CIMMO Web Design
The Chartered Institute of Marketing Management of Ontario (CIMMO) is the only chartered professional marketing association in Ontario, created by Ontario Private law PR13 and received the Royal ascent in 1988.
The primary objective of the project was to elevate the design and user experience of CIMMO's primary web portal, with the ultimate goal of increasing the user conversion rate.
In close collaboration with CIMMO's President and fellow members of the digital transformation team, I played a pivotal role in shaping the project's scope, addressing CIMMO's digital needs, and formulating strategies for a successful digital transformation. My responsibilities encompassed creating the design system, defining the new visual identity, developing and iterating all Figma prototypes, and implementing the design using Elementor and WordPress.
A completely revamped website that drives user conversion
The problem is loud & clear
To delineate the scope of the challenge, a kick-off meeting was held with CIMMO's President, who highlighted that despite the website's considerable traffic, a pronounced bounce rate underscored the imperative to enhance user experience and bolster visitor engagement.
To delve deeper into the issue, we then delved into the site's Google Analytics, which underscored a pressing need for significant UX enhancements.
To uncover factors contributing to the high bounce rate of the existing site and to develop customized solutions to mitigate them.
A quest to uncover the "why"
A series of efforts were initiated to unveil the underlying causes of the high bounce rate.
First, what are NOT the problems?
Prior to delving into the research on factors contributing to the high bounce rate and low conversion rate of the existing site, our initial focus was on eliminating potential non-contributing factors. By addressing what is not the problem upfront, it helped save time and resources that might otherwise be wasted on unnecessary solutions.
We begin with a lean competitive analysis, which revealed that the challenge doesn't lie in the competitiveness of CIMMO' offerings – those are strong. Instead, the website's persuasiveness seems to hinge more on how the content is presented, rather than the content itself. This was further confirmed by engaging with CIMMO's President, who emphasized that customer feedback consistently praised the quality and relevance of CIMMO's offerings. However, the challenge surfaced when it came to retaining visitors and converting their interest into actions on the website.
Clients tend to hold various assumptions about the nature of the problem and even potential solutions. Uncovering and validating these assumptions are fundamental to successful UX initiatives.
Then, what are the problems?
After excluding irrelevant factors, attention was then directed towards identifying potential causes. Through 12 user sessions leveraging the think-aloud protocol and internal heuristic evaluation, 4 key problems were identified, along with over 90 usability violations spanning every severity level and heuristic category. These collectively contribute to the high bounce rate and low conversion rate of the site, and thus became the focal point of my redesign efforts.
And as a result...
Limited understanding of the offerings
Despite being well-defined, the website does not articulate CIMMO's offerings and membership perks in a clear and transparent way, resulting in visitors questioning the value of joining CIMMO.
Low sense of reliability and professionalism
The inconsistent design system, unintuitive navigation, low content transparency, and usability issues across the site collectively diminish visitors' perception of the site's reliability and professionalism.
Low perception of legitimacy and credibility
The inadequate communication of CIMMO's Royal Assent and the absence of testimonials from former or existing members reduce visitors' confidence in the legitimacy and credibility of CIMMO.
Diminished trust in the website and CIMMO
Since the website serves as CIMMO's primary user touchpoint and represents its public face, a decrease in trust among visitors may reflect negatively on CIMMO as a whole, despite the strength of its services and products.
The design of a marketing site is essentially about persuasion, employing various strategies such as emphasizing uniqueness & fostering transparency.
Setting a quantitative baseline for the problem
Following each user session, a System Usability Scale (SUS) survey was conducted to gauge the website's usability. This scale established a quantitative baseline for our designs, adding a numerical dimension to our evaluation process. Survey results revealed a below-average score of 68, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive website overhaul. Additionally, other site analytics from the year 2022 were also included as part of the quantitative baseline.
Designing for enhanced user trust
Crafting consistency: introducing a new design system
As part of the rebranding initiative, a new style guide and design system were introduced, elevating the consistency and perceived professionalism of the site. I paid special attention to aligning the new design language with the existing brand image and facilitating effortless information consumption. The goal was to create an aesthetically pleasant and seamless site experience that instills trust and encourages further engagement.
Fostering transparency: a genuine and sincere content strategy
As part of a comprehensive persuasion strategy, significant efforts were made to enhance the transparency and readability of content, particularly concerning offerings and membership benefits. By clearly outlining the target audience of each offering and its outcomes, I aim to craft a more genuine and transparent content strategy. This approach helps alleviate doubts and mistrust that may arise from obscure and ambiguous content, ultimately increasing visitors' confidence in engaging with CIMMO.
A new navigation based on target user segments
In creating a seamless user experience, a new navigation system was introduced, constructed based on the target audience of each offering. Grouping content based on target audience segments ensures that visitors quickly find information most relevant to them, reducing the time and effort required to locate desired information. This also aids in communicating the website's offerings more effectively, as users can easily identify sections designed for them, increasing the likelihood of them taking desired actions and thus driving higher conversion rates.
Promoting awareness of CIMMO's uniqueness
One of the key findings from user research was the inadvertent underemphasis of CIMMO's uniqueness throughout the website, which went unnoticed during all user sessions. As Ontario's only chartered marketing institute, CIMMO stands out from other marketing associations in North America. If effectively conveyed, this unique aspect could significantly enhance trust, credibility, and recognition among potential users. Therefore, in the redesign process, this message was deliberately emphasized in various sections, such as the hero section of the home page, to ensure immediate understanding and awareness of CIMMO's distinct position.
Making it personally relevant: highlighting the benefits of each offering
Another factor contributing to the low conversion rate has to do with insufficient communication of the outcomes of each offering, despite their being well-defined. To drive visitors' interest and intent to engage with CIMMO's products and services, the benefits of each offering were explicitly highlighted, fostering a quick understanding of how CIMMO could help propel personal growth and career advancement.
Injecting life and credibility into the site
Enhancing the legibility and credibility of a website hinges on its vitality and external validation. Without live information streams and user testimonials, the CIMMO site suffered from perceived inactivity and doubt regarding its credibility. To counter this, I injected vitality into the Home page by introducing dynamic sections featuring the latest posts and strong testimonials from esteemed CIMMO members. These additions collectively breathed life into the site and bolstered its credibility, making it a more trusted and engaging platform.
A big success that warrants higher user engagement and trust
After testing and receiving approval for the design, I independently implemented it using Elementor and WordPress (which, despite any limitations, was designated as the platform to use in this case due to the existing offerings, such as online courses, already running on it).
A series of tests were conducted on the staging environment of the site, with analytics indicating significant success in this rebranding initiative. The new site achieved an SUS score of 94 (excellent), with all participants agreeing or strongly agreeing that it was professional, easy to understand, and transparent. Evidently, substantial strides have been made in improving the user experience of CIMMO’s website.
The new website was scheduled to go live in early March but was halted due to an unforeseen backend breakdown during the hosting migration process. The go-live process will resume once the breakdown is addressed.
Key takeaways
Identifying factors not contributing to the problem
For UX initiatives where the problem space is unclear, the exploratory session should focus not only on uncovering contributing factors but also on eliminating non-contributors. This approach allows for a more accurate and focused intervention.
Pay attention to stakeholders' assumptions
Clients, or stakeholders in general, often harbour assumptions about the problem space and potential solutions. These assumptions are typically rooted in long-term top-down observations, serving as a valuable starting point that is worth validating.
Document review as part of UX research
Business documents such as the strategic plan and CRM strategy are very valuable yet often overlooked sources of information. They help contextualize the project, informing the goals and priorities of the organization, and most importantly, the target user profile and segments.
The importance of UX writing
UX writing is an integral component of a comprehensive UX initiative. Conducting a thorough review of the existing content strategy and identifying potential gaps, particularly areas where content could be better emphasized, contributes to a more holistic UX approach.
