BostonHub DCR Team!
CONTEXT
Meeting consumers where they are
With the digital landscape evolving, we recognized the need to rethink its enterprise-focused digital ecosystem. 80-90% of B2B buyers now expect B2C-like experiences that are fast, personalized, and mobile-friendly. They no longer want to sit through the lengthy sales cycles, they want insights and digital platforms with self-service. During the development of the B2C experience, I drove our CMS and conducted UI fixes across the site.
PROBLEM
Reducing Friction
We benchmarked the product landing pages against industry standards, combining competitive analysis with heuristic evaluation and heatmaps. This revealed critical usability issues.
Repetitive Flow
Filters require repeated opening/closing to apply or reset, creating friction that slows product discovery and discourages exploration.
Filter Overload
108 presently uncollapsible filters displayed vertically. Super overwhelming and causes exhaustive scanning.
Sparse Cards
Product cards lacked essential details yet take excessive, forcing users to scroll more while still missing information.
RESEARCH
Data-Driven Insights
We reviewed UX research, which contextualized my findings within best practices, using evidence to identify where improvements in navigation, filtering, and readability would deliver the greatest impact.
ContentSquare heatmaps detailing points of friction
FOCUS REDESIGN AREAS
Reducing Friction
Product Cards
Product cards stay in their three-column grid at 75% width with left-side filters. They now show color swatches and SKUs for clearer evaluation, with room for future additions like reviews and ratings.
Filter Optimization
Filters sit in a left sidebar (25% width) with accordion navigation. 48 product filters were card sorted into 6 categories, and text colors became visual swatches.
IMPROVED USER FLOW
Less clickity clackity!
The left sidebar eliminated the repeated opening, closing, and resetting of filters, therefore cutting down the average click depth from the home page by 2 clicks, or 33%. Users can now filter iteratively and responsively, making product discovery far more seamless.
OUTCOME
The big stage...
I presented my designs to a HUGE stakeholder crowd: 2 directors, 5 engineers, and my 2 senior designer mentors. It was overwhelmingly positive, being approved for implementation in Phase 2 of the site's development. The pilot launch continues in France, with plans to expand to additional countries en route to full global load out.
REFLECTIONS
What I learned
Think holistically
Recognizing that fixing individual pain points was not enough, the entire flow needs to work together in harmony.
Business goals don't conflict user needs
They can reinforce each other. Removing barriers for users also removes barriers to conversion and growth.
