Intelligent Search SaaS Platform Redesign

Industry: E-commerce SaaS

Role: Content Designer

Skills: branding, microcopy, information architecture, content strategy

Collaborators: UX Designer, UX Researcher, UX Architect

Methodology: Waterfall

My key deliverables: redesign strategy, copy for mockups, content guidelines

The Opportunity : A User Experience Refresh

Our client is a key player in the eCommerce SaaS game, with solutions that combine search, recommendations, merchandising, content management, and SEO to build out personalized shopping experiences.

Behind every great eCommerce experience are the merchandisers that use our client’s products to build them. Clients use the product to monitor and make quick changes to their eCommerce sites based on the platform’s analysis and insights.

In a niche industry, a few worthy competitors can quickly snatch up market share. Our client knew its competitors were more focused on the UX/UI and user experience, and they were ready to give the overall experience the love it deserves.

The Strategic Insights Process : Complex Interactions

We started with a 4-Week Strategy Phase that covered visual design, content, stakeholder research, and competitive analysis.

We found that most users were junior merchandisers who logged on when they needed to make changes to their eCommerce site. There are also administrators who set templates and rules up in the background to help merchandisers do their jobs.

We also found that competitors were more focused on creating a guiding experience with onboarding, useful microcopy, and pleasing visual design.

The conclusion? Generally, our client’s product doesn’t need to be used often, but it’s powerful and takes time to learn how to use. We had to flatten the learning curve and add some delight.

As the Content Designer, my goals were to make the product:

• easier to use
• more fun to use
• something that sales teams would be proud to demo

By the end of this first phase, I developed a tone of voice alongside a mood board by the UX Designer that would come to life during the design phase.

I also worked with the UX Architect to build out the content pillars that would guide the entire experience and help the team work towards our design goals.

Simplify

Use simple, descriptive and familiar language with a task-oriented focus.

Guide

Ensure all types of users are guided at every stage by providing reminders for how to get started with common tasks and where to go for help.

Delight

Add a human touch to functional elements by enhancing the look and feel with visuals and tone of voice.

The Content Design Process : Addition & Subtraction

Meeting the goals above meant working closely with the team at every step. We’d decide on the information architecture, and then refocus design and content to meet our content pillars and design goals.

A handful of new content items include:

Short descriptions on the left hand side of the page that keep the right side of the page focused on task-oriented, progressive-disclosure style forms

• Key information is now presented on the page instead of hidden in documentation
• If a user knows what they’re doing, they can ignore the content and just focus on the form

Help text in forms with examples

• The function of every field is now clear, and examples provide context to merchandisers
• Only relevant information is provided, depending on the option the merchandiser selects

Dashboard with personalized content that’s relevant to the individual user

• There’s now a spot to land every time a user logs in, with content that’s both welcoming and task-oriented

“Get Started” onboarding modules that feature playful design and copy

• A a “learn by doing” approach lets merchandisers learn quickly, without affecting anything on their live site
• Design and content work in harmony to explain how each configuration works and how it looks in practice

A product voice, with tone adapted for various situation

• I created a simple voice that flows throughout the experience to make it more human, conversational, and consistent

The Final Product : UX From Every Angle

The client was enthusiastic about the depth of thinking and collaboration that went into ideas, hypotheses and designs. By covering every angle, from design to content and user needs, we also met every pillar of an exceptional user experience.

I met my goals of making the product easier and more fun to use. With better microcopy, a consistent voice, and an onboarding experience that encourages learning-by-doing, our client’s product is well on its way to surpassing its competitors.

To help our client continue to create great content and microcopy with the right voice, I worked with the UX Architect on a set of Content Guidelines. These cover both the higher-level content principles, as well as the dos and don’ts of brand voice and UX writing.

Unique Challenges & Key Learnings

Complex applications require significant stakeholder involvement.

I worked closely with technical specialists and the product owner to ensure my content was accurate first, and then worked on making it concise and on-brand.

Decisions need to be made as a team.

A design decision affects every aspect of a product, not just the immediate visual elements. We made decisions from a content, research, and visual design perspective.

The moodboards and product voice need to be the same character.

Working together with the UX Designer to ensure that visuals and voice matched was key. Paired with the overall UX, they’re what makes a good experience an exceptional one.