Volusion web experience
A snapshot
We set out to redesign the Volusion website in order to improve the user experience, elevate the brand styles, and increase the number of qualified leads connecting with our sales team. The project included the creation of 10 new pages and 3 web-to-lead forms. I managed the creation of the content, design, motion graphics and contracted development team.
The Team
Tracy Turner: Creative Direction, Design, and Project Management
Elisabeth Newell: Copywriting & Editing
Amanda Glaeser: Content Strategy
Calandra Buckner: Visual/UI Design
Amaranda Hernandez: Visual Design and Motion Graphics
Benito Gallardo: Form Development
Take2 Development: Web Development
Defining the content direction
The company recently refocused all marketing and product efforts to create an experience for more seasoned ecommerce business owners. My first step was to better understand the motivations of our new target audience. I connected with Volusion’s Founder and we surveyed a segment of our existing customer base who represented the new niche merchant.
The survey feedback showed that site speed performance and mobile customer experiences were the top two considerations when selecting an ecommerce platform. The importance of search engine ranking was also a top concern for our audience.
“Its all about customer experience with 72% of our customers using their phones to shop we need a streamlined website that reacts quickly to mobile.”
“Google scores us based on site speed, customers bail when dealing with slower sites.”
Merchant feedback
Value Focused Experience
After reviewing the feedback I worked through the site architecture (page plan pictured below). I focused on adding new sections that highlight platform benefits and partnership opportunities. My team and I created outlines for each new pages gathering input from the partnership and product teams for alignment.
Designing the experience
Research + Inspiration
The website was the driving factor for developing a design system to ensure consistency and make the process more seamless with the external development team. I started the redesign process by leading the team in brainstorming sessions where we shared competitive research and visual inspiration. We met weekly to add to our idea boards and I led the discussion to narrow down the approach that made the most sense for the Volusion brand.
Design Elements
Then I began adding styles to the design system; the color palette, typefaces and two homepage design options were created. Those were circulated to Volusion’s senior leadership for feedback and finalized.
The homepage direction dictated the creation of the new components that were subsequently added to the design system. Once we had the baseline secured, each team member created 1-2 pages per week. The design and written content were evolving simultaneously, so we met often to sync up as a team and document any new guidelines or components.
Page samples
Homepage Design
Site test: Secondary CTA
Platform page: Mobile Experience
Platform page: Tech features
Development and launch
My role included introducing the new design style to cross-functional teams, managing the design of 13 new pages and ensuring the contracted development team completed all necessary tasks. Additionally, the site was to be hosted on Volusion’s new platform; a mandate that, while best for the organization as a whole, presented new challenges to the team at large. To deliver the completed web experience on time, I set up a project management plan in JIRA and a Gant Chart to organize our timeline. To stay on track, I split up the pages into phases and prioritized the “must have” sections. This helped create focus for the dev team and allowed me to get all the pages staged and ready for initial QA on time. The website is projected to be complete fall of 2020.
JIRA weekly report visualization