NAVIGATION
The Problem
The design was an outdated 90’s skeuomorphism that competed with the page hierarchy. The navigation was dense 200+ menu options with high cognitive load on the user. The development had repetitive, conflicting code and an extremely slow page load due to the conflicting javascript files and CSS styles.
Talking to Users
Trends began to emerge as I talked to users. It became increasingly clear how important the site search and account center were to the users.
“I keep a spreadsheet with the part numbers and I usually paste the number into the search to find my product.”
“I live in the search bar when I’m using the site”
“I go to the account center everyday to check the status of my quotes and orders”
“I wish their was an easier way to see if my Account Manager was in.”
Observing Behavior:
Watching multiple UserTesting videos confirmed the qualitative feedback we’d received and echoed those patterns while showing the friction points relating to performance.
Collaborating with stakeholders
After identifying the pain points, I began collaborating with the Product Managers on individual teams. We developed the new navigation flow, gathered the requirements, and made sure we would be able to scale for upcoming features.
Whiteboarding and Paper Prototypes
Section by section the elements began to come together... it was time to move it into
Axure and validate it with users.
Utilizing UserTesting.com
During my first year with CDW, I was the sole UX Designer at an organization that was unexperienced with UX. UserTesting and the A/B testing team were my best sources of research, so I used them heavily for concept validation.
Updated Design Results
An almost instant sitewide conversion lift of +7% was a direct result of cleaning up the technical debt, a more visible search bar, easily discoverable CDW Solutions, and faster access to core account features.
Increased Engagement
We observed a huge increase in engagement by utilizing Adobe Analytics and Hotjar. The move maps, seen below, now glowed with activity. There was a decrease in visits to the main Account Center page, but an increase in users reaching their desired goals (quotes and orders) from the new dropdown.