Impact
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) increased by 4 points, moving from "Good" to "Great."
NPS measures customer loyalty and satisfaction.
The System Usability Score (SUS) rose by 7 points, advancing a grade from "C" to "B."
SUS is a standardized framework for an experience's usability and learnability.
Overview
An exploration of understanding customer needs and increasing value for Spectrum Reach customers purchasing commercials and advertising campaigns on a self-service web platform.
ROLE
• UX Designer at Spectrum Reach
• UX Designer at Spectrum Reach
TIMELINE
• 4 months
• 4 months
TEAM
• 1 UX Director
• 1 UX Designer
• 1 Product Manager
• 4 Engineers
• 1 Product Marketing Team Lead
• 1 Accessibility Team Lead
• 1 User Testing Recruitment Company
• 1 UX Director
• 1 UX Designer
• 1 Product Manager
• 4 Engineers
• 1 Product Marketing Team Lead
• 1 Accessibility Team Lead
• 1 User Testing Recruitment Company
Platform
• Responsive B2B Web Application
• Responsive B2B Web Application
Tools
• Sketch
• Figma (Portfolio prototype)
• Axure RP (User-facing prototype)
• Tobii Eye Tracker
• Sketch
• Figma (Portfolio prototype)
• Axure RP (User-facing prototype)
• Tobii Eye Tracker
What is the Ad Portal?
The Ad Portal is a tool that allows business owners to create and schedule cable advertising campaigns at an affordable price.
• Users can create their own commercials in the web application or upload their own
• After entering information, an algorithm presents users with a TV schedule targeted to their ideal audience
The problem
Business owners looking to advertise on cable TV did not understand the value of the Ad Portal when entering information to establish a campaign.
• User satisfaction was inconsistent
• Drop-off rates were high resulting in frustration from stakeholders
I set out to validate assumptions from previous research and define personas.
“Where is the cost for all of it?
What is the bottom line?"
- Usability test participant
- Usability test participant
Research process
Past usability testing
Prior to my team's involvement, a few usability studies and interviews had been conducted to determine an initial flow. This consisted of users inputting:
• An advertising goal
• The duration of their desired advertising campaign
• Their budget
• Adding a call to action and info about their business to create their commercial (or upload their own)
Previous UI screens at various points in the process.
The previous landing page provided some stats and FAQs to potential users.
Additional usability testing and user interviews
Using a user recruitment agency to gather participants, I spoke with business owners, all screened to be potential users of the Ad Portal.
• Most of the sessions were on-site in a testing facility
• Users were asked to walk through the landing page as well as the complete flow to replicate a first experience
My team interviewed and usability testing a participant at a testing facility.
Key insights & design recommendations
The landing page does not clearly communicate the product offerings
Recommendation: Drive value messaging on the landing page and throughout the experience. Work with Product Marketing team to redesign the landing page.
Users do not know how to build an advertising schedule that is effective for their business
Recommendation: Reinforce the expertise of Spectrum Reach and instill trust within users.
The value of a package is not explained in a way that the user can relate to their business
Recommendation: Add value proposition to packages, with supporting data and cable channel logos that users can relate to their businesses. For example, for $450 you reach 50% of your target audience 3 times. (Studies show repeated exposure encourages consumers to take action).
Advertising terminology and industry stats were confusing
Recommendation: Reduce technical jargon and add helpful tips.
Recommendation: Add value proposition to packages, with supporting data and cable channel logos that users can relate to their businesses. For example, for $450 you reach 50% of your target audience 3 times. (Studies show repeated exposure encourages consumers to take action).
Advertising terminology and industry stats were confusing
Recommendation: Reduce technical jargon and add helpful tips.
Personas
I created these personas after reviewing previous insights, interviewing users, and conducting usability testing.
Goals:
• Gain new customers
• Gain new customers
• Inform customers about sales and events
• Showcase the uniqueness of her products
Frustrations:
• Thinks TV advertising is expensive
• Thinks TV advertising is expensive
• Concerned younger people don't have cable
• Doesn't understand targeting
• Doesn't know what is “good”
• Doesn't know how to drive ROI
Goals:
• Gain new customers
• Gain new customers
• Build brand awareness
Frustrations:
• No dedicated marketing budget
• No dedicated marketing budget
• Doesn't understand targeting or where to advertise
• Can’t afford to hire a professional to make a commercial but also don’t want something amateur
Goals:
• Compete against larger industry rivals
• Compete against larger industry rivals
• Engage current customers about sales and events
Frustrations:
• Has a moderate understanding about effective advertising
• Has a moderate understanding about effective advertising
• Not sure how to maximize growth with a large budget
User drop-off points
The major drop-off points are outlined in red corresponding with a User Journey Map.
Results are from the analytics platform, Heap.
Proposed new flow
We determined that key changes needed to be made to the Landing Page and Campaign Packages.
Wireframes & low fidelity concepts
Early iterations for Campaign Packages, which enable users to choose which ad campaign works best for them.
User feedback & iteration
Terminology
Most participants had difficulty interpreting campaign length as it relates to other parts of the package. Some did not understand the term "frequency" and how it related to the cost/length.
Content Overload
Some users had difficulty with the display, location, and amount of text on various pages.
Helpful tips
Most participants did not pay much attention to the tips sections. The word "Tips" was used excessively, the content was too lengthy, and for users who had a solid understanding of the process they were redundant.
The previous version (left) was not concise while the revised version (right) solves for the above user feedback.
Design system & accessibility
By organizing and establishing a design system in Sketch, I quickly iterated on new designs using existing icons, patterns, spacing, etc.
• By integrating with Zeplin, developers were easily able to turn UI into code
• A large focus of this system was also on accessibility
• By working with resources such as https://accessible-colors.com and http://colorsafe.co, both of which follow WCAG standards
• I also collaborated with an internal accessibility team that provided a report outlining best practices on labels, states, and error messages
A consolidated style guide outlining accessibility, typography, colors, and the majority of components.
A Zeplin style guide that I created and shared with engineering. It outlines error states, focus states, responsiveness, documentation, and interaction design specifications.
Interactive prototype
High-fidelity mockups
These were shipped in production, and built by an external development team. Designs handed off through Zeplin.
Campaign Packages are a key step where users make an informed decision when building their Ad Campaign.
A mobile view of the Campaign Packages screens.
