clear shopping opportunities, limiting the transition from browsing to purchasing.
Inconsistent Design
Differing patterns between the blog and store increased mental load and affected user trust.
Poor Mobile Usability
Excessive heights required too much scrolling. This limited the visibility of available content and CTAs.
Lengthy CTAs
Banners were not following CRO best practices, potentially causing users to overlook calls-to-action.
Efficient, Impactful Design
I leveraged the main site’s design framework to streamline the process and deliver maximum impact, achieving several key benefits:
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Consistent Design: I reverse-engineered design patterns from the main website, ensuring consistency without needing the full style guide.
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Optimized for Conversions: Using proven design patterns created a seamless experience that boosted conversion opportunities.
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Faster Development: Referencing existing components allowed developers to implement code more quickly.
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Time Management: Freed up resources to focus on UX content and guidelines, supporting long-term project success beyond my involvement.
Integrating Navigation Experiences
I aligned the header and footer with the main site to direct users to high-value pages, addressing low engagement with category pages. Blog links were moved into dropdowns to prioritize conversion opportunities while keeping content accessible. Mobile navigation styling was adapted to ensure a consistent, on-brand experience tailored to the content hub.
Curating the Homepage
I redesigned the homepage to guide users through a curated journey that seamlessly integrated shopping, enhancing engagement and conversions.
The original chronological layout missed opportunities to engage users and drive conversions. I restructured the design to create a more purposeful user journey, highlighting shopping-related articles, collections, and promotions.
The original hero didn't effectively guide users towards purchasing. I revamped it to feature shopping-centric content, optimized the layout, and aligned it with the brand's aesthetic. This made shopping opportunities more prominent and helped users visualize available products easily.
Optimizing Articles
Improving Product Integrations
I adapted existing patterns to optimize product galleries in articles. The contrasting background helped products stand out, even at smaller sizes. The overflow scroll on mobile avoided overwhelming users with excessive height. On desktop, I condensed the galleries to keep them within the user’s immediate view to align with reading behavior.
I also expanded the clickable area of product thumbnails to make product selection easier. Additionally, I updated the language to suggest more options to encourage further exploration.
Addressing Usability Concerns
I focused on improving the overall usability and readability of the blog, especially on mobile devices. Updates included optimizing content visibility and enhancing the layout for a more balanced and engaging user experience. These changes made the blog more accessible and enjoyable to browse across all devices.
Optimizing Content
I used the remaining time to analyze Google Analytics and identify high-traffic pages with strong conversion potential. After pinpointing these pages, I reviewed and recommended content updates to maximize potential.
Additionally, I developed a content guide for the team to ensure future posts align with our optimized conversion strategy, even without a dedicated UX designer. The guide emphasized scannability, clear and concise headlines, and user-friendly text.
Overcoming Setbacks for Successful Launch
Days before launch, we faced a major setback: a last-minute developer change with unfinished critical updates.
Fortunately, my background as a developer made me a stickler for thorough handoff files. I quickly stepped in to provide guidance, even sharing existing code from previous builds as a reference. I prioritized the QA to help the new developer focus on the most critical changes first. This proactive approach and adaptability allowed us to meet the tight deadline despite the unexpected hurdle.
A Baseline for Testing
The main objective was to build a solid foundation for future testing and optimization. Even without updated data, the positive client feedback suggests we’re on the right track.
The previous design had so few conversion opportunities that A/B testing would have been too time-consuming. By establishing a solid baseline, we’ve set the stage for more effective testing and ongoing improvements.
Takeaways
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Quick Wins Matter
Small, targeted updates can lead to immediate improvements in user engagement and conversions.
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Adaptability is Key
Effective problem-solving, flexibility, and organization were crucial in overcoming unexpected challenges.
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Clear Communication Drives Success
Effective communication with the team through clear roadmaps and regular updates was vital.
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Build a Strong Foundation for Growth
A strong design sets the stage for ongoing improvements by creating a baseline for measurement.
I appreciate that Lauren can work with little oversight. We got a nebulous task, and she jumped right in and gave an excellent deliverable that superseded the client team’s expectations. Her work was also met with rave reviews from the client.