Optimising website performance: Responsive redesign to drive a 49% increase in engagement time and 30% increase in engagement rate.

My Role

As the sole designer, I spearheaded the revamp of Microtube Technologies' marketing website, focusing on user experience and interface design. Using insights from heuristic evaluations and user data, I identified the root causes behind the low engagement rates. Building on this analysis, I conceptualised and led the redevelopment of responsive, user-friendly interfaces to create a cohesive, engaging experience that aligned with the company’s goals.

Scope

•UX Design •UI Design •Market research •Data analysis •Redesign

Tools

•Figma •Google Analytics 4 •Wordpress (Elementor)

Time Frame

Q1 2024

Overview

Microtube Technologies is a pioneering tech company at the forefront of wearable technology innovation. Specialising in the integration of haptics within extended reality environments, they are dedicated to bringing realism and lifelike touch to digital experiences.

The Problem

Users struggled to find key information and had a low avg. engagement time per session

Overwhelming and inconsistent design created a disjointed experience, and made it challenging for users to focus on essential information.
Lack of a clear CTA that was easily overlooked.
Ineffective content communication and poorly crafted copywriting led to user confusion and missed opportunities.

What are we trying to achieve?

Stakeholder interview

To gain a deeper understanding of the website’s requirements and business objectives, a stakeholder interview was conducted. This process ensured that the design strategy was aligned with the organization’s broader vision and key priorities.

Given the niche nature of their main product, the primary objective is to ensure that users clearly understand the offerings and how they can address their specific business challenges. Rather than focusing on direct sales through the website, our goal is to encourage users to reach out for more personalised follow-ups, paving the way for potential sales and project collaborations.

Based on the feedback from the sales team, although the information was readily available, many potential customers struggled to comprehend the company’s offerings and product features. This confusion resulted in missed opportunities and a lack of understanding of the company’s core value in solving business challenges.

The Solution

Website redesign involving clear information communication and visual elements

Simplifying information
Integrate multimedia to complement written content, breaking down information and making it more digestible.
Clean
Remove unnecessary links, icons, and visual elements, allowing users to focus on key information.
Cohesive Design System
Creating and using a cohesive style guide to ensure visual consistency across all pages.

The Impact

Improved avg. engagement time per session
When comparing 3 months pre- and post-redesign, the average engagement time on the website saw a significant improvement, increasing from 51 seconds to 1 minute and 16 seconds—a 49% increase.
Improved targeted engagement rate
The engagement rate saw a slight increase, moving from 77.5% to 80%. More importantly, there was a substantial improvement in engagement on the HEXR page, where the main product is featured. The engagement rate on this critical page jumped from 37.2% to 67%, demonstrating the effectiveness of the redesign in guiding users to their key product page.

The Process - How did this happen?

Heuristic Evaluation

I conducted a heuristic evaluation of Microtube Technologies's current website to assess its usability and identify potential issues affecting user experience. This allowed me to examine the site’s design, functionality, and overall user experience.

Key takeaways:

Standardising design elements to ensure a consistent and cohesive user experience.

Tidying the layout and removing unnecessary elements to focus on essential content.

Make help documentation more accessible so that users can know where to seek help.

Introduce clear status indicators and feedback to enhance user awareness of ongoing processes.

Who am I designing it for?

Before beginning the design process, I thoroughly analysed existing user behaviour and purchase data to gain a deeper insight into our audience.

The primary focus was to determine the specific tasks our customers rely on our product to accomplish (jobs-to-be-done), and from this, two distinct user archetypes were identified.

Early concepts

To rapidly generate potential solutions, I engaged in ideation sessions and created initial sketches to visualise the screen layouts. Through multiple iterations, I refined these sketches to develop a more effective and user-friendly design.

Redesign recommendations

Based on the insights from the heuristic evaluation and valuable feedback from our existing customers, we did a comprehensive redesign of the website. The goal was to better align the site with the business objectives and enhance its effectiveness as a marketing platform.

Feedback session

Due to constraints in recruiting external users for post-redesign usability testing, I organised an internal feedback session with colleagues. This approach allowed me to gather valuable insights quickly, leveraging the team's diverse perspectives and familiarity with the product.

During the session, they were asked to navigate the new site, focusing on key areas such as content clarity, and the overall user experience. Their feedback highlighted several strengths, including improved visual consistency and more accessible information that allowed them to understand the product.
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Several minor issues were identified, such content adjustments and speed of animation which were immediate rectified..

While not a substitute for direct user testing, this internal feedback session provided meaningful input that helped refine the redesign and ensure it aligns with our project goals.

In summary ...

Content clarity
The copywriting was refined to be more descriptive, ensuring key product details, value propositions, and application scenarios were prominently highlighted.
Design consistency
A cohesive design system was established, focusing on tidying the layout, improving navigation, and enhancing visual consistency to guide users more effectively.
Significant results
Improved website performance that was measured by key metrics:
- Average engagement time per session increased by 49%.
- Average engagement rate on key product page by almost 30%, indicating successful user guidance and interest in the main product offering.

Challenges faced

Technical constraints: I had to work within my technical ability of implementing design changes in Wordpress.
User research and testing: Due to the challenges in user recruitment, the redesign was primarily guided by a heuristic evaluation and established UX best practices. While this approach provided a solid foundation, it lacked the depth of user-specific insights that could have been obtained through direct user research.

Learnings

Understanding engagement does not equal conversion: While the overall engagement rate was good to begin with 77.5%, it is crucial to remember that high engagement doesn’t automatically translate to better conversions. Users spent more time on pages without taking the desired actions, e.g., contact us without submission and careers page.
The importance of targeted content: The ~30% rise in engagement on the HEXR page suggests that aligning content with user expectations can significantly enhance user focus on essential areas of the site, and the importance of prioritising high-impact pages in the design process.

Product Value and Information Accessibility